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By Root 1974 0

been held 2 millennia ago. Throughout its history, various dynasties battled to control the city. The Pandyas made it their capital for 1,000 years, only relinquishing control during the 10th century to the Chola king Parantaka. During the 13th century, after enjoying a brief spell as an independent Sultanate, it joined the Hindu Vijayanagar empire, who ruled from Hampi, leaving the administration to the Nayaks. The Vijayanagars built much of the temple during their reign, which lasted until the 16th century, when the Nayaks wrest control from the Vijayanagar. The Nayaks invested heavily in their city, building it on the pattern of a lotus, until the arrival of the British in 1736.

Today Madurai, Tamil Nadu’s second-largest city, is a hodge-podge of chaotic streets and rutted lanes leading into industrial sectors plagued by pollution and traffic jams and other ills characteristic of unchecked development. The heart of it is—the streets a series of concentric squares surrounding the Meenakshi temple, forming a mandala that is believed to be activated by the myriad devotees’ clockwise perambulations of the temple—unchanged for almost two thousand years, and atmospherically charged (similar in some ways to Varanasi, India’s ancient city in the north). It is a fascinating city, a place of pilgrimage and joy, and in many ways the embodiment of Tamil Nadu’s temple culture. Certainly the labyrinthine Meenakshi Temple—celebrating the love of the Meenakshi goddess and her groom, Sundareswarar (the “Handsome God”), an avatar of Lord Shiva—is easily our first choice among Tamil Nadu’s temple destinations.

ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE & AWAY There are flights connecting Madurai to Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Bangalore, and Mumbai. The airport is 12km (7 1⁄2 miles) south of the city center. Jet Airways, Air Deccan, and Kingfisher offer flights; check www.yutra.com for best deals. Taxis charge around Rs 300. Trains from all over southern India pull in at Madurai Junction Railway Station (W. Veli St.; 0452/274-3131), which has a good Tourism Department information center that is open daily. The train journey from Chennai is 8 hours (via Trichy); from Bangalore, 11 hours. From Pondicherry you’ll need to catch a cab to Villipuram (30-min. drive) then travel for 6 hours by train. There are two bus stands: The Central Bus Stand (7km/4 1⁄3 miles from center) is the arrival point from Chennai and other north, south, and eastern districts. If you are arriving from the west, including Kerala, you will disembark at Arapalayam Bus Stand (2km/1 1⁄4 miles from railway station). If you’re traveling by car, a 10-hour direct journey from Chennai, it’s best to overnight along the way, preferably in the Chettinad area. The drive between Madurai and Kochi in Kerala takes 8 hours; best to overnight in Munnar or the Periyar area, or you could head over the Ghats via Elephant Hills in the Kodaikanal area (see box).

VISITOR INFORMATION Staff at the Government of Tamil Nadu Tourist Office (W. Veli St., next to the Tamil Nadu Hotel; 0452/233-4757; Mon–Fri 10am–5:45pm; Sat 10am–1pm) provides maps, advice on government-sponsored hotels and shops, and recommendations on guides. As elsewhere, beware of fake “official guides” you meet on the streets.

GETTING AROUND Auto-rickshaw drivers tend to have a field day with foreign visitors; establish a flat rate before heading off.

FESTIVALS Try to time your visit to coincide with the Chittrai Festival, held at the end of April/early May, when Shree Meenakshi’s marriage to Lord Sundareswara is celebrated by dragging the divine couple from temple to temple on magnificent chariots, accompanied by elephants and drummers, with revelers reaching fever-pitch radiance. The couple is again heralded during the Teppam Festival (aka “Float” Festival), held sometime in January and February (traditionally then the most auspicious time of the year to get married in Madurai), when they are set afloat on a beautifully adorned raft in the tank near the Thirupparankundram Temple. It’s supposed to be a romantic interlude for the couple, who