Universally known for its Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai is one of the popular pilgrim centres of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The bustling modern town that radiates outwards with the temple at its centre belies its past partly buried in the mythologies and partly in historical records.
The city not only finds a mention in the Sangam literature (first to fourth century) but also hosted the third Tamil Sangam (gathering of scholars). Archaeological finds indicate the region had links with the Roman Empire in 300 BC. Ruled by various dynasties, Madurai rose to great heights under the Pandyan and the Nayaka rulers.
But not many people know that Madurai has more to offer than its pilgrim heart. Even if you are not religiously minded, here are three reasons why you should include Madurai in your itinerary.
Architecture
The first thing that will draw your attention as soon as you arrive in Madurai are the colourful towers or Gopuram of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. A key pillar of Dravidian architecture, a Gopuram usually marks the entrance to shrines. The Meenakshi Amman temple has 14 such multi-tiered towers (four nine-tier gopuram, one seven-tier Chittirai gopuram, five five-tier gopuram, and two three-tier gopuram), each decorated with rich carvings. Among the many shrines within the complex, it is easy to identify the two main shrines by their golden ‘vimana’ (towers over the sanctum sanctorum). Although the temple is said to be over 2000 years old, it was renovated and rebuilt a few times, first under the Vijaynagara rulers and then under the Nayaka rulers. Apart from the sculptures, paintings and statues, do pay a visit to the 1000 Pillar Hall; several stone columns here resonate with sounds of Indian musical instruments. There are people here who can play the notes for you for a small fee. Note: Do check with th temple office if photography inside the complex is permitted or not.
The crowded market place around the Meenakshi temple may seem a tad overwhelming at first. But as you start walking, you will realise the roads are arranged in concentric quadrangles. The old city was rebuilt way back in the early 16th century according to the Shilpa Shastra (ancient codified texts on planning and architecture).
In fact, much of the Meenakshi temple complex as we see today is the result of a grand expansion plan executed by King Thirumalai Nayak, whose 17th century palace lies about two km from the temple. Although much of its grand decorations were possibly removed by the king'd grandson, several renovations later, the palace speaks volumes about its past glory. The arches, pillars, the stucco work, painted ceilings, etc, reflect much of the Dravidian and Islamic architectural plans used to design the palace. Now a National Monument, it is under protection of the state archaeological department. A light and sound show in the evening wil acquaint you with the life and times of King Thirumalai.
There are several temples in and around Madurai, which reflect the architectural preferences of the various kings who ruled over the region at different times. Lying about 10km away from Madurai is the Thirupparankundram Temple. This cave shrine is reverered as one of the six abodes of the god Murugan or Lord Subrahmanya. According to the scriptures, it was here that the god's marriage with Devayanai, the daughter of Indra, was solemnized. The temples were likely built in the eight century by the Pandya rulers. Alagarkoil, about 20km from Madurai, is known for its richly carved temple dedicated to Vishnu.
Food
One of the closely guarded secrets of Madurai is its culinary spread. Apart from a plethora of street food options, there are the scores of ‘mess’ (restaurants). Most look plain at first sight but this is where you will find some of the fines Tamil food. Despite being a pilgrim town, Madurai is well known for its non-vegetarian food as well as its vegetarian spread. Some of the things that you cannot miss are the special idlis, idiappams (string hoppers), the egg-rolled Koothu Parotta, the Kari Dosai (with layers of egg and mutton), Kola Urundai (spicy meat ball), prawn biryani, etc. There is a market dedicated to bananas of all kinds. You cannot leave Madurai without having tasted Jigarthanda, a sweet (cloyingly so to those not fond of sweets) drink essentially made of milk, ice-cream and fruit gum. One of the best places to have it is 'Famous', located on the East Marret and South Masi Street junction but you can have it anywhere, even carts by the roadside; each seller has their own set of ingredients for the concoction. For a curated food walk, you may contact Vanakkam Madurai
Shopping
The roads around the Meenakshi temple are choc a bloc with shops of all kinds. One of the popular buys is the Sungundi saris. It is said that natural dyes are used to give the saris their vibrant colours. Usually, the body of the saris have bright colours and covered in polka dots while the borders have a contrasting colour design. At the eastern entrance of the temple is the Prithu Mandapam, an old pillared hall now occupied by textile shops. There are rows of shops where you can buy accessories and ornaments to don from head to foot. You can also buy brass wares in Madurai.
Getting there: Madurai is well connected by air, road and rail. Madurai International Airport is about 14km from the city centre. Several national and state highways pass through the city and the district. An important junction on the Southern Railway, it is connected to Chennai, Mumbai and other key cities. Madurai can be visited round the year but December to February is pleasant.
