On the first of the new year we set off east headed to Madurai in a taxi. The taxi talked us into the ride as we waited for a bus that was going to take us a couple hours longer on some narrow and pot-holed roads. It was a good choice. The ride went over the mountains past the rest of the Munnar tea.
We were headed for Auroville north of Pondicherry, too far for one day's travel so we chose Madurai with its 6-hectare temple complex. Some say it is as important a heritage point to southern India as the Tag Mahal is to northern India.
We couldn't take our cameras into the very complex interior of the temple so the pictures here are heavy on the external towers, which we could photograph from the outside.
We stayed four days until we just got tired of city living and headed north.
New Year's Day we headed east over the mountains to Madurai through many more Munnar tea plantations. (1 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Still more tea. (1 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Out of the mountains, we drove over many miles of flat farm and grazing land interspaced with some mountains. (1 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Madurai is a bustling city, much more than the temple that most travelers and pilgrims come to see (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
The Madurai temple complex as we saw it from our hotel window. It is defined by the huge tower gates on the sides of the complex.(2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
The west gate of the temple complex. Click on the picture to see a movie of all the gates and the enclosure. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Detail of the west gate tower. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Temple north gate. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
A god on the detail of the east tower door. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Pilgrims entering the Madurai temple. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top
Petra as we walked around the Madurai temple. (2 Jan 2014)
Back to top