| CITIES IN INDIA >> CHENNAI |
About
Chennai |
Madras, or
Chennai as it is now called, is known as the
Gateway of Southern India. The East India Company
developed Chennai as one of the major trading
centres in India. Chennai has a blend of Dravidian
and Gothic architecture in its buildings. The
city might have grown but it has never lost
its traditional grace and charm. The Tamil society
might have incorporated English culture but
the Dravidian roots are as strong as ever.
Chennai is the epitome of tradition, culture
and life-style of Southern India. But like the
rest of India, Chennai has over the years, developed
its share of urban style and modernity. Accommodation
and transportation are cheap and efficient.
It is very likely that the temples that you
will visit in Chennai are unlike any other that
you have seen before. Visit the 4.5 km long
Golden Marina beach,one of the longest beaches
in the world.
Unlike Mumbai, the Chennai port is not a natural
harbour. Nevertheless, this man-made port is
very modern and efficient in handling cargo
and other traffic. Today Chennai is the fourth
largest city in India and commands a major share
in the trade from the South. |
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Climate |
Population |
Best times to visit |
| Chennai has
a very hot tropical climate. The temperature
variation between winters and summers is minimal.
Rainfall is timely and tends to be heavy during
the monsoons. Proximity to the sea makes the
atmosphere heavy and humid. The summers are
sultry and hot while winters are warm. As such
Chennai has enough to offer a year round tourist
season and one can visit the place any time |
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. Between
November and February |
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Fort
St. George |
| Fort St. George was among
the first few bastions built by the East India
Company to protect its interests in India. This
fortification also marks the beginning of Madras
(Chennai) as a modern city. |
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Kapaleeswarar
Temple |
Sri
Parthasarathy Temple |
| Chennai has many
temples and each one of them is worth a visit.
One of the largest and oldest temples in Chennai,
the Kapaleeswarar temple has inscriptions from
the 13th century A.D. and is dedicated to Lord
Shiva. The architectural style of the temple
is one of the best examples of Dravidian architecture.
The walls and pillars of the temple are very
delicately and intricately carved and depict
scenes from Hindu mythology. |
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| This
8th century temple was built by the Pallavas
and is dedicated to Lord Krishna and houses
images of the five avatars (incarnations) of
Vishnu. It also has a small shrine dedicated
to Vishnu's consort Vedavalli Ammai. The temple
was renovated in the 16th century by the Vijayanagar
kings.
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Little
Mount Shrine |
St.
Thomas Mount |
| If
you like visiting places of both historical
and religious interest, the Little Mount Shrine
is perfect. It is said that St. Thomas lived
and preached from this place.
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The apostle is believed to have been killed
by his assassin on this hill. St. Thomas Mount
remains a landmark in Chennai.
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The
Snake Park |
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One of the largest and best snake parks in India,
the Chennai Snake Park attracts visitors of
all ages. The collection of reptiles and Indian
snakes is quite amazing. One can watch the snakes
being fed, their venom being removed and if
one is not squeamish about snakes, can touch
them too. |
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The
Marina Beach |
Golden sands, good surf
and a simmering clean sea is what one can expect
to find on one of the longest beaches in Asia.
Take along your sun tan lotions though.
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The
Theosophical Society |
Kalakshetra
|
| Chennai is head
quartZers to the Theosophical society in India.
The society was initially located in the USA
but was later shifted to Chennai. The huge Banyan
tree spanning 40,000 sq. ft serves as the place
where discourses are given. This place houses
shrines of almost all faiths and a 95 year old
library with a rare collection of books and
manuscripts, many of which are written on palm
leaves and parchments. |
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| Meaning the 'Centre
of Arts', the Kalakshetra was established to train
people in the traditional dance form, Bharatanataym.
Founded by Rukmani Devi in 1936 to encourage and
arouse interest in this classical dance, this
temple has developed into an institution devoted
to the revival of traditional dance, textile designing
and weaving, taught in its natural harmonious
environs. |
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Birla
Planetarium |
Valluvar
Kottam |
Equipped with fully
computerised projectors to depict the world
beyond earth, the Birla Planetarium is one of
the most modern planetariums in the country.
It makes audio-visual presentations to the public
and students on various themes in astronomy.
These presentations are made in a manner that
introduces even the basic of laymen to the mysteries
of the universe.
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A memorial to the immortal
Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, this landmark
is located at Nungambakkam. The shrine is a
replica of the chariot temple of Thiruvarur.
A life size statue has been installed on the
chariot. It also has an auditorium, which can
accommodate 4000 people at a time and is the
largest in Asia. |
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National
Art Gallery and Government Museum |
| The museum
houses a fine collection of items in various
sections of geology, archaeology, numismatics,
anthropology, botany and zoology. |
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Mamallapuram
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| A site of many ancient
sculptural marvels, Mamallapuram was the port
city of the Pallavas. The Pallavas had mastered
the art of construction without using bricks
or mortar, carving out exquisite sculptures
from rocks. The best example of their art here
are the five monolith chariots, the pride of
Mamallapuram. The various panels on the walls
depict scenes from Hindu mythology and fables
from the Panchtantra. Located 61 kms from Chennai,
it is now known as Mahabalipuram. |
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Crocodile
Bank |
| Close to Mahabalipuram
and 44 kms from Chennai is the Crocodile breeding
and research centre run by Romulus Whittaker.
This farm breeds several species from India
and Africa in captivity to augment the crocodile
population. These crocodiles are kept in captivity
and can be viewed from a safe distance. |
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Muttukadu
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This place is an ideal picnic spot with facilities
for boating and wind surfing. It is 6 kms
from Chennai. |
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Thirukkalukundram
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The Shiva temple here is located on top of
a hill, 160m high. Try and make it to this
place around lunch time. Every afternoon,
two white kites come to the temple and are
fed by the priest. It is believed that these
kites are saints who stop at the temple on
their journey to Varanasi from Rameshwaram.
Below the hill temple is the larger Shiva
temple with a tank which is said to have healing
powers. Every 12 years, a conch is found in
the tank. A large collection of such conches
is kept in the temple. Thirukkalukundram is
70 kms from Chennai.
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Chennai
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary |
| A variety
of birds migrate to Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
every year. This sanctuary is one of the largest
sanctuaries for birds in India. Varied species
of birds can be spotted here. The best season
to visit this marshy, 30-hectare park is between
November and February. It is 85 kms from Chennai. |
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Kancheepuram
|
The golden city of temples
is one of the seven most famous holy cities
of Hindu mythology. The weavers of Kancheepuram
have been famous from ancient times for some
of the best woven silk sarees in the world.
It has also been the centre of culture and learning
down the ages. Adi Shankaracharya, one of the
greatest gurus of Hindu spirituality established
his ashram here. Kancheepuram is 75 kms from
Chennai.
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| Special Festivals in Chennai : |
Pongal
|
Diwali |
| While Chennai celebrates
most major Indian festivals, Pongal - the harvest
festival is Tamil Nadu's own festival. This
festival is a thanks and prayer for prosperity,
celebrated in mid-January with much feasting,
music and dance. |
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| The festival of lights
and Holi, the festival of color are popular. The
other festival celebrated with a lot of fervor
is the Tamil New Year, which falls in the month
of April. |
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By Rail |
By
Road |
By Air |
| Chennai is
well connected to Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai,
Hyderabad and to almost all other cities in
Southern India by a network of super fast trains.
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| Chennai
is well connected with almost every major
South Indian city.
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Chennai
is extremely well connected by air with major
cities in India and is served by Indian Airlines,
Jet airways and Sahara Airlines with frequent
flights. Chennai is also an International Airport
as well and is served by several International
Airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa,
Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Airlanka,
Emirates, Indian Airlines, Air India and a few
others. |
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