Shopping
• Timings: Most shops are open from 10 am to 6 pm. They generally don’t close for lunch. Most shops are closed on Sundays.
• Credit Cards: Only the larger shops accept credit cards (MasterCard and Visa) and traveler’s cheques.
General Shopping
You can purchase most things, from stationery to clothes, along the 80 ft Road in Anna Nagar.
Clothes
If you are looking for traditional Indian wear, the best-known outfit for women is the Sari. Churidars or Salwar Kameez are also elegant and comfortable to wear. Most Indian girls and younger women prefer wearing them.
Hajeemoosa is a trusted name for clothes. Besides men’s wear they also have an excellent
collection of silk saris.
Next to the famous Meenakshi Temple is a bustling business centre that is housed in a quaint, ancient stone-pillared hall -‘the Puthu Mandapam’: This is a delight for most visitors. You can select from an assortment of silk and cotton material and have one of a dozen tailors to make your outfit. Both the material and the tailoring are rather cheap here.
Handicrafts
Palma Corner, near the TTS Building at Arasaradi is a small shop that sells handicrafts produced by the locals. The rates are cheap and the proceeds go to supporting the local artisans. The Kadhi Bhavan located on the Town Hall Road is an authorized sales depot for handicrafts as well as kadhi clothes. If you are purchasing antiques or crafts from the boutiques around the temple, be sure to bargain hard!
For more information www.madurai.com/shop.htm
Banking FacilitiesCurrency Exchange: You can contact any government approved exchange offices or hotels to change money. You may also contact the hospital cashier for help. The current exchange rate is US$ 1 = Rs. 44 (3 Mar 2006)
Note: Smoking, consumption of alcohol, and chewing gum are not permitted within any of the Aravind premises.
Communication
Postal Services
The post and post-related services like courier, fax, and telegram are available at Gandhi Nagar Post Office, near the Gandhi Museum (walking distance from LAICO).
Telephones
The public phone booths for making interstate and international calls (which are indicated by STD and ISD) are located on many streets near the hospital. In addition, there is an STD and ISD booth at the hospital. Cell phone service is also available at reasonable rates.
Eating out
Indian food is generally spicy. However, Continental and Chinese food are also available. Make it a point to specify if you would like your meal to be made less spicy. A wide variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods are available at most hotels.
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