Full Moon in Madurai

I did my research, I read it on the internet, Teppam , the annual float festival was supposed to happen on the full moon in January in Madurai. We arrived after the 8 hour overnight train from Chennai, where we slept in a berth with 4 other snoring, coughing, and throat clearing Indians. That’s 2 triple bunk beds in an area the size of a very small Costco garden shed. It wasn’t a refreshing sleep.

The Teppam festival?

‘No madame, February full moon, not now’; so much for the accuracy of the internet and a good night’s sleep. We did manage to score a great room with an incredible view of the temples after arriving at the hotel looking like death warmed over at 6am. Foiled again, the temple gopuras (towers) are all being repainted (once every 12 years lucky us) and are completely covered. It’s a great view of bamboo scaffolding covered with palm fronds. Another opportunity to surrender to the moment and catch up on some needed sleep. Fortunately we are accustomed to India by now and the melodious cacophony of honking horns, roaring trains, temple music and people yelling in the streets has become almost a lullaby. If the bed is soft we are out like a light.

Madurai: Take 2. We arrive at dawn the next morning to join the pilgrims and view the majestic Sri Meenakshi-Sundareeshwara Temple complex. Everywhere we look there are views of the spectacularly huge covered towers, just Google Sri Meenakshi and I’m sure there are some great photos of the 12 towers uncovered. Wandering the inner labyrinth of the dimly lit complex surrounded by throngs of bare-chested and black clad ashen browed men felt a bit intimidating first thing in the morning. Sitting by the large inner pond of Golden Lotuses to watch the men seemed like a great way to lay low and get our bearings. Right, the only two westerners in the entire complex and two white women to boot, were we daft? It only took seconds before ‘Coming from? Which country? Ah, Amereeca! Verhi nice country! Obama! Yes!’ Only to be followed by snapping cell phones, huge grins and a compaction of bodies that only the Indians have mastered so well. Once again we are stars in their show and are probably screen savers all over India by now.
The temple? Oh well, hard to follow that act. We did manage to take some photos but viewing of the actual inner shrines is ‘forbidden to non-hindus’ gee, what a surprise and sneaking in unnoticed… never mind.