Laying claim to the lofty title of India’s oldest city (or just about), the only way to describe the Hindu town of Madurai is to throw a long list of adjectives at it. Colourful, extravagant and extroverted, it’s the cultural heart of Tamil Nadu and often considered to be the peak of South Indian architecture. We’re talking mostly about the acres-wide Sri Meenakshi-Sundareshwarar temple complex that writhes with gleaming goddesses and vivid demons, and a 17thcentury palace with its riot of Italian, Dravidian and Islamic architecture, as well as a daily light show, complete with frenetic bells and Tamil music. In the streets, there’s crowded bazaars, shrines, lip-smackingly good street food, mini temples and loud, pulsating processions of living history. After all that, you’re going to need somewhere quiet to lay your head (and perhaps a cold flannel), and thankfully there’s a couple of lovely hotels just north of the Vaigai River that fit the bill perfectly.