Madurai

---

On the way to Madurai we stopped at a bird sanctuary. My binoculars would have been useful here, but they were not easily accessible. We could identify ibis and egrets, and there were other unidentifieds. In Madurai our first visit was to the flower market. This was very busy because of Pongal. We saw the expensive jasmine, roses in different colours which are imported and garland making. We made a brief photo stop at the tank. Alongside this tank the process of drying cotton after it has been dyed takes place. The tank os a good place for this task because ther is a long enough space without too many people. The main visit was to the palace. This is full of pigeons and not very well looked after, but it is worth taking care of. This is a Nayac palace. Originally it was much larger, but two main halls remain. The columns in the halls are rather stocky, but it is worthwhile to raise your eyes to see the decoration in the Hindu saracenic style. The last part of the sight seeing was to the Ghandi museum. Ghandi visited Madurai several times and on one occasion he decided to adopt the dhoti as his dress - this was part of his connection with all sections and castes of Indian society. The story told in the museum is, as you might expect, not flattering to the British.

After a break at the hotel we took a tuk tuk with our guide for the evening temple procession. We opted to see the procession outside the temple. Before the procession there was time for shopping. Madurai is famous for its tailors. For Westerners the tailors will make up a dress/top or simple trousers. You choose the style and material. The tailors section is in a Mandapan of the temple. I had a dress made up and collected it the same evening. The temple precession included a camel and a bull. The photo shows the image of Meenakshi being carried into the temple.

---