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Madurai (India)

Bec
2004-09-18 18:07:02

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very virtuous while our leaders are bandits!"

Netaji Rd, one of Madurai's main avenues.

India is the largest democracy in the world but it's a place where the majority has chosen its leaders amongst a corrupt self serving minority, time and time again since the death of Nehru.

The illiterate majority lives in villages, it needs primary schools, rural roads and infrastructures, land reform and the government builds universities, research institutes, and subsidizes hi tech industries that provide jobs for the educated minority. And the majority still vote for the same crowd of gangsters! I just don't understand; that is why I think that "India is a revolution that didn't happen"... yet.

Tirumalai Nayaka who built this palace also built most of the Minakshi Temple which is Madurai's main attraction for pilgrims and for tourists. I have placed the photos of that important temple on a page of its own which you can access through a link at the bottom of this one.

I like to take pictures of people but hate to intrude when they do not want to be photographed. This lady coming out of the palace looked down as I took the picture on the left and gave me a murderous dirty look as she went by. It made me feel bad for at least 5 minutes. On the right is another sample of what is called Indo-Saracenic architecture.

Sacred cows scavenging in street side waste dumps are a common sight in all Indian cities, not only in poor slums but also often in the city center and residential areas.

Indians who can afford it are proud of their homes, and more particularly of the insides, but don't seem to care at all about the streets and other common areas where they live. That probably reflects the highly individualistic nature of their vision of the universe.

Below four out of many small street shrines that can be seen in most Indian cities.

And finally the Mariammam Teppakulam Tank (water reservoir) with its small temple in the center. It was built in 1646, also by Tirumalai Nayak, and is connected to the nearby Vaigai River by underground channels.

I have kept Madurai's great Minakshi Temple separate for it warrants a special page of its own like the Khajuraho Temples and Kochi's Kathkali show.

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