Madurai is one of the oldest cities in india. It is known for its temples and architecture. I went there by train. I had friends there and they gave me information about the places to visit in the city. The streets are so different from chennai and is less crowded. I came to know that madurai is the oldest inhabited city in south india and it had trades with the romans and greeks even before the birth of chirst. The city of madurai is the home of tamil litrature and language.
I went to the Meenakshi amman temple which is the heart of the madurai city. This temple is considered as a landmark of the temples in south india and it is really majestic. The temple has entrance in all four sides. The temple is dedicated to lord parvati and also to lord shiva. The gopurams in all four sides of the entrance are stunning and its really big. There is a pond inside the temple which is known as Porthamarai Kulam. We went around the pond and saw a golden lotus in the center of the pond. Then we went to the shrine and worshipped lord parvati and lord shiva. After darshan we went to the thousand pillar hall. Its is unbelievable when we went there. There are actually 985 carved pillars there and the hall looks majestic. It was amazing to be there. We even saw foriegn nationals standing and taking pictures of the hall. There is also a museum in that hall. There were some good pictures and arts describing the history of madurai.
The next day i went to tirumalai nayakar mahal. This palace is a national monument and is constructed nearly 370 years before. I came to know that the palace existing today is only one of the four parts of the original size of the palace. The pillars were majestic and really huge. The cieling of the mahal is awsome and is painted beautifully. Then i and my friends went to azhagar kovil which is located few kilometers away from the city. This temple is dedicated to lord vishnu and its also a tourist destination. After leaving the shrine of azhagar temple we went by walk to lord muruga temple which is few kilometers away in the hill. While returning we went to a racing spot which is on the way. We drove sometime there and then returned to the city.
The food in the city is very excellent. We had idlies, kothu parotta and kadai. The city is also famous for alvas and we purchased them to take by home. I really enjoyed my trip to madurai. I stayed there for two days and then took the train with a wish that i will come here once more.