Madurai Photos....

This will explain more about why we think Madurai was so cool :)

This is the view from our hotel - and it's not even the temple we came to see!


The streets were insane to navigate through but it is scenes like this that show how bustling life is here.




One of the unfortuante scenes that are all to often common place - A woman sifts through the rubbish pile left in the street alongside a cow.


You can have your knives sharpened on the street too. N.B. old bicycle wheels have many uses..


This is a market in an old temple (just as old as the main temple) just across the street from the big temple. Check out the rafters!


There were also many tailors where you can have anything that you want copied within a few hours.


The temple is know for it's big towers - one each at the points of the compass and one in the middle (see the Lotus Tank photo for the range)






Lotus Tank - most of the temple area (inside the high walls) was covered. The tank was not. The towers are 45+ meters tall and have over 1000 sculptures on each tower (one has 1500!)!


Here are some shots from within various parts of the temple including people performing puja or having come out from inner sanctum (we were not able to go into the inner sanctum)





We also lit some candles in the temple for the people that we love....


A holyman who is a follower of Siva (Indicated by the potash stripes on his head and limbs).


The meditation hall inside the temple complex. We sat here for a while to relax.


K was taken to perform puja and had no choice in the matter, the woman that we met was very keen :-)


Before we left Madurai we popped into the Ghandi museum - we paid for a camera but it was not very photogenic....very informative, though.