When I was a child in Assam, I used to be fascinated by stories of the faraway Madurai and its powerful goddess Meenakshi Ammaa and the warm rice prasadam offered at her altar; the pristine warm beaches of Rameshwaram and beautiful Chettinadu mansions—tales of these places mostly relayed by travelling cousins and I would wistfully imagine their bustling streets filled food shops doling out soft idlis and ghee laden dosas, of marigold and coconut sellers and bejewelled photos of Meenakshi Amman in her divine glow and gold finery. As I grew older and moved to Delhi, my work and leisure visits took me across the world and the country, but somehow, a trip down that Tamil Nadu of childhood yearning never materialised. Nevertheless, things happen only when they are meant to happen, and just like that, I received an invitation from dear friends to their son's wedding near Chettinad.
There came the real calling I had been waiting for ever since I was a kid, and I took up the invitation as an opportunity to draw up a Delhi-Madurai-Rameshwaram-Karaikudi circuit. The entire trip took a week (with a wedding thrown in), and the best of all were easily captured in these many days.
An early morning arrival at Madurai was a warm welcome in itself. After dumping our bags in the hotel, we rushed out for a sumptuous tiffin of crisp ghee dosa, hot fluffy idli, steaming vada with sambar, freshly ground coconut and pumpkin chutney. This was followed by the most refreshing cup of filter coffee, freshly and rightly brewed. Later in the day, we had several steaming cups brimming over and filling up the "dabbara" (tumbler) in innumerable hole-in-the-wall coffee shops tucked in every nook and cranny of the town. I might be wrong, but the perfect filter coffee will probably be found in Madurai, as we could not have the same cuppa anywhere else on the trip.
The afternoon was reserved for a darshan at Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple, and its architecture with high walls and soaring gopuras, columned mandapams and ornate shrines was unlike anything anticipated. The experience of seeing a deity adored in childhood is surreal and exhilarating, and the déjà vu of seeing Meenakshi Amman, her ebony figure adorned in gilded finery glittering in the glow of innumerable oil lamps, holding her fort in the sanctum sanctorum, was broken by side hustling and shoving by the countless devotees who had congregated from different corners to seek her blessings. As Amman's prasadam, we bought a pack of pulihora rice, neatly tied in a coconut leaf, for INR 10. By God, the taste of that rice, bursting with a salty-tangy-fiery taste, shall be carried in many afterlives.
Right outside the temple's South Gate, another blessing was bestowed on us by Amman as we came across a septuagenarian couple on the roadside selling steamed rice dumplings filled with jaggery, INR 6 a piece, along with boiled spicy kala chana with the right amount of salt and lemon juice, the simplest of homemade snacks which can not be replicated by food selling joints. As night approached, we dug into a delightful dinner of kadai dosas, mutton sukka, suvarotti (goat spleen), and paya with idiyappam and porotta. Besides being primarily a religious site, Madurai is also a food connoisseur's paradise, and there is something for every taste and palate.
The morning drive from Madurai to Rameshwaram took barely three hours, with pit stops at the coconut seller (go for the orange ones, as they are pulpy) and a walk along the magnificent Pamban Bridge, which connects the island of Rameshwaram to the mainland. The crystal clear waters, azure blue sky, and the train bridge in the backdrop are a mind-blowing experience and a heady curtain raiser to what lies ahead.
Most activities in the temple town of Rameshwaram are centred on the majestic Ramanathaswamy temple. The sea of humanity at the centuries-old Ramanathaswamy temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples in India, is to be believed only when witnessed firsthand. Devotees line up in the wee hours of the morning, dip in the holy waters, and enter the premises to receive the blessing of the two Lingams inside the sanctum. The interiors of the striking long corridors are an architectural marvel, with majestic towers, intricate corridors and unique sculpted pieces. A long queue greeted us as we gathered for a sprinkle of holy water from the 22 holy kunds. There are various "meal" options nearby. We stepped into an air-conditioned, unlimited tiffin room located in the vicinity, had a fill of rice, daal, rasam sambar, at least four types of vegetables, papad, chutney, curd and sooji halwa, served till we had our fill, all for a meagre INR 140 per person.
Not far from Ramanathaswamy temple is Ramar Padam, the temple that has an imprint of Lord Ram's feet on a chakra. Situated on a hillock, it provides a fantastic view of the entire Rameswaram island and is an important tourist place. It is believed that Lord Ram oversees Sri Lanka from this place in the legends of Ramayana. There are other temples of significance for staunch devotees, but we skipped them as we dashed off to Dhanushkodi before sunset to catch the fading outline of Sri Lanka. As we drove towards the beaches, we saw the tsunami-ravaged villages, almost abandoned with spattering ruined churches and broken-down shrines lending a poignant beauty to the landscape. Rows of shacks selling conch and beads rubbed shoulders with stalls selling dried fish, rice and fish curry, very basic but earthy, heart-filling meals.
Chettinad conjures scenes from popular Mammootty movies—grand mansions with beautiful chequered tiles, neat courtyards surrounded by ornate wooden pillars, intricately curved balustrades and long winding corridors where aromatic spices are pounded and long grains chaffed in bustling households. Cut down to reality, these mansions stand tall, sans the hustle and bustle as most of the owners are settled elsewhere, and the few remaining are too feeble to run them as functional establishments, some only with caretakers to let in tourists for a dekko.
For the uninitiated, Chettinad is a bunch of villages, 42 to be precise, and Karaikudi is one of them. The city is home to Nagarathar, a business community and Chettiars, financiers and trade facilitators. Sacred religious sites dot the skyline of this 19th-century city, and the most revered here is the thousands of years old rock-cut Kundrakudi Murugan temple. We had to climb a few hundred steps leading to the temple, and the ancient workmanship of thousands of years was quite evident in the well-curved stone pillars, which were stark and atypical of most colourful temples we've seen in other places of worship but breathtaking nonetheless. Temple elephants blessed us at the entrance dotted with shops selling colourful beads and other paraphernalia. Another exciting and worth visiting is the Koviloor temple, one of India's oldest Adheenams (mutt), with a temple tank and its eight-sided central mandap with exquisite architecture.
A few kilometres away lie the timeless treasures of Chettinad—the Chettiar mansions and the pièce de résistance is the Athangudi palace with its outstanding architecture—a stark contrast to the quiet village of Kanadukathan. The palace is open to visitors, and once inside, we feasted on the glorious sights of black and white tiles, high beams, ceilings and intricate woodwork. Majestic, grand and royal—a reflection of the true Chettiar lifestyle of yore. Your trip is a success if you can visit the interiors of other mansions that dot the streets that are straight and well-laid; you can quickly go from one street to the other. The grand and wonderfully embellished mansions reflect the prosperity of the community. The basic design comprises a 'thinnai,' an enclosed courtyard surrounded by family rooms. Most of the mansions we visited were humongous and ornate, rich in architecture embellished with marble and Burma teak.
We also set aside time to visit the famed Athangudi tile manufacturing houses. We were left spellbound by the traditional handmade designs, which portrayed an incredible and classic expression of the legacy of Chettinad. These tiles have been used in the Chettinad area for more than 100 years, and many local families who depend on this craft for their livelihood have passed on this traditional craft for generations.
After sightseeing in the serene countryside, we had lunch at a "mess". Chettinad is known for its rich array of aromatic, spice-laden dishes served at nominal costs at these basic meal joints called a mess. As envisioned, a vast smorgasbord of fiery meat and fish dishes and steaming fat-grained rice, dal, an assortment of vegetables, pickles, papads and curd were spread out on plantain leaves. After a delicious spread of quail, crab, country chicken (nattu koli), and mutton sukka, we bid adieu to the green grandeur of Chettinad—blessed and satiated.
By Air
Madurai Airport is located at Avaniyapuram, about 12 kilometres from the city. It offers domestic flights to select cities in India, including the metros.
By Train
Madurai Junction is the major railway station serving the District. It has direct trains connecting other major cities and towns across India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, and Chennai.
By Road
Madurai District is well connected with the National Highways NH 7, NH 45B, NH 208 and NH 49 passing through Madurai. The state highways passing through the city are SH-33, SH-72, SH-72A, SH-73 and SH-73A which connect various parts of Madurai district.