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South
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 Chennai
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Click the cities below for more information....>
ABOUT CHENNAI
Chennai, the gracious capital city
of Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest metropolis in India. Located on a 17km
stretch of the Coramandel coast, the city is trisected by the waterways of Cooum
and Adyar and the Buckingham Canal. With a population of 6 million people,
Chennai is a vibrant city ever growing, expanding and changing every year.
Area : 174 sq. kms.
Population : 3,795,028 (1991 census)
Altitude : Sea level
Rainfall : 1,272 mm.
Season : Tropical throughout the year
Languages spoken : Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu and English.
PLACES TO SEE
Kapaleeswarar
Kapaleeswarar, an ancient Shiva temple, is the biggest temple in Chennai. A
masterpiece of Dravidian style and displays the architectural elements -
gopurams, mandapams and a tank. There are some fragmentary inscriptions dating
back to 1250 AD.
Sri Parthasarathy Temple
Sri Parthasarathy Temple, devoted to Lord Krishna, was originally built by the
Pallavas in the 8th century and renovated in the 16th century bt the
Vijayanagars. It houses the five 'avatars' of Lord Vishnu, and has a small
temple shrine dedicated to Vishnu's consort, Vedavalli Ammai. It's one of the
oldest surviving temple in Chennai.
The Santhome Cathedral Church
The Santhome Cathedral Church built in 1504, then rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in
1893, this Roman Catholic Church near Kapaleeshwarar temple is said to house the
remains of St. Thomas the Apostle.
St. Thomas Mount
St. Thomas Mount situated near the Meenambakkam airport, is the place where the
apostle is said to have been killed.
Little Mount Shrine
St. Thomas is believed to have lived in Little Mount Shrine (a tiny cave) when
he came to India around 58 A.D. Known locally as Chinnamalai, the cave is
entered via the Portuguese Church that was built in 1551.
Fort St. George
Fort St. George was built in the 1640 A.D., the first bastion of British power
of India, the fort has undergone much alteration. The fort is now used by the
Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat office. The 46m high
flagstaff at the front is actually a mast salvaged from a 17th century
shipwreck.
St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's Church built in 1678-80, was the first English Church in Chennai, and
is the oldest surviving British Church in India. There are reminders in the
Church of Clive, who was married here in 1753, and of Elihu Yale, the early
Governor of Chennai who later founded the famous American University bearing his
name.
The Fort Museum
The Fort Museum has a collection of objects from the tenure of the East India
Company in Chennai including letters from Robert Clive. There are many
contemporary paintings too.
The Snake Park
The Snake Park with its lizards, crocodiles and turtles is more interesting. It
is well maintained with generous enclosures. The Snake Park has a wide variety
of reptiles. The next compound is the 'Children Park', which has a small
collection of animals and birds and a big play area for children.
Kalakshetra
Kalakshetra devoted to the revival of classical arts, was founded by Rukmini
Devi Arundale in 1936. Classical dance, music, traditional textile designs and
weaving are taught in natural surroundings.
The Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society, is set in a tranquil spot on the banks of the Adyar
river. There is a huge banyan tree, with its branches spreading over an area of
40,000 square ft, where discourses are conducted.
Valluvar Kottam
The Valluvar Kottam, on the corner of Kodambakkam High Rd and Village Rd,
honours the acclaimed Tamil Poet, Thiruvalluvar, whose classic work - one
thousand three hundred and thirty kurals (couplets) - are reputed to be about
2000 years old. Established in 1976, Valluvar Kottam replicates ancient Tamil
architecture with the 1330 verse Kural inscribed on panels. The outer structure
in stone is a replica of the temple car of Thiruvarur in Tamilnadu.
B. M. Birla Planetarium
Situated in Kotturpuram in Chennai, the B. M. Birla Planetarium houses a modern,
fully computerised projector, which depicts the heavens on a hemispherical dome.
The National Art Gallery
The National Art Gallery situated in Egmore were established in 1857. There are
sections on geology, archaeologym anthropology, numismatics, botany, zoology and
sculpture, besides a collection of armoury.
Government Museum
Well worth visiting, the Government Museum is on Pantheon Rd, between Egmore and
Anna Salai. T The main building has a fine
archaeological section representing all the major south Indian periods including Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukya. It also houses a good ethnology
collection. The bronze gallery has a superb collection of Chola art. One of the
most impressive is the bronze of Ardhanariswara, the androgynous incarnation of
Shiva.
Marina beach
The stretch of beach known as the Marina extends for 13km. South of the pitiful
aquarium is the Ice House, once used to store massive ice blocks transported by
ship from North America. It later became the venue from which Vivekanand
preached his ascetic
philosophy.
EXCURSIONS
Mamallapuram, 36 km away from Chennai you will encounter the beautiful
backwaters of Muttukadu where you can experience different types of boating.
Crocodile Bank, 44 km away from Chennai. It is to save the Indian
Crocodile from becoming extinct. It is home to over 3,000 muggers and gharials
and various species of crocodiles and lizards from other countries.
Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary, 75 km away from the city of Chennai, is one
of the most impressive aquatic birds' breeding sanctuaries. This bird sanctuary
is home to egrets, herons, cormorants, spoonbills, grebes, pelicans, stroks,
ibies and many more.
Tirupathi, 84 km from Chennai at the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh. It
is one of the most important pilgrimage centres of India. The temple of Lord
Venkateshwara rests on a hill at Tirumala overlooking the little town of
Tirupathi.
TRAVEL INFO
Air: Kamaraj National and Anna International Airports are situated at
Meenambakkam about 20 kms. from city. Can also be reached by suburban train
services. Alight at Tirusulum. You must travel light and walk a km to airport.
Rail: Chennai is connected by rail with all major towns and cities in
India. Main Railway Stations: Central and Egmore. Central linking north and west
and Egmore south.
Road: Chennai is connected by good network of roads with all important
places in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India.
SHOPPING
The city has several state-run as well as private emporia which sell handicrafts
made of rose-wood, sandal-wood, ivory, bronze and silver. Leather goods, silk
and hand-woven fabrics, sarees and jewellery are available at most of the
upmarket shopping centres.
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