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Published: March 20th 2023
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Rameshwaram-Madurai-Kodaikanal: November-2022 Day-2: Meenakshi Temple - Madurai Reached Madurai for late lunch.
Hotel President (Good) is less than 10 min walking distance from the Meenakshi Temple. We were told that the temple reopens at 4 pm and as there is not much rush today, darshan should be possible in about 3 hrs!!
You can read about magnificence and vastness of the temple complex from many sources, I will not repeat. One can only presume that all that is true because it is impossible to actually see that when you are inside the temple. The temple is best viewed in the video recorded by a drone. It is huge. It is vast. It is crowded even when there is less ‘bhid’. The ‘bhid’ (crowd), unruly pushing by devotees, waiting in queues for 3-12 hrs, paying Rs. 200/- per head for privileged darshan (1-3 hours’ waiting), standing and walking bare foot on rough, dirty, wet floor for hours, stench of perspiration, and many more, all these for 10-15 seconds of darshan of ???? Many a times you don’t even know, where was the idol. Now whenever I visit a big, popular temple (and every tourist circuit have them), I
vow not to repeat the mistake again. But I do repeat the mistake. Now a days, in every temple, live darshan is possible within the premises on CCTV or live on internet, makes one think, is really worth going to the temple and go through the hardships? I do not know. Perhaps without the ‘bhid’ and uncivilized pushing by fellow devotees, true devotion is not aroused.
Once again, all the beauty, all the artistic carvings, all those thousand+ pillars, are better seen in photos and videos.
The thousand pillar mandapam is the best part of the temple. Few people go to this part of the complex.
My description of Meenakshi temple would be incomplete without mentioning the thoroughly chaotic arrangements at the entrance of the temple.
First you go right and left in search of the beginning of ever lengthening queue. The queue is common to begin with (paid and free darshan). The queue is not a single file. The space is about six feet wide. So, the queue is at least six persons wide. Remember, at this point, you are wearing your foot ware and in possession of your mobile and purses and all. When
you are about 20-30 feet from the main entrance, you have to pass through the most horrific arrangement.
Imagine, you are one of the six persons moving at a time. Suddenly, there is extra space on your left for people to push you. This space is created by four rows of steps, about 20 feet wide, followed by a verandah where there are three rooms / counters. Now you are supposed to go to the first one to deposit your mobile (Rs. 2/- each) and collect a token. In the second, deposit your bag/purse and collect a token (Rs. 10 each) and in the third, deposit your shoes (free).
Now re-join the six person wide queue!!!!. Bravo. Wise people keep their shoes, bags and mobiles either at the hotel or in the car.
Now you pass through a metal detector and personal frisking. Then you pass through the main entrance of the temple. Now inside the temple, the have-nots will join the free-darshan queue and the others will pay Rs. 200 per person and after 50 feet of accelerated progress, join the same queue (free). Confused? Well, that’s what that happened. Spent Rs. 400 (for two) and saved 50 feet of queue.
Back to outside chaos. Just opposite the shoes/mobile/bags counter, on your right is an opening controlled by a security guard who permits
entry of those who have
exited from the temple and completed darshan. These privileged devotees who have completed darshan, will have to
CROSS the queue of under-privileged devotees waiting in the queue for several hours, who are at the end of their wits, and almost at the striking distance from the main entrance, and who have re-joined the queue after depositing their valuables, will try their best to
PREVENT the privileged devotees who have completed darshan and who only want to retrieve their belongings from the counter! Naturally. They don’t know that these people only want their bags and shoes. They will think that they are trying for short-cut to the entry. The security guard has no way of identifying the darshan-finished devotees wanting to collect their valuables from darshan-pending devotees. And there is no way of preventing a smart, darshan-pending devotee from by-passing the main queue and make a short-cut entry! Ha! Ha!! Ha!!! Ingenious arrangement by the temple authorities.
When after about three hours, we became darshan-finished devotees and wanted our things back, this side-entry was closed and locked! The security man had gone. May be his duty time was over. And there was literally no way we could reach the counters to get our things back. Standing bare foot on the main road, we pleaded with the police-mobile van person to help us out. He simply shooed us away. Now what to do? Wait till the entry closes? Encouraged by and observing others like us, I also jumped the barrier, fought my way back to the counters, without countering abuses by darshan-not-finished devotees - they had only half an hour to go before closure of darshan - and for them I was an intruder. Fought my way back from counters to the road with my valuables, only to realize that I had collected only one pair of shoes. Repeated the heroics (now I was experienced) to fetch the other pair.
Dear reader, there is no exaggeration in this description. It is etched in my mind, and can narrate exactly as it had happened even after five months. Everybody will talk about the grandeur of the temple. People forget such
small inconveniences. I could not forget. The reason is, a little more imaginative planning by the temple authorities to separate out approach to the counters – for depositing and for collecting the belongings will save a lot of inconvenience. But who cares?
Madurai has two more attractions. Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal (esp light and sound show) and Gandhi Museum.
We had better attractions waiting for us on day-3: Kodaikanal.
Off to Kodaikanal.
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