The Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

Madurai grew in rings around this temple and still runs on it. Fourteen gateway towers rise over the walls, the tallest around fifty metres, each face packed with repainted plaster figures of gods, guardians and animals stacked in tiers to the top. Inside are two main sanctuaries, one for Meenakshi and one for Sundareswarar, linked by long corridors of carved granite piers, a colonnaded tank used for ritual bathing, and a hall of a thousand pillars, part of which is now a sculpture museum. Thousands of people pass through every day to make offerings, so the place smells of camphor, jasmine and hot stone. Non-Hindu visitors may walk the outer corridors but not enter the inner shrines.

What you actually see

• The gopurams - the gateway towers, tiered with thousands of brightly repainted stucco figures.
• The Golden Lotus Tank - the colonnaded bathing tank with the towers reflected in still water.
• The Thousand Pillar Hall - carved granite columns, part of the hall now used as a sculpture museum.
• The pillared corridors - long halls of sculpted piers where flower and offering sellers work.

When to go

November to February is the only genuinely comfortable stretch; April and May on the plains are punishing. The temple closes for several hours in the middle of the day, so aim for early morning or evening, when the lamps are lit and attendance is at its heaviest. The Chithirai festival in April fills the entire city.

Honest expectations

Shoes come off at the entrance and the granite floors get hot, and wet in patches near the tank. Phones and cameras are restricted, with a fee and lockers outside. The inner sanctuaries are closed to non-Hindus, which disappoints some visitors. Queues at festival times are long, and touts outside offer rooftop views for money.

Nearby

The Thirumalai Nayakkar palace is a short walk, and the hill temple at Alagar Koyil is an hour out of town.