Madurai
Madurai, a large city in central Tamil Nadu. A city steeped in history and a place of pilgrimage. In its historic center is the largest Hindu temple and one of the oldest.
I’m only posting pictures of the exterior. Inside, you must be barefoot and have no objects on you, especially no camera. Which, personally, I find very good. The same should be done everywhere in the world to maintain the sanctity of places of worship.
And then, when we take a photo, we cannot be present in the place, nor in our feelings.
There are 4 large towers 50 meters high. All in stone and covered with carvings. These towers are the only passages to enter the temple. They are placed at the cardinal points. The temple is huge, I was really impressed. It is certainly not the size of Angkor Wat in Cambodia but it is huge. Everything is in cut stone: floor, walls, pillars, ceilings. On the south side there is a huge pool surrounded by bleachers. 30,000 people can circulate at the same time in the temple.
Below photos of the west gate day and night
The street in front of the west gate
The usual souvenir shops
As in all cities of Tamil Nadu, temples proliferate. Here’s a random one
Detail of the photo on the left
All the temples of Madurai are surrounded by a stone enclosure painted white with burgundy stripes. A sculpted elephant is still present. On this one we can notice the presence of a rider on his horse.
Conclusion on Madurai
Madurai is a city of pilgrimage, much like Lourdes in France. Nothing to do except visit the temple. So I spent these 3 days feeling the city breathe, live. And I was also able to observe a real fervor of the pilgrims during my visit to the temple.