Madurai was very much part of my scheduled tour designed by a reputed travel agent in India. Since I took the help of the travel agent for my voyage, I literally didn't faced much problem as to which destinations shall I explore first or any problem relating to accommodation.

Being connected to all the major cities of Tamil Nadu through air , rail and road, it was easy task for me to commute to Madurai. There are train connections to Madurai from Madras, which takes eight hours via Trichy and from Rameshwaram, takes six hours to reach the place.

" Madurai is an ancient city, with its history dating back to 2,600 years. This lotus shaped city s around the Meenakshi temple and was constructed by the Pandyan King Kulasekhara on the banks of the river Vaigai" informed Murlidharan, my guide on tour.

" Sir, the places that we are going to explore in Madurai are Shree Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Tirumalai Nayak Palace Gandhi Museum" acquainted Murlidharan. Out of all Shree Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple was the best."

It was indeed a pleasure for me to actually explore the most revered destination of South India. I still remember the most striking feature of the temple was the Ayiramkal Mandapam, a hall of thousand Pillars, in the outermost corridor. The Mandapam flaunts 985 pillars showcasing an elaborate work of art. As I explored the major tourist destination of Madurai, I some what became closer to Tamil Nadu and its exotic culture.