The consequences of lethargy

**I took the day off from blogging yesterday, because it was my birthday. So this post is a wee bit behind schedule since I’ve been astounding even myself by keeping it up so regularly**

This was originally written on 7/7 and encompasses that day and the one after.

Today I visited one of the most over stimulating temples so far. Always, when I think I can’t be impressed enough with the ones that I visit, as I get further south, the bar becomes raised. As I write this I am sitting at the Sri Meenakshi temple. It is the uniquely dedicated home to the tri-boobied mer-godess Meenakshi. Touted as one of the most impressive in India, I of course had to see for myself. The place is absolutely huge with several gopurams guarding each direction’s entrance as well as a few in the center where the important shrines are. As recommended, with additional interest in scoping out the bazaar, I headed around to the east entrance. The gopurams are as colorful and crowded as before, like seven crazy parties suddenly were frozen in time and space. There is one bazaar in the temple and another across the street. The one inside the temple is not in the most holiest part, but in the common area where everyone is allowed to go. They sell all sorts of tchatchkes, religious items, paintings, jewelry, bangles, and there are special stalls for offerings as well.

But back  to the temple itself. The inside is definitely the most colorful/acid-trippy temple that I have seen yet. As described in my guidebook this is a “newer” temple, meaning it was built in the 15-16th century, also considering how old Madurai is (they used to trade with the Romans) then yes I guess this place would qualify as recent. I’m not sure if it’s the money that probably pours into this place, being a main tourist attraction, or its age but all of the carvings look as fresh and polished as if they were done yesterday. Out fo the many pillars, shiny granite figures of varying ferocity leap out you from the stone. From the wild-eyed male guardians and composite animal guards to docile voluptuous yakshis, the rather large figures stand out even amongst the brightly colored ceiling. The ceilings are covered with flowery optical illusions, in some areas, that as you’re walking move in a way that would make anyone believe they’re about to encounter something divine. Other parts have paintings of various gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon. Everything is bright and lively, enough to make you think you wandered into a cartoon, but only in the best way possible. You can tell how popular this place is because it has one of the biggest crowds that I’ve seen yet at any temple.

One of the more interesting pieces of art is the story of the mer-goddess wh is the authority of this temple. Her tale is frescoed on one of the walls. I haven’t seen this type of thing in mural from anywhere else, yet. There are numerous areas of the temple to explore, and while before I was afraid most of it would be off-limits I largely got free reign. Another element that I haven’t seen in any other temple is that there are mantras playing on the speakers, all over which I think adds to the general business of the place. It’s not stone silent (pun intended) like many of the others. I quite like the social atmosphere as well, it’s a good place to people watch. It’s probably the first time I’m scoping ut everyone else just as much as they are looking at me.

My second day in Madurai started with a cup of local coffee. In Madurai there are coffee stalls absolutely everywhere, my kind of town. The freshly brewed small glass cups are about 9 rupees. Some stalls do only coffee and others sell street snacks like dosas, idyllis, and sweets. In the morning many of the local men were gathered around these stalls chowing down on some breakfast. The glass that I had definitely has to be one of my favorite cups that I’ve ever had. The guy was definitely a master of putting in the correct milk to sugar ratio as well. This gives Madurai major points on my favorite places in India list.

When iw as sufficiently caffeinated, I hired a rickshaw to take me to the Gandhi Museum. The museum is in a large white Mughal style building. Half of the exhibition tell s the story of India’s independence, from the first landing of, “whiteman” in th 1600’s to the 1947 independence date. The first couple hundred years until the time of Gandhi was full of oppression and bloodshed. There were many revolts led by locals against the British East India Company and later on the British Empire itself. The museum stresses these violent clashes and struggles of India’s people. It was a well put together exhibition and the information and original art accompanying the displays were excellent.

The second half was about the man himself, Gandhi. It chronicled his life through photos, quotes, huge biographical plaques of information, and artifacts. This was also very well done. This museum is also the home of the blood stained cloth that Gandhi was wearing the day he was assassinated. The sight of it was quite jarring, especially after going though the museum, learning about his life and philosophies as well as the trials of his people. Other items of his included a pair fo his round rimmed glasses, books, and yarn that he had spun himself. This is probably the best museum I’ve been to yet and I quite enjoyed it.

The next place I wanted to visit was the Tirumala Nayak Palace, former home of the rulers of Madurai. South India is apparently the place to be for empty, cavernous, decaying palaces. That being said the impressive entry hall had yellow painted walls, high ceilings, some areas painted with arabesque style flowers and patterns. There are a few of the original molding/sculptures on the border of the wall and roof. A giant center courtyard dominated the space, which was meant for the gathering of many people, although nowadays it’s only a large group of empty chairs in the center. There was a small archeological museum with some very old sculptures. Other than that there wasn’t much to see, but it was a pleasant place to hang out. According to the brief description fo te history of the palace it was once a much larger place and this was only one part of it. There used to be gardens, temples, housing, harems and recreational areas on the premises.

Not having eaten all day I got super hungry. I was craving fries so at Lonely Planet’s suggestion I went to British Bakery, a snack shop that had what I required. I ordered a veg burger and fires and I got more out fo the meal than I expected. It was definitely the best veg burger I’ve ever had, and I’ve been eating them a lot lately. The bun was really good, the patty as not heavily breaded and it was topped with a really fantastic onion/mayo sauce that was exceptional. I was quite the happy girl.