By Meher Castelino
When it comes to temples and their past glory nobody can beat India. There are so many temples that it is difficult to select which places to visit to see the glorious temples.
One day some years ago I got an opportunity to visit Madurai where the magnificent Meenakshi Temple is. I had seen pictures of this temple but never realised its full beauty till I was standing in front of it.
We took the overnight train from Chennai which brought us to Madurai in the morning. It was a comfortable sleeper in AC comfort. Madurai is the heart of Tamil Nadu. The town almost resolves around the Meenakshi Temple which in itself is like a town once you enter its grounds. The people of Madurai are very religious. It is said that they do not awake with the cock crowing but with the chanting of Vedic hymns in the temples.
Madurai is 2500-years-old and has gone through many ruling dynasties like the Pandyas, Cholas, Cheras and Pallavas. The streets of Madurai run in circles around the Meenakshi temple and it is believed that 10,000 tourists come to the city daily. Entering the temple and looking up at the tower over the entrance is a breathtaking sight. Thousands of intricately carved figures of gods, goddesses, animals, birds and human begins are intertwined and sculpted accurately and painted. It is almost an unbelievable sight.
The map of the Meenakshi Temple is more complex and it is better to take a guide or one can get lost in the many halls, corridors and wings of the temple. Each part of the complex has quaint stories to tell.
An inscription inside the entrance of the Sundareshwara shrine indicates that the temple building started in 1256 AD and went through many years. Going though the complex took us hours and even then we had managed to see just a part of it.
The carved pillars, the beautiful ceilings, the many statues each one with the most gorgeous ornaments and robes were a breathtaking sight.
Inside the temple complex are also shops that sell prayer items as well as bangles, spices and saris. Bargaining around the temple is fun and we did it for spices, wood carvings and souvenirs. Handlooms are something we wanted to buy and there were many items like household linen and fabrics that we picked up. We also bought Papier Mache models of the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai saris and other knick knacks.
Around the Meenakshi temple are many shops and it is one of the most popular shopping destinations for authentic Madurai products. The most interesting shop we stopped at was Hajee Moosa which is over 130-years-old and is considered a must for all visitors. Besides stocking the best Madurai saris and textiles the three-storey 25,000 sq ft store is a shopper’s paradise for branded goods.
We shared some interesting tales with the manager like when it was set up in 1878 the family of Hajee Moosa traded since 1800 and there was a time when dhotis were sold for four annas and saris for Rs 1.50 and the store’s daily turnover was Rs 1000 which was considered very high in those days.
For lovers of religious sights there are over a dozen more temples to see in Madurai which is a small town but with the most beautiful aura and religious atmosphere.
