|
Chennai (formerly known
as Madras) is the
gateway to Southern
India and the largest
city in southern India
located on the Coriander
Coast of the Bay of
Bengal, developed after
1639 when the British
East India Company
established a fort and
trading post at the
small fishing village of
Chennai. It is the
capital city of
Thamilnadu state. This
coastal center of trade
has drawn traffic from
all over the world for
centuries and maintains
a cosmopolitan quality
as well as a Tamil air.
The center of South
India's film industry,
its skyline is ablaze
with bright movie
billboards advertising
the latest celluloid
fantasies.
Attractions In Chennai
Anna Square
The mortal remains of
Dr. C.N. Annadurai,
former Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu was buried at
the Anna Square, which
is at the northern end
of the Marina Beach.
B.M. Birla
Planetarium
This modern planetarium
houses a fully
computerized projector
to depict the skies. It
is situated at
Kotturpuram in the city.
It presents audio-visual
programs on astronomy
and is a must for
students and lovers of
astronomy.
Big Mosque
Built in 1795; this
mosque is one of the
most attractive ones in
South. It lies on the
Walajah road and is
built of grey granite
rather than wood of
steel.
Chennai Museum
The Government Museum is
on Pantheon Road. The
Main Building has a fine
archaeological section
representing all the
major South Indian
periods including Chola,
Vijayanagar, Hoysala and
Chalukya. 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.
Children's Park
Situated on Sardar Patel
Road in Chennai, the
park has a large number
of antelopes, jackals,
spotted deers and
different kinds of
monkeys. The main
attractions of the Park
are the elephant and
pony rides.
Crocodile Bank
Several species of
Indian and African
crocodiles and
alligators bred in
captivity is kept here
in open pools. Visitors
can view the reptiles
from close but safe
proximity. There is also
a small snake farm here
that conducts
demonstrations of venom
extraction.
Dash 'N' Splash
Located about 30 kms.
From Central Station
this is South India's
exclusive water park. It
has wave spiral and free
fall slides and flumes
from height of 12 ft to
35 ft.
Dev Centre For
Musical Instruments
This centre has an
exquisite collection of
ancient and modern
musical instruments,
both original and
prototype. It is located
near Mylapore.
Elliot's Beach
This beach is
comparatively quiet and
an ideal place to go sea
bathing. It is located
near Besant Nagar and is
ideal for sunset
strolls.
Film City
Created by the Tamil
Nadu government it is a
recently built place,
especially for the
thriving film industry
in Chennai. It has many
film studios and a film
school. This complex has
remarkable outdoor
settings.
Fisherman's Cove
Covelong Beach
(Fisherman's cove),
quiet and far away from
the distractions of the
city lies close to
Mahabalipuram, famous
for its unique 7th
century shore Temples.
It has a host of
activities designed to
make your stay
memorable, if you love
the outdoors and
culture.
Fort St. George
Fort St. George, on
Rajaji Salai, completed
by the British in 1640,
is presently used as the
offices of the Tamilnadu
Secretariat and the
Legislative Assembly.
Today, it is the
commercial heart of the
city, throbbing with
life from dawn to dusk,
its streets packed with
crowds of traders,
buyers and their
employees.
Government Museum
Located on Pantheon
Road, Egmore this is
home to one of the
finest bronze
collections in the
world. This renowned
museum exhibits a
variety of arms, rare
coins, vintage stamps,
antiques, and musical
instruments. Guindy
National Park
The Guindy National Park
is 1 km from the Guindy
station, sprawling over
hundreds of acres and
interspersed with
different species of
endangered trees. This
is a recommended picnic
spot for the entire
family.
Gurudwara
The holy place for Sikhs
located at T.Nagar-Sri
Guru Nanak Sat Sangh
Sabha is a place of
remarkable serenity and
tranquility.
High Court Building
On the site of Fort St.
George's first Indian
town has come up the
splendid Indo-Sarcenic
buildings of the High
Court and the Law
College. The high court
was built in 1892 and is
believed to be the
second largest judicial
complex in the world.
Ice House
The Govt. of Tamil Nadu
named The Ice House
Vivekanandar Illam. It
was built by Mr.
Frederic Tudor, the 'Ice
King' in Calcutta,
Bombay and Chennai to
keep ice under proper
insulation so that it
could be stored for
months together. Today,
it houses a Gallery of
about 150 rare
photographs on the life
of Swami Vivekananda.
Timings: Open from 9.00
am to 12.30 pm and from
3.00 pm to 6.30 pm. It
is closed on Wednesdays.
Jain Temple
Located at T.Nagar is
the striking Jain temple
contrast to rock hewn
temples of Tamilnadu.
The temple is built of
lime-and- soapstone and
marble giving it a
dazzling appearance.
Kalakshetra
Founded by Rukmini Devi
Arundale in 1936 the
institution is devoted
to the revival of
traditional dance,
textile designing, and
weaving, which are
taught in naturally
harmonious environs.
Kapaleeswarar Temple
This ancient Siva
temple, situated at
Mylapore is little more
that 350 years old and
is considered by Hindus
to be one of the most
sacred Hindu, sites in
Southern Part of India.
Kishkinta
It is India's No. 1
Theme Park located about
28 kms. south of Chennai
at Tambaram. The
attractions represent a
wonderful blend of
tomorrow's technology
and all-time fantasies.
Little Folks
It is an amusement
complex situated about
46 kms towards
Mahabalipuram on the new
private land, offering a
wide range of
entertainment, like the
Giant-Piano, Toy Train,
Rainbow Fountain,
Slide-into-pool, Cartoon
show & Paddle-Pool. It
also has an open-air
theatre.
Madras University
Just opposite to Anna
Square is Madras
University, whose ground
and buildings are
examples of the
Indo-lslamic style of
architecture. The
'Senate House' across
the University is
perhaps the best example
of this style.
Marina Beach
The stretch of beach
known as the Marina
extends for 13 kms. and
is claimed to be the
second largest in the
world. It is bordered by
gardens and is a major
tourist attraction.
MGR Memorial
Overlooking the Madras
University on the sands
of Marina adjacent to
Anna Square lies the
grand memorial of
M.G.Ramachandran, the
matinee idol - turned -
Chief Minister.
National Art Gallary
And Museum
The National Art Gallery
at Pantheon Road
(Egmore) houses a vast
collection of rare
paintings from the Chola
period. It has a
plethora of paintings
dating tentatively from
around the 10th century
A.D. The museum was
established in 1857 and
can justify its claim to
being one of India's
best housing various
sections on geology,
archaeology,
numismatics,
anthropology, botany and
zoology.
Prime Time
It is an exorbitant
amusement park situated
near Annanagar, offering
all sorts of new games
including bumper car
rides and play pens.
Rajiv Gandhi Memorial
It is raised in honour
of Rajiv Gandhi, former
Prime Minister of India
who was assassinated
here by a human bomb in
1991. It is located at
Sriperumbudur, 40 Kms
from Chennai and
incidentally happens to
be the birthplace of Sri
Ramanujar, the
Vaishnavite saint.
Ripon Building
One of the most
beautiful of the more
modern British
constructions in Madras
is Ripon Building, home
of the Madras
Corporation. This
splendid domed vision in
white, built in 1913, is
part of a large
municipal complex that
includes parks and
gardens, Nehru Stadium,
Victoria Public Hall, a
public meeting place out
of the gaslight era, and
Moore market, a
fascinating shopper's
paradise.
Santhome Basilica
The Portuguese between
the 14th and the 15
century AD built The
Santhome cathedral.
Deriving its name after
St. Thomas, this
continues to be an
important place of
pilgrimage for the
Christian community in
the country and is also
historically important.
Snake Park
Adjacent Childrens' park
is the interesting snake
park housing a vast
variety of reptiles,
ranging from the dark
deadley 'King Cobra'
'Banded' Krait' to puff
adders', vipers, pythons
and allegators.
Sri Parthasarathy
Temple
This temple, dedicated
to Lord Krishna, was
built in the 8th century
AD under the patronage
of the Pallavas, housing
the idols of the five
avataras of Sri Vishnu.
It has a small temple
shrine dedicated to
Vishnu's consort called
Vedavalli Ammai in this
part of the country.
St. Mary's Church
This is the oldest
Anglican Church in Asia.
The imposing white
edifice was consecrated
in 1679 AD; and
continues to be an
important place of
worship. It's treasures
are the altar piece, a
large painting of the
last supper, a 1660
bible and silver plates.
St.Thomas Mount
Situated near the
Airport, the small
hillock is believed to
be the place where his
assassins killed the
apostle. The paintings
of "The Holy Lady and
The Child" in the church
and "Our Lady of
Expectations" are widely
believed to have been
painted by St.Thomas
himself.
Theosophical Society
Madras is also the
fountainhead of the
theosophical movement,
which spread worldwide.
The Theosophical Society
is located along the
Adyar River. Discourses
are conducted here under
a huge banyan tree,
which spreads to almost
40,000 sq. ft. of area.
Thousand Lights
Mosque
Built in mid-1800 in the
land donated by Nawab
Wallajah, On Mount Road,
this mosque has two tall
minarets and a separate
place of worship for
women. The mosque also
houses a library, a
burial ground and
guesthouses.
Valluvar Kottam
The Valluvar Kottam
established in 1976, on
the corner of
Kodambakkam High Road
and Village Road, honors
the acclaimed Tamil
Poet, Thiruvalluvar,
whose classic work, the
Kural, is reputed to be
about 2000 years old.
The shrine is designed
like the temple car of
Thiruvarur.
Timings: It's open daily
from 8 am to 6 pm.
Vedanthangal Bird
Sanctuary
At a distance of about
86 kms. from Chennai, it
can be reached by bus
from the little town of
Chengalpattu. It is
spread over 72 acres of
marshy land with trees
ideal for nesting are
home to many species of
water birds.
Velankanni Church
This church is in honour
of Our Lady of Health,
the Madonna of
Velankanni. Smaller in
scale than the original
one at Velankanni (near
Nagapattinam) the
devoted believe in the
miraculous curative
powers of the Madonna.
VGP Golden Beach
This is a popular beach
resort and amusement
park filled with
children's games about
30 Kms from Madras.
Victory War Memorial
Adjacent to the Fort St.
George on the south is
the War Memorial, which
housed the coastal
battery . The Memorial
honours those who laid
down their lives for
their country since the
First World War.
All the above
information are taken
from
http://www.allindiatourtravel.com/city_guide/chennai.html
and the following
chennai map is taken
from
http://www.chennai.net/about/cm.php
|
