Bangalore to Madurai - Meenakshi Temple - Dec 2011

Day 2 - Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple

The temple is open from 05:00 A.M to 12:30 P.M, and later from 04:00 P.M to 09.30 P.M. Your hotel can arrange for a tour guide to explain the temple architecture, the dynasty that ruled, and about other topics.

We planned a visit to the Meenakshi temple the next day. Because Ayyappa Swamy devotees would crowd the temple in the early morning, we decide to go to the temple after 09:00 A.M. Please remember that if you are visiting the temple for the first time, either enter the temple from the East gate or the North gate. Also remember that the auto rickshaw guys may charge a high price for the commute. The guideline is to pay about Rs. 10 per kilometer. We ended up paying Rs. 50 for a kilometer and half!

The Meenakshi Sundareswara temple is a huge complex. My parents and brother had visited this temple years ago, and my mother fondly narrates her experience. I would be visiting this temple for the first time. My jaws dropped when I saw the gopuram (tower), and my jaw continued to drop when I saw the idols and pillars inside the temple. The temple has four big gopurams in each direction; the southern tower is the tallest of all. Each gopuram is colorful and stunning with the sculptures. Ensure that you remember the gate in which you entered; otherwise, you may tend to exit from another gate or end up going in circles.

North Tower

One of the smaller towers

Please note that you cannot carry scissors, weapons, cigarettes, and other harmful items inside the temple. You will not be allowed if you are wearing shorts or have dressed inappropriately. Taking photos of the deity is not allowed. Kindly respect the Indian Hindu tradition, and adhere to it. Foreigners are not allowed inside the sanctum (near the God or Goddess).

We entered through the North gate, and were welcomed by the God Naga. The entrance to the Temple Museum is as this side of the temple. Several people had tied cradles on the tree, praying to be bestowed with children. Questioning a few religious beliefs can trigger unwanted arguments. However, we must use our common sense and practical implications of our actions. The temple authorities remove the excess cradles from the tree, and dispose them.

We bought tickets (Rs. 100 each) to special darshana; otherwise, one can opt for free darshana (dharma darshana). For camera, the temple authorities charge Rs. 50. Please note that taking photos of deities inside the sanctum is not allowed. The temple halls have colorful paintings on the ceiling and gorgeous idols on the pillars. The name of each idol is displayed in Tamil and in English. I guess that I fell in love with the flawless features of these idols. I tried to capture them all in my camera, initially; but later, I let the images seep into myself. Was a beautiful feeling!

We first saw the Sundareshwara temple and later visited the Meenakshi temple. Finally, we saw the Thousand Pillars and the Temple Museum. I will let the photos do the talking.

The temple complex also has a tank. Surrounding the tank are walk paths; one of the walk paths display antique wall paintings. Currently, water has been pumped out of the tank, and we could see the golden lotus and sit on the steps of the tank. We sat on the steps silently to let the experience seep inside, and also to get a glimpse of the towers.

Tank

Bangalore to Madurai - Madana Gopal Temple - Dec 2011

Day 1 - Madurai

From Namakkal, we drove towards Madurai. On the way, we saw fertile fields of paddy, ginger, chrysanthamums, sugarcane, and others. This time around we did not stop and enter the fields; however, we enjoyed watching the fields go past by one after another. The lakes were filled with water. I am sure that the Pongal harvest will be good.

By 2:00 P.M or so, we reached Madurai. The city experienced a bundh due to the Mullaperiyar dam issue. The otherwise hyper active city seemed awfully silent that day. We stayed at the Madurai Residency hotel, which is closer to the West gate (and North gate) of the gorgeous Meenakshi temple. By the time we checked into the hotel, the hotel restaurant was closed for lunch, and the only food that they served was bread-jam or bread-cheese and milkshakes. Ah, that was a blessing!

In the evening, we had plans to meet a friend's family and have dinner at the Murugan Idli Shop. We walked from our hotel to the venue. It's beautiful to walk and get accustomed with the city's culture. You can see small temples, shops that sell soft cotton cloth, ground turmeric, and other items, and idli shops that women run outside their homes.

While we waited for our friend to arrive, we loitered around on the West Masi street, and entered the ancient temple of Madana Gopal. The Lord has four hands, holding Shanka and Chakra in two hands, and playing a flute with the other two. The idol may be one of its kinds, and can mesmerize you. The temple is open in the morning from 07:00 A.M to noon and in the the evening from 04:30 P.M to 09:00 P.M.

Madana Gopala Swamy Temple

One of the shrines - Gopuram 

Pillar Sculpture

A Piece From Ramayana

A Piece From Ramayana

A Piece From Ramayana

What can I say about the Murugan Idli Shop? They serve idlis and dosas with a variety of chutneys and delicious sambar. On a busy day, you have to wait to get a seat at this place; may lose your patience. The place also sells Jil Jil Jigarthanda drink, which originated at Madurai. This drink is made of milk, China grass, sarsaparilla syrup, ice cream, and sabudana. Please try this drink; it's yummy.

Jil Jil Jigarthanda

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel, and slept peacefully.

Review of the Madurai Residency hotel:

Ensure that you get a room for which you have paid or booked online; check your preferrance of toilet (Indian or European). Otherwise, the staff will allocate a room of their choice, and you will end up wasting time in your attempts to get another room.

The rooms are neat, and the service is relatively good. It's great if you can communicate in Tamil. Though there are unpleasant reviews about the staff or service, we had a good stay for four days. The staff were kind and enterprising.

The food at the restaurant is tasty. We liked their breakfast spread and the a la carte dishes (lunch and dinner). The hotel also has a roof top restaurant, which we did not use. We visited the roof top in the morning to get a bird's view of the city.

In the next blog, I shall introduce the Meenakshi temple.

Regards,
Asha