Madurai - Day 01

On the 21st of Feb, morning, after having my breakfast, my brother-in-law dropped me at Singanallur bus stand on his way to work. A direct bus to Madurai was waiting for me there. The bus took approximately 4.5 hours to reach Madurai. The buses stop from Coimbatore at Arapalayam bus stand. I followed the crowd to board a local bus and asked the conductor where should I get off to visit the temple. He said - Simakkal. I did so. 

I walked to Meenakshi temple premises. Around the temple there are plenty of shops, restaurants and lodges. First thing first though - I found it hard to find a vegetarian restaurant. Finally, I came across Iyengar tiffins. As soon as I sat down, he served me Vada and Bajji which I wasn’t wanting. I had it anyways. Then I ordered a rawa dose. It was okay. 

After lunch, I walked to a shop selling Madurai famous Jigarthanda. It was refreshing as always. Jigarthanda is a famous drink originating in Madurai. It is made of a milk based drink, nannari root juice and malai ice cream. It has a refreshing taste and is worth all the hype. 

I walked around the temple looking for a place to stay. As it was a weekend, the lodges were full. I had to walk a few distance away from the temple to find a descent hotel. I must say that Madurai is not a clean city. I was lucky to have found a fairly descent place to stay. Grand Residency offered me a single room at Rs 950. That I thought was a good deal. 

I freshened up and walked to a bike rental shop. The google maps location took me behind Arulmigu Koodal Azhagar temple. I could not find the place so I visited to the temple. It is a beautiful temple dedicated to Perumal. The idols were very beautiful. The Gopura had intricate designs, painted in soothing colours. 

I enjoyed some laddoos that they sell inside most temples in this area. After that, I tried to go back to find the bike rental place. I called the owners and they told me that I could collect it the next day at any time from 5AM. 

On my way back, I stopped at a small shop that sold Paruthipaal (Cotton seed milk). My friend Gowri had provided me a list of things that I must try while traveling in TN. The milk was loaded with ginger and jaggery so I could not really tell the taste of the cotton seeds. 

I next visited the Meenakshi temple. Being a Saturday, it was crowded. In between they stopped the queue as it was curtain time (7:30pm-8:15pm). Some girls had dressed like they were going to wedding. So, finally after following a long queue inside the temple and in the process appreciating this gigantic place with beautiful pillars filled with intricate designs, I finally made it to the main shrine. With light coming from a few lamps it was a bit difficult to see the small idol of goddess Meenakshi. I also visited the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

Honestly, the art work at the temple was a bit overwhelming. There are so many of them that I felt lost. There were huge sculptures of Ganesha, Nataraja and other Gods and demons. The symmetric pillars had elaborate carvings and looked magnificent. 

The paintings on the roof though were mediocre as they seemed newly done and lacked the fineness of the art work from the ancient era. As it was already 10PM, I exited the temple premises, collected my bag and sandals that had been deposited in the counters outside and walked back to the hotel to catch some much needed sleep. It had been a long day. 

To be Continued...