Madurai and Around

On de-boarding the train in Madurai Junction Railway Station, early Monday morning last week, I was couldn’t help but notice the neat, modern and traveler friendly railway station. The availability of many facilities viz travel amenities shop, battery cars for aged and disabled, purified water. ATM kiosks etc were noticeable. The station also had escalators and those were functional too. Later I learned that the station is the headquarters of the Madurai railway division of the Southern Railways and is an A1 graded train station by the Indian Railways for being one of the top 100 booking stations in the country.

From the day , the escalators were inaugurated in Madurai Junction

 The train reached earlier than the arrival, so I had to wait outside till someone came to pick me up. While I waited, the cab drivers kept on offering to drop me to my place of stay, which I myself didn’t know. Knowing my hosts, I had conveniently packed my bags and had arrived in the town confident that they would make arrangements to pick me up and so they did.  

This was my second visit to the town and this time on I decided that I have to observe the life in and around Madurai, a little more closely. During my last visit, I had visited the famed Minakshi Temple. Madurai is also called the “Athens of the East”, probably because of its historical significance and antiquity. The city has preserved its ancient looks along with modern facilities.

I was put up in a hotel just opposite the famous American College.

The American College, Madurai

Curious, I googled the history of the place and an article read  “It is narrated in legend that Madurai was originally a forest known as Kadambavanam. One day, a farmer named Dhananjaya who was passing through the forest, saw Indra (The king of the gods), worshipping a swayambhu (self created Lingam ) under kadamba tree. Dhananjaya, the farmer immediately reported this to King Kulasekara Pandya. Kulasekara Pandya cleared the forest and built a temple around the Lingam. A city was soon planned with the temple as its centre. On the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva is said to have appeared and drops of nectar from his hair fell on the town. So, the place was named Madurai - mathuram meaning "sweetness" in Tamil.”

The following days, I visited various villages with the staff of the host organization and met several people and groups around Madurai. The visits were interesting and there are many experiences I would like to relate here in excerpts. Hoping that it will make an interesting read.