Madurai - Cultural Capital of Tamil Nadu

I always wanted to explore Tamil Nadu for its rich culture and heritage. But was looking for the right itinerary and thanks to F5escapes they had crafted out a perfect itinerary covering all the prominent places in a span of 4 days. In my blog, I will be taking you all along this journey of exploring enchanting Tamil Nadu.

We started our Tamil Nadu tour with Madurai. Madurai also known as “Thoonga Nagaram”  (The city that never sleeps) is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu with a strong Tamil history and is one of the seats of the Tamil Sangam literature. This city is not only the 3rd largest one in Tamil Nadu but also 44th most populated city in the country ranking on India level.

 

Day 1 : Arrive at Madurai


We were a group of 9 women from different parts of India who arrived in Madurai to embark on this journey. We were put up in Meenakshi Sunshine hotel which was moderate when it comes to accommodation, food and other basic amenities. After checking in to the hotel, we freshened up and headed to the restaurant for lunch.

 

Post lunch we set out to explore Madurai. F5 team had already arranged a local guide for us who was waiting near the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal .

 

Thirumalai Naicker Mahal


This palace was constructed during 1636 AD by King Thirumalai Naicker, a king of Madurai’s Nayaka dynasty who ruled Madurai from 1623 to 1659 . It is stated that the palace was designed by an Italian architect. But it’s a perfect blend of Dravidian and Islamic architectural styles.  This place is a must visit for those who admire architecture fineness.

Entry tickets : Rs 10 per person

Timings :  9 am to 5 pm








Famous Jigarthanda


Jigarthanda is the signature drink of Madurai and is not to be missed when you are here. Jigarthanda is a combination of two Hindi words - Jigar means heart and Thanda means cold. So it literally translates to “Cool heart” and you will definitely agree with this when you taste it. We were taken to “Famous Jigarthanda” to savor this yummy drink. The main ingredients that go into the making of this drink are milk, almond, basundi, sherbet and ice cream. Normal Jigarthanda is charged at Rs. 30. However there is special Jigarthanda too which you can try. It was a totally refreshing drink to beat the summer heat of Madurai.





 

We next headed straight to the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple

 

Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple


This temple is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvathi and her consort Sundareshwarar, a form of Shiva. 


Our guide took us through the North Tower entrance. We removed our footwear at a shop nearby and left our mobiles in a safe locker inside this shop only. Unfortunately mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. Hence you will not be able to click any pictures inside the temple. But you are allowed to click pictures from outside.  The entire temple tour easily takes an hour an half to explore. Our local guide did a fantabulous job with the temple tour, 1000-pillared hall and the museum. 



You can find vendors selling the most famous Madurai Jasmine flowers outside the temple premises. 



We then bid adieu to our local guide and thanked him for taking us around Tamil Nadu's rich cultural capital. 

 

Murugan Idli shop


Our last stop of the day was the famous Murugan Idli shop for dinner. This shop specializes in idli especially Ghee podi idli. Ghee Podi Idli is a fluffy piece of idli , soaked in ghee and smothered with spicy podi. Totally yummy and it’s a must try. We did try some dosa varieties too which was also yummy.



 


After this yummy delicious dinner, we then headed straight to hotel to rest for the day. We had an action packed day on our day 2 and I will be covering all the details in my next blog.


Tamil Nadu with f5escapes


Part 2 : Tanjore - Erstwhile capital of Chola dynasty

Part 3 : Rameswaram - An Island Soaked In Spirituality And Beauty In Tamil Nadu

Part 4 : Chettinad - Land of Palatial Mansions


Comments

  1. Ashitha8 July 2024 at 21:50

    How succinctly you have put Smita! It was a pleasure traveling with you!!

    ReplyDelete

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