The wonderous Meenakshi Sunareshwarer temple

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Madurai, although large has a distinctly easy going feel about it despite lacking much in the sense of town-planning. As is typical of much of India it is very dusty making the air particularly dry (we now regularly consume 3 liters water a day each).

We booked in at Sree Devi, a central good-value hotel (Rs180) with excellent rooftop views of the Meenakshi temple, as recommended in the Rough Guide. No sooner had i gone up to inspect the room and the view was i being sold hashish by the hotel staff who were adamant it was OK to smoke in the rooms or on the roof.

The complex includes a 1000 pillar hall and 12 gopura (towers) set into the outer walls which reach a height of 46m and are visible from miles around

A rooftop view of the Meenakshi temple and its 12 Gopura richly ornate with colourful sculptures
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Madurai is one of the world's oldest cities, an ancient capital, which has been an important center for commerce and religion as long as there has been civilisation in S.India. There was a lucrative trade in silk, pearls and spices that enabled the Pandyan dynasty to erect the mighty Meenakshi Sundareshwarer temple mostly between in the 16-18th Century.

The temple is enclosed in a rectangular 6m hig wall and is one of the largest temple complexes in India. The principal shrines (closed to non-hindus...but we ignorantly sneeked a peak) are those to Sundareshwar (Shiva) and his consort Meenakshi. The complex includes a 1000 pillar hall and 12 gopura (towers) set into the outer walls which reach a height of 46m and are visible from miles around (see photos)! Each one is covered in a profusion of brightly coloured stucco gods & demons. We got in and saw it at the crack of dawn prior to the usual daily crowds of approx 15K!

A Gopura (gatehouse to the Hindu temple within)
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Madurai, like many Indian towns, is a very dusty place and coupled with constant furious beeping of traffic horns (over which its difficult to speak, hear or think) and the endless locals attempting to lure you to their (commission enhanced) shops, we spent most of our time either eating in the many resturants or trying to practice our bongo drums at our hotel room.

We spent many hours shopping for hand-wax-painted wall-hangings eventually comin to the conclusion that the Indian Government Craft Emporium's were by far the cheapest and best way to shop (less than half price and a very wide range).

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Shopping in India is stressful at the best of times and this is not made any easier by the lack of pavements, which even when present are flooded with street traders. Instead everyone walks on the narrow dusty roads with drivers constantly and furiously beeping at you. Locals told us that when drivers crash the culprit of the accident is often dragged from his vehicle by the local Indians and given a severe beating - on many occassions they have been beaten-to-death by the time the police arrive but the blame can't be pinned on any single member of the public so no charges are usually brought!!

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Although not interested in carpets so many people tried to sell us them that we have become budding specialists at carpet quality, which is largely defined by the number of knots per square inch. This usually ranges between 600-1500 but can rise as high as 4000 for top-dollar versions.

While most things are cheap here in Tamil Nadu, some of lifes little luxuries have attracted State Tax - to the extent that 2 beers can cost more than a night in a hostel...call it a forced detox!