Guide To Madurai From Bangalore

Think of Madurai and the famous Meenakshi temple comes into the picture. The architectural delight of ancient India has Meenakshi temple, Maduraltourists thronging in to view its 1001 pillars apart from devotees who come in to worship Goddess Parvati.

Madurai could be your weekend getaway too. MetroMela tells you how.

Getting there
Madurai is located approximately 450 kilometers from Bangalore in the state of Tamil Nadu. Reaching Madurai should take you 6 to 8 hours. You need to take the route to Hosur via Electronic City and then travel towards National Highway 47. There are signboards all the way to guide you as well. Plus the highway in Tamil Nadu is pretty good. So driving down is a pleasant experience.

Things to do
Visiting Madurai, and missing Meenakshi Temple is unthinkable. The temple, known for its architecture, has an interesting story attached to it. Legend has it that Lord Shiva visited Madurai to marry Meenakshi, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. Their divine marriage at this place led to the building of Meenakshi temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. Though the history of the original structure of the temple is not known, the present structure was built by the kings of Nayak dynasty around 1600 AD.

The wonderful construction of the temple is a milestone in South Indian architecture. Murals, statues, pillars carved out of stones make for a great piece of art. You can also go around the temple and get a feel of the ancient city around it. The thousand pillar hall inside the temple is another marvel of its structural design. The hall is dedicated to Nataraj and used to be the center for cultural activities. There are stone sculptures showing all the Mudras of classical dance forms incorporated on each pillar. The hall is open for visit only and no pooja is done here. You can quietly sit in the midst of the pillars and soak in the divine aura. Meenakshi temple is open for worship and visit in morning from 4 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 9.30 PM in the evening.

Madurai is also the place where you can buy beautiful sarees, especially Madurai silk ones. Apart from pure silk ones, you can buy Madurai cotton silk sarees, Madurai khadi silk sarees as well as dress materials. These are hand woven and great gift options to buy for your loved ones. There are a lot of shops near Meenakshi temple where you can get these sarees. Tamil Nadu Handicraft saree shop towards the west gate of temple is a reasonable option.

Stay options
MetroMela suggests a few good hotels that are located at a 10-minute walk from the temple. Hotel Supreme is one such good option. The hotel is quite old and has both AC and Non AC rooms. There is a multi-cuisine restaurant and a roof top Tandoori food restaurant and bar as well. Rooms boast of basic amenities like cable TV, cupboards and well-maintained rest rooms. For details on reservation, availability and tariff, please call the hotel at 0452-2343151.

Hotel Golden Park is another option located just opposite Supreme and offers rooms at lower rate. The rooms are well furnished and service is good. The check-in and checkout timings are 12 PM.

MetroMelas Tips
You can visit Madurai anytime of the year but since the weather there is hot and humid, the best time to go there would be between October and March.
There are hardly any good places to eat on the highway, so we recommend carrying food for the drive.
There are a lot of stay options, so you can just go, see the hotels, select rooms and do booking on the spot. However, we recommend advance booking for winter season.
Women, dont miss buying Madurai handloom sarees from here as they turn out cheaper.
Taking the help of a guide/priest to visit Meenakshi temple is recommended as the temple is so vast, you may get lost. You will find guides at all entrances to the temple. Try to bargain on rates that would go up to Rs. 300.