Tamil Nadu - alcohol availability?
 

We are traveling around India for a month and just yesterday crossed into Tamil Nadu/Madurai. We got to our hotel after a long day of driving and heat and expected to check in and have a cold beer. When we arrived we were told the bar was closed for 4 days for a holiday (Devar Jayanthi?) and in fact, no alcohol was served in the hotel restaurant, at dinner etc. And there was no where to go buy any because all the alcohol stores are also closed.

Will this be the case throughout Tamil Nadu? Have been all over the world but have never run into this :confused:!

a lot of states in india have 'dry days' during certain holidays....

Well, there are a few parts of the world that have no alcohol at all ;)

India has a few liquor laws, but they vary from state to state. TN is pretty liberal in that way.

As it turns out I can answer my own question after asking around today. October 30 is the birthday of some political man whose BD celebration has sparked the dedicated faction (the "young" according to our guide) to get drunk and destructive. So in Madurai then restrict all alcohol sales for four days before the BD celebration (even apparently to non-young or destructive, clueless tourists staying in hotels). The rest of Tamil Nadu seems to be business as usual :).