When we first arrived in Madurai, we stopped at the flower market. This is unlike any flower market you may imagine. The flowers have almost no stems and are stuffed into large gunny sacks. These flowers are not purchased for purposes of decoration or to give to a loved one. They are being sold to be presented as offerings in the temples, some made into large leis to be draped around the idols. This is an especially busy time for these merchants because there is an upcoming festival on January 14, 15, and 16. Fortunately for us we will not be in the area when it happens because there will be thousands at the temples throughout the area and there is a real danger of being crushed in the crowd, and what’s worse, not being able to see what we came for.
That
evening we went to the Meenakshi temple to watch the closing ceremonies. The Brahmin priests take the image of the god
Shiva and place it in a carrier borne by the priests with curtains so no one
can see inside. The god is then taken to
the shrine of his wife, the goddess Meenakshi (also called Parvati) to spend
the night with her. This is all done
with much pomp and ceremony involving drums, trumpets, incense, and chants.
The next day we returned to the Meenakshi temple for a more thorough tour. We also visited the palace of the area ruler.
After his grandson inherited it, he had
some rather unworthy friends that convinced him to dismantle most of the palace
to rebuild elsewhere. The dismantled
pieces never arrived, and the “friends” suddenly became much wealthier. Now, only a quarter of the original palace
remains. Almost as spectacular and just as interesting are the street scenes in the cities -- especially the markets. They are colorful and vibrant and full of the daily life of the people who live here. This may be what India truly is.
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