Orange Seller Sitting On Hays Selecting His Products In A Basket, Madurai, India, 2008 (photo)

Madurai is a must see destination for travellers in Tamil Nadu; it one of the oldest inhabited city in the world; this town, founded in the 4th century BC, became a cultural centre for Tamil culture during the reign of Tirumalai Nayak in the 17th century AD; the city, also famous as a centre of learning and pilgrimage, shelters one of the most magnificent Dravidian style temple in Tamil Nadu, the Meenakshi Temple dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, protector of Madurai; built in the heart of the city by Tirumalai Nayak, this 350 hectares temple, surrounded by large walls and colourful gopurams adorned with a mass of carvings and figures of gods and animals, is the main attraction in town; another focus is the majestic Tirumalai Nayak Palace; for the record, Madurai is the place where Mahatma Gandhi decided to wear nothing but khadi (handspun cloth)