Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Madurai
0452 / POP 1.02 MILLION
Chennai may be the capital of Tamil Nadu, but Madurai claims its soul. Madurai is Tamil-
born and Tamil-rooted, one of the oldest cities in India, a metropolis that traded with an-
cient Rome and was a great capital long before Chennai was even dreamt of.
Tourists, Indian and foreign, usually come here to see the Meenakshi Amman Temple, a
labyrinthine structure ranking among the greatest temples of India. Otherwise, Madurai,
perhaps appropriately given her age, captures many of India's glaring dichotomies with a
centre dominated by a medieval temple and an economy increasingly driven by IT, all over-
laid with the energy and excitement of a large Indian city and slotted into a much more
manageable package than Chennai's sprawl.
