I arrived in Madurai on Xmas eve from Tiruchedur, and have been spending the past few days getting to know the city again even though that this is my 4th visit here. Madurai has a small Christian community, and a few fireworks went off around midnight on Xmas eve but that seems to have been it. The local paper had a few pictures from the celebrations at the churches, apart from that it's business as usual in one of the oldest surviving cities in the world.
Madurai is the second biggest city in Tamil Nadu after Chennai, and the main attraction here is the Meenakshi temple right in the centre of town. The temple was originally built a couple of thousand years ago not long after the city was first established, and like most temples additional parts were added over the subsequent years, especially during the heyday of the Vijayanagar kingdom of Hampi in the late 1400s and 1500s.
The temple gets huge numbers of visitors as Tamils revere the Meenakshi goddess, plus the gopura towers are the most incredible of all the temples that possess them. There are about 6 towers each nearly 100 metres tall, and covered in figures of gods and demons that illustrate the legends of the temple, particularly the marriage of Meenakshi to Sundareshwar (Shiva).
The gopuras are painted in vivid colours, and to keep their brilliance the whole lot are repainted every 12 years. Each time I've been here before starting in 2004 the gopuras have always been inbetween paint jobs and so fully visible to enjoy - and now guess what? It's painting time.
I'd seen on a travel website earlier this year that the painting was underway, but had hoped it was completed by now. Apparently the first company that took on the contract were hopeless so another crew has been enlisted, which means that 6 months work will now take over a year to do.
I'll admit that it was a slight disappointment that the gopuras are covered up at present as they are such a dominant sight around Madurai, and great for getting your bearings when lost in the maze of narrow streets around the city, but I'm content that I've seen them before and will do again no doubt. Some travellers I've talked to here on their first visit have been a bit pissed off at the lack of gopuras at present, but I've managed to import some photos below from my 2006 visit that show off the crazy figures very well. Here goes...
Looking over the river Vagai at Madurai. That's a big load of washing drying out on the left bank.
Inside the Thirumalai Nayak palace. Thirumalai Nayak expanded the Meenakshi temple to its present size in the 1500s, and this was his palace. Strangely, the palace is being renovated at present, but tourists are still admitted, which gave the place a bit of a building site atmosphere.
Ceilings after new paint jobs at the TN palace.
The waiters at the local rooftop bar, which is good for sunsets through the smog.
Madurai at dusk from the rooftop bar.
Xmas dinner - Madurai style.
Inside the Meenakshi temple on Xmas day morning, at a small Hamuman shrine on one of the pillars.
Around 1130 on Xmas day morning, with my newest and bestest friend ever.
Outside the entrance to the Sundareshwar shrine in the temple (non-hindus ain't allowed in the Meenakshi or Sundareshwar shrines).
Near to the Sundareshwar shrine.
Here's when I was first spotted by my new friend...
A shrine to the 9 nine planets and also the Moon, but not the Mighty Boosh Moon though.
Maybe because Xmas day here is kind of a bank holiday too, the temple was rammed with pilgrims. Meenakshi and Sundareshwar each have their own shrine which is different from most temples, and here it is the goddess that gets worshipped the most. This was the end of the queue for the Meenaskhi shrine around 1100, and the total queue length was about 3 times what you see here.
A Ganesh or Vinayaka shrine between the Meenakshi and Sundareshwar shrines.
Somewhere on the right of this shot is the entrance to the Meenaskhi shrine.
The golden lotus tank inside the temple, with a covered gopura behind.
Leading into the shrine areas from the market inside the temple.
The market inside the temple.
2006 - close up of some figures on an uncovered gopura.
2006 - A gopura at sunset.
2006 - Outside the temple looking at the west gopura.
2006 - the golden lotus tank with uncovered gopura behind this time.
Back to 2008 - a set of Naga shrines next to a covered gopura.
A progress report on the gopura renovations.
The same shot as the one above at sunset in 2006, albeit this one is around 1100 and the gopura is covered in bamboo thatch.
That's the hump and head of one of the camels kept inside the temple. I've never seen them out around the temple, it's always elephants instead.Right, that's it for now as I've got a weird type of cold which seems to be giving me dizzy spells. I've spent a few quid at the pharmacy earlier so I'm off to my hotel to swallow masses of pills and then wait for my lucidity to return.
I'll be moving on from Madurai to Rameshwaram on tuesday hopefully. I wonder if they'll even recognise New Years Eve and Day there. No problem if they don't, as Rameshwaram is an island facing Sri Lanka with some very long beaches to walk along.
I'm going to try to visit the Murugan temple at the nearby village of Tiruparankundrum tomorrow, there may be some photos of this soon plus any that I can take among the narrow streets of Madurai. It's really nice and atmospheric mooching down the back lanes as they are a lot less busy than the traffic choked main streets, but as soon as I get my camera out down the alleys all the kids go mental. It's nice at first but a bit wearing after the 10th or so time. One of 'em called me "Terminator" yesterday, what's all that about? I think I need a hairdo.
In a bit
Chris
