One of South India’s great temple towns, Madurai, is a maddening whirl of a temple town: the red-and-white striped sanctuary of the ‘fish-eyed-goddess’ is a towering edifice crested by elaborate gaudy stucco-work gopurams, soundtracked by religious songs, peopled by 10,000 devoted pilgrims prostrating themselves at shrines, lighting candles and presenting flower garlands to idols, seeking blessings from the temple elephant, or secure palmistry on the shored of the Golden Lotus tank. This ancient city on the banks of the Vaigai river has, over the centuries, been a rich repository of Tamil culture. The highlight of any visit to Madurai is the Sri Meenakshi Temple, which is one of India’s largest temples, both in terms of compound area and in number of shrines in a single enclosure.
Experience India Holidays is an experiential South India travel company offering cultural, wildlife, soft adventure, wellness and special interest tours, with our main strength in tailor-made holidays to South India.
