The temple city of Madurai: part II

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The streets of Madurai
Madurai is in two parts: the old city and the new city. The old city has remained unchanged for hundreds of years resulting in the romantic Indian feel which can be hard to find anywhere in South India. This part of the city is relatively small and can and should be seen by foot. The new city is of little interest and we only went to this part of the city to try the Danish bakery (see previous post) and to visit the Gandhi Museum.
When walking through Madurai you will experience the essence of the city. There will be beggars on most streets though not in huge numbers. There will be people pissing in odd places, and whole stretches of certain streets have walls dedicated as unofficial pissoirs. Consequently, they carry an unbelievable stench. There will be children working in different professions. The boy in the picture below was selling sheets with different patterns. He skilfully demonstrated how the patterns with the use of coloured powder was transferable to any surface; here the ground to the left of him.
We also came across a girl, probably around five years old, who was working for her family by doing balancing acts, with implements on top of her head, on a rope attached to a couple of six foot poles. It was actually quite sad to see, and we quickly walked past.

In most of the places we have been to there are a large number of stray animals; especially in cities. However, in Madurai there are surprisingly few. One of these was very photogenic.
Attractions
Apart from the temple and walking, the main attraction in Madurai is the Gandhi Museum. It is located in the new part of the city and easily reached by rickshaw. The most interesting item in the museum is the display of Gandhi's bloodstained clothes that he wore when he was killed.

There is also a very interesting fruit and vegetable market close to the temple where any imaginable locally grown vegetables, fruits and herbs can be bought. It worth going there alone for the aromas. The 24 hour a day flower market used to be located in a building behind the fruit and vegetable market, but it has been moved to the bus station. We would have like to have seen it, but gave up trying to find it.

Conclusion
Initially, Madurai is overwhelming, especially when arriving from the comparatively quiet Kerala. But once you come to terms with the begging and certain smells, its hectic atmosphere is quite appealing. Unfortunately, two days does seem to be the maximum allocation of time needed to explore Madurai. Of course, you could spend weeks trawling through every little alley, but they rarely reveal anything that would justify an extended stay.
It was time to leave for Auroville and Pondicherry which is a six hour train journey north of Madurai.

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This entry was posted by pundabee, on Sunday, January 14, 2007. You can leave your response.