My recent 3-day trip to Madurai with my family of four was a whirlwind of excitement and unexpected hurdles. We embarked on our journey by train from Kochi, opting for the comfort of 2AC class. Trains 16343 and 16344.
The initial leg of our trip was riddled with booking mishaps. I mistakenly reserved tickets for the wrong date, realizing my error only a few days later. This forced me to cancel and frantically rebook, securing four waitlisted tickets. My troubles didn't end there. I incorrectly assumed tatkal bookings opened one day before departure from the boarding station, leading me to miss the window and end up with four more waitlisted tatkal tickets.
Key Learning: Book tickets based on the actual travel date, regardless of the boarding station. Tatkal bookings open on the day preceding the train's departure from its originating station.
Both the outbound and return trains experienced delays of around 30-45 minutes. The return journey was mostly smooth, with all our RAC tickets getting confirmed.
For our stay, we booked two rooms with breakfast at the Fortune Pandyan ITC hotel through Amazon (via MMT), utilizing my Amazon Pay ICICI card for a total of Rs 31,000. While a good deal, we also incurred Rs 950 for additional expenses like tea and snacks.
Transportation within Madurai presented a unique challenge.
Ola and Rapido are the only popular online rental services. Both proved to be a bit of a challenge. They would accept the ride but then delay their arrival, requiring us to call them and confirm the drop-off location. Only after negotiating and agreeing to the extra charge would they arrive.
Ola and Rapido drivers every single time demanded an extra 50 rupees, often playing hard to get after accepting the ride. Every driver accepted the ride but didn't come to the pickup location. After waiting for 10-15 mins, we have to call them on phone and their default dialog was to ask for drop location and then say: "konjam paathu serthu kodunga", or "50 roopa serthu kodunga." Otherwise they wouldn't come. That's how it works here.
Despite these minor setbacks, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Madurai. We visited iconic sites like the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Thiruppramkundram Murugan temple, and Thirumalai Naickar Mahal, and indulged in delicious local cuisine at Gowri Parvathy Bhavan, Murugan Idli shop, and Sree Sabarees.
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, entry fee is Rs 10 per head. Mobile phones allowed.
Thirupparamkundram Murugan temple: Mobile phones allowed. Special queue: Rs 100 per head. (Less queue, reach faster)
Meenakshi Amma Kovil: Mobiles not allowed. You can keep them at deposit lockers in each entry gate (Rs 5 per phone). Special queue: Rs 100 per head, but that too is very crowded. Reach the temple before 5.30 am for easy and less crowded darshan. 6.30 to 8 am abhishekam time, darshan closed.
On the return journey, we ordered food through Swiggy Food on Train from Hotel Kapilavasthu in Palakkad, another excellent vegetarian option.
Overall, our Madurai adventure was a memorable experience, filled with both exciting discoveries and the occasional travel chaos.
The initial leg of our trip was riddled with booking mishaps. I mistakenly reserved tickets for the wrong date, realizing my error only a few days later. This forced me to cancel and frantically rebook, securing four waitlisted tickets. My troubles didn't end there. I incorrectly assumed tatkal bookings opened one day before departure from the boarding station, leading me to miss the window and end up with four more waitlisted tatkal tickets.
Key Learning: Book tickets based on the actual travel date, regardless of the boarding station. Tatkal bookings open on the day preceding the train's departure from its originating station.
Both the outbound and return trains experienced delays of around 30-45 minutes. The return journey was mostly smooth, with all our RAC tickets getting confirmed.
For our stay, we booked two rooms with breakfast at the Fortune Pandyan ITC hotel through Amazon (via MMT), utilizing my Amazon Pay ICICI card for a total of Rs 31,000. While a good deal, we also incurred Rs 950 for additional expenses like tea and snacks.
Transportation within Madurai presented a unique challenge.
Ola and Rapido are the only popular online rental services. Both proved to be a bit of a challenge. They would accept the ride but then delay their arrival, requiring us to call them and confirm the drop-off location. Only after negotiating and agreeing to the extra charge would they arrive.
Ola and Rapido drivers every single time demanded an extra 50 rupees, often playing hard to get after accepting the ride. Every driver accepted the ride but didn't come to the pickup location. After waiting for 10-15 mins, we have to call them on phone and their default dialog was to ask for drop location and then say: "konjam paathu serthu kodunga", or "50 roopa serthu kodunga." Otherwise they wouldn't come. That's how it works here.
Despite these minor setbacks, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Madurai. We visited iconic sites like the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Thiruppramkundram Murugan temple, and Thirumalai Naickar Mahal, and indulged in delicious local cuisine at Gowri Parvathy Bhavan, Murugan Idli shop, and Sree Sabarees.
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, entry fee is Rs 10 per head. Mobile phones allowed.
Thirupparamkundram Murugan temple: Mobile phones allowed. Special queue: Rs 100 per head. (Less queue, reach faster)
Meenakshi Amma Kovil: Mobiles not allowed. You can keep them at deposit lockers in each entry gate (Rs 5 per phone). Special queue: Rs 100 per head, but that too is very crowded. Reach the temple before 5.30 am for easy and less crowded darshan. 6.30 to 8 am abhishekam time, darshan closed.
On the return journey, we ordered food through Swiggy Food on Train from Hotel Kapilavasthu in Palakkad, another excellent vegetarian option.
Overall, our Madurai adventure was a memorable experience, filled with both exciting discoveries and the occasional travel chaos.
