Madurai ( in Tamil :மதுர ) - Madura

... we've just arrived in Madurai after a rough night in the sleeper bus ... anyway, we did get some sleep ...

... and then Madurai ! ... it was 6.30 am, and it wasn't even daylight when we arrived ... we'd chosen a hotel on the spur of the moment ... don't feel like searching after a bad night ... the choice of room was determined by whether or not we had access to wifi, which was only available on the ground floor, so the room was a bit gloomy, damp and the bathroom was disastrous ... I washed with a bucket, indian style and we went to the Meenakshi temple, where the gopurams were as impressive as ever.

Like other late Dravidian temples, it is composed of multiple enclosures. The outer enclosure measures 254 × 237 m. These enclosures are crossed by portal towers called gopurams, decorated with an abundance of statues. The temple has eleven gopurams, each 45-50 m high. The highest is the south gopuram, which rises to 60 m, making it the tallest structure in Asia for several centuries (built between 1560 and 1660).

... it's no longer possible to enter with a camera ... we had a coffee and headed for the Gandhi Museum ... out of luck, it's closed for renovation! 

... we also visited the Tirumalai Nayak Palace, also under renovation, but well worth a visit nonetheless!

The Nayak Tirumalai Palace was built in 1636 by this king of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty during his reign from 1623 to 1659, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. The palace is in the Nayaka style of Vijayanagara architecture.

Until the 16th century, the Vijayanagara kingdom ruled an immense territory in southern India. The Nayaks were originally military governors of this kingdom. After the battle of Talikota, the kingdom was defeated and its capital Vijayanagara (Hampi) sacked, so several of them declared their independence. The Nayaka kingdoms that were formed at this time are at the origin of Nayak dynasties such as those of Keladi, Tanjore, Gingee and Madurai.

External view of the fortified city of Madura, its temple (right) and palace (nearby, left), painted in 1858.

Indian Empire - Robert Montgomery Martin (1801 – 1868)

... afternoon siesta and scouting out the bus stand from which we'll leave tomorrow morning for Kodaikanal ... At an altitude of 2100 m, a break in the cooler air will do us good ... a slight change to the planned itinerary ... neither of us want to stay longer in Madurai

... from Kodaikanal we'll normally be able to catch a train to Thanjavur and get closer to Pondichery

... so much for the program, we're holding up well, but we have to admit that it's a very tiring trip ...

... Madurai is the second-largest city and cultural capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, situated on the banks of the Vaigai river; it is renowned for its many temples, including Minâkshi, a small town within a town, enclosed by walls pierced by Gopurams. 

The capital of the Pândya people, Madurai has a history dating back some 2500 years, and was a trading center known to the Romans.

Legend has it that on the day the city was to receive its name, while the god Shiva was blessing the land and its inhabitants, divine nectar (madhu) began to rain from his hair, and the city was given the name Madhurapuri. In fact, Madurai is more likely a distortion of the Tamil word marudhai (மருதை) meaning "fertile agricultural region with alluvial soil". Some of the city's inhabitants still call it Marudhai. It is also sometimes referred to as the Athens of theEast, due to its wealth of temple architecture. It's also famous for the jasmine flowers that Tamil women weave into their hair (gajra).

Today, it is a bustling city with a population of 1,872,000, at the center of the state of Tamil Nadu, which is a leading destination for manufacturing in a number of sectors, including automobiles and automotive components, textiles, cement, engineering, pharmaceuticals and more.

The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival is celebrated during the Tamil month of Chithirai (April), and is associated with the Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareshvara, a form of Shiva. A million visitors/pilgrims flock to Madurai for this occasion.

It is still common practice during pilgrimages for women to have their heads shaved and to donate their cut hair to the temple; this is a very valuable source of income and is the subject of a very lucrative international trade; see the book "la tresse" by Lætitia Colombani and the eponymous film she made ...

                                                                                                                                                                                … to be continued …