Madurai is a unique blend of ancient temples and haphazard urban structures that mostly cater to pilgrims and tourists alike. The Meenakshi Amman temple is central to the town's identity and 1000s of people pour in each day to catch a glimpse of the beautiful temple.
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| Meenakshi Amman temple, Madurai |
A spiritual pilgrimage requires devotion and a sense of adventure
Hinduism, it's traditions and culture existed well before Christianity and Islam, and Hindu temples are places to get a glimpse into ancient India. While North and Western India had to bear the brunt of the marauding muslim rulers as well as the Portuguese; both of whom had a reputation for destroying Hindu temples; Southern India was fortunately spared from this onslaught thus giving us an excellent opportunity to travel back in time and experience the history, lifestyle and religious inclinations of that period.
Now, finally we have reached the last leg of our month-long pilgrimage tour! If you wish to check out the Temples of TamilNadu pilgrimage itinerary, Click here...
How to reach Madurai
Madurai is well-connected by road and rail from Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore and other towns of TamilNadu. If your purpose is to also cover Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi; head to Madurai and then make an exciting train journey along the Pamban bridge to Rameshwaram.
Tour duration - 3 days
Meenakshi Amman temple, Madurai
A whiff of musk and a puff of jasmine caught my nostrils. I was in a mood to wear jasmine in my hair for a fulfilling experience.
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| the fragrance of jasmines |
Madurai's history goes back to the 3rd century and was ruled by illustrious Hindu dynasties; such as the Pandyas, Cholas and Vijaynagaras. They all contributed richly in terms of arts and culture. The Meenakshi Amman temple is the legacy of a 11th CE Pandyan king and further renovated by the Nayak rulers of Vijaynagara.
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| Meenakshi Amman temple Madurai |
The temple is dedicated to goddess Meenakshi (a form of Parvati) and Shiva is her consort. There are many shrines for other gods.
Tip- Expect long queues for darshan during festival days of Aadi and Navaratri.
The temple complex is large, and I quite wished the administration went a step further in its upkeep, the rancid stink of stale ghee in the dark corners is unbearable. There are 4 beautifully carved gopurams in each direction. Of special interest are the numerous sculpted pillars as one walks along its large ancient halls and the colorful dye paintings that adorn the ceilings and walls.
Thirumalai Nayakkar palace: sound and light show
The evening passed pleasantly with a delightful sound and light show at the Thirumallai Nayakkar palace complex. The name indicates Nayakkar to be a ruler of the Vijayanagar dynasty. The palace was built in the 17th century and is a beautiful blend of Western classical and traditional Indian style. The sounds and colorful lights transported us to another time in history.
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| Thirumallai Nayakkar palace Madurai sound and light show |
Tip- carry some mosquito repellent cream if you wish to watch this show without being bothered by mosquitoes.
Day 2 & 3 RAMESHWARAM, DHANUSHKODI
Rameshwaram is one of the 4 Char Dhams (I.e. Four abodes) sacred to Hinduism. The other 3 are Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Dwarka in Gujarat and Jagannath Puri in Odisha. Visiting these 4 abodes brings one closer to attaining Moksha (Salvation).
Rolling down the Pamban bridge
The Pamban bridge is what connects the island town of Rameshwaram with mainland Tamilnadu. There are regular trains that ply between Madurai and Rameshwaram. Please refer to the IRCTC website for more details. If you are traveling by car there is a parallel bridge for that purpose.
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| Rolling down the Pamban bridge. Train journey from Madurai to Rameshwaram |
Agni Theertham at sunrise
There are said to be 64 water bodies in Rameshwaram and bathing in these holy waters or Tirthas is believed to be a spiritually cleansing act. Hindus from all across India make a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram to fulfill their spiritual goals and one of them is bathing in these holy waters.
After boarding the earliest (2.42 am) train from Madurai, we arrived here at around 5.30 am. After paying obeisance to the tiny Dakshinamurthy shrine at the railway station, we walked towards the Agni Tirtham beach in order to catch the early rays of the sun 🌞. I was utterly mesmerized at the sight of pilgrims bathing in the sea. Such a spiritually satisfying moment!
Tip- there are many luggage storage facilities for pilgrims who wish to return the same day. They may charge a small fee per piece.
Asthi Visarjan ritual at Rameswaram
The holy shores of Rameshwaram also serve as the place to pour the mortal remains (asthis) ashes of the departed. People can be seen performing 'asthi visarjan' rituals here. As a result, the beach is quite an eye sore... I mean quite an eye sore!! Flowers, coconuts, plastic bags etc are strewn around, while the administration gives a blind eye.
Tip- Rameswaram is a crowded pilgrimage town. Personally I found the maintenance appalling and you may feel so too if you are a first-timer here, so be prepared.
Where to stay and eat
There are choultries that specifically cater to certain communities, besides some basic hotels and guest houses. All of these are basic but relatively clean.
Expect vegetarian food. There are many simple eateries providing idli masala dosa uttappam etc. Also there are few restaurants providing North Indian food to satiate the appetite of pilgrims from North India.
After a wholesome breakfast, we looked around and found a dormitory type rooftop @ Rs.50/ pp. The baths were super clean and that is all that mattered. So after a refreshing shower we spread a bed sheet and got some shut eye.
What to see and do in Rameswaram
Ramanathaswamy temple
Rameshwaram means 'lord of Rama' who is none other than 'Shiva' ie. the presiding deity of Ramanathaswamy temple. Being one among the 12 jyotirlingas, this temple is important to devotees of Shiva. There is also much hype about it having the longest temple corridor, but after completing this pilgrimage I find the sculptures, frescoes and overall orientation of the temple to be pretty much on par with other temples in Tamilnadu.
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| Ramanathaswamy temple, Rameswaram |
DHANUSHKODI & the mystery of an ancient bridge connecting India and Sri Lanka
Rameshwaram is a town closely associated with the life of bhagwan Rama. It was here that Hanumanji (bhagwan Rama greatest disciple) along with his Vanar sena (troop of monkey warriors) built a bridge across the Indian ocean to Sri Lanka on the opposite side. The bridge was built with the help of stone / boulders and the purpose was to rescue Sita from the clutches of Ravana the lord of Lanka.
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| Bhagwan Rama, his brother Lakshmana, Hanuman and vanar sena (troop of monkey warriors) crossing Rama Setu to reach Lanka and rescue Sita |
This ancient bridge called as Rama Setu was brushed off as being mythological humbug, until geological evidence of its existence was found. NASA satellite images can be found on the internet proving this.
How to reach Dhanushkodi
A 20 min state run bus ride will take you upto the last point, beyond which is nothing but an isolated wasteland of sand and slight vegetation. In order to get to the actual beach there are private shuttle buses that stack curious tourists like us and literally lug the bus tirelessly. This was a truly tough and challenging ride one that I am not likely to repeat.
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| The sands of Dhanushkodi, Tamilnadu |
But once I got here... the sight of the uninhabited beach left me spellbound!
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| DHANUSHKODI beach |
Was I wrong!!?
Rameshwaram boat ride
One last thing to do before you leave Rameswaram is indulge in a 30 min boat ride. For this, walk up to Tamilnadu tourism hotel and the jetty is right opposite. I believe boat rides are in the evening. It doesn't cost much and is exhilarating!
I do hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you did put in a comment below.
We shall get some rest, freshen up and then board a late night train to Bangalore.
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