[ Madurai photo ]
Madurai
Madurai has been a city around a temple for over two thousand years. The Meenakshi Amman Temple, with its 14 towering gopurams covered in tens of thousands of painted sculptures, is the heart of the old city, which wraps around it in concentric streets. The evening ceremony when the deity is paraded to the holy tank is unmissable, and nearby Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture.