Clicked on the way

 Few random clicks at Madurai 

Architectural detail

 

Another landmark crumbles...

I chanced to see on social media the recent flyover work taken up at Goripalayam, Madurai. It was sad to see the American college shopping complex getting demolished to pave way for the road widening. As the city grows, its inevitable that it devours structures as a side effect ! 

I was especially saddened to see the pictures of the 50+ year old Hotel King Metro in rubbles. Iam sure it is etched strongly in the collective memory of Maduraites..

For me personally, there was a time in the year 1992, when I studied B.Sc Physics at the American college (for a few months before I got admission to join Architecture...), walking down with my classmates Vaidhi, Dina,  Nedu and other friends to King Metro juice centre for a glass of fruit mixture was almost a daily affair in the evenings. The Chole puri and chilli parotta were quite popular dishes at the King Metro restaurant... 

The American college shopping complex - an eyesore yet so nostalgic 

Sundaram sareers - my wife's favorite saree shopping spot!

The famous Ark bakery.. also seen Altaj shoes where I have bought my footware for the last 20+ years..

King Metro

 As the city reshapes itself, we are just left with fond memories that shaped us...

Clicked on the way

 Random Madurai clicks

Town Hall Road

The Town Hall road at Madurai is a very busy commercial street that connects the west veli and west Masi streets. The koodal alagar Perumal Koil tank , suposed to be the major landmark on this road, is not seen at all, as shops have mushroomed and covered the view over the years... the road has also evolved from residential before 100 years to commercial with lots of small electronic shops, lodges, restaurants , etc in the past 50 years...

The Town Hall road in Madurai derives its name from the Victoria Edward Town Hall built in 1912. The building is a mix of Gothic and Victorian style of Architecture and still looks well preserved. The main hall functioned as a place for public and british government events in the begining. The building was used to stage plays during the pre to post independent years. I have heard from my grandfather that stalwarts like MR Radha have showcased dramas here. Later it got converted into a cinema theatre by the name 'Regal talkies' and screened English movies . I have seen a few Hollywood movies during my school days. Now it goes by the name 'thanga regal' and screens only Tamil movies.

The town hall

 Thanks to my friend Architect Ramji, i came to know that there is also a big library and reading section in this building. Ramji used to spend his evenings here and i have visited this section few times to meet him. The library section has a huge collection of old and rare books. 

From the 1980s- courtesy thoonganagara ninaivugal

Clipped from Google maps today...surprised to see the same guy in orange shirt 😀
 

Town Hall road in the heart of the city holds many nostalgic memories from my childhood...

1. The Taj restaurant - occasional family dinner in the family room in the 1980s .. the Taj biriyani was a must order dish. We used to know the waiters by name in those days...

2. Indo ceylon restaurant that lasted only for a few years in the 1980s- where i tasted my first ceylon parotas..

3. Bata showroom - school shoes purchased here every year.

4. Prem Vilas- best halwas... remains to this day from the 1950s! 

5. The visually challenged flautist who sold bamboo flutes and played haunting tunes .. i have bought flutes from him a couple of times as a kid.

Few images i had clipped from the google maps...

The only project i had done on the Townhall road during my architectural practice days in Madurai  - Venus Electronics.( in the year 2004). One of the most challenging sites due to its location.  The building facade today looks renovated and totally different from what I had done.

The chaos 

Ravi towers - designed during the 1980s by my architecture professor Thirumeni .

The new college house  

The famous Prema villas on the left...the townhall 'thanga regal' theatre seen across the road

The jama masjid on the right 

The w veli street - townhall road junction today...

The w veli street- townhall road junction on a rainy day from the 1980s... (pic courtesy madras timess fb page)

The new College House - a complex building with shops + restaurant + budget lodging ...one of the oldest landmarks on townhall road- has a history of its own!

Yanaikkal

'Yanai -kal' meaning "elephant stone" in Tamil  is a prominent landmark elephant statue in Madurai.

The suburb of Yanaikkal is a densely populated area located around the statue of the elephant, which was erected at the intersection of four roads on the northern outer road of Madurai. Of the four outer roads of Madurai, the magnificent fort walls and entrance gates built in ancient times, except for the upper outer road fort gate, the remaining three fort walls and entrance gates were later demolished in 1837 by the order of the British Collector John Blackburn.  At the place where the northern gate was removed, this elephant stone statue brought from the demolished fort was installed as a symbol by the British engineer Marret. 

1901 - kids filling water 

1920s  picture showing the water tank adjoining the statue

This elephant stone statue, which was placed facing east a few centuries ago, was turned to face a different direction for some time. There is a legend that Madurai was dry at first due to lack of rain, but then it was turned back to the east and again flourished with rain. After India gained independence, a statue of Gandhiji, a small park and a fountain have been erected and are maintained by the Madurai Municipal Corporation. Even the color of the elephant has changed from white to grey to Shiney black to matt black over time...

2020s

Recent renovated matt black look...

Madurai random clicks

 Few random clicks as I rode in an auto rickshaw through the busy market streets of Madurai...