Option 1 is the correct answer: Madurai is known as 'The Athens of East'.
The city of Madurai is located in Tamil Nadu on the banks of River Vaigai.
It has found mentions in the texts of Kautilya and Megasthenes dating back to 3rd century BC.
The ancient city has served as the capital of the Kingdom of Pandyas.
The city was initially developed in the shape of Lotus.
The magnificent Hindu temples are the major attractions of Madurai like Meenakshi Amman Temple, Koodal Azhagar Temple and many more.
The resemblance to Athens: Madurai is known as the Athens of East due to two features mentioned as follows:
In Athens, there is Greek Pantheon an elevated top that is visible from anywhere in the city. Similarly, the Gopurams of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple are visible from anywhere.
Another feature is the walkways that favour pedestrians inside the city. The two-way lanes for the vehicular traffic are mostly located on the outskirts of the city.
*But with time, the visibility of gopurams has been affected by the high rising buildings and the pedestrian walkways by increased traffic.