Chennai
Introduction to Chennai
Chennai,
also known as Madras, the fourth
largest city in India and the capital of Tamilnadu.
The city sprawls over more than 70 square km. The
population of Chennai is 5.9 million. Many of the
Indian languages are spoken in Chennai, though the
main language of Chennai is Tamil. For travelers with
an interest in the colonial history of India, Chennai
has much worth exploring and abundant transport
operations make other parts of the country readily
accessible.
Places To
See:
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, 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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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.
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
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. The
buildings originally belonged to a group of eminent
British citizens, known as the Pantheon Committee, who
were charged with improving the social life of the
British in Chennai. 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
Travel
Information:
Air: Chennai is an international
airport with flight connections to all major parts of
the world, Domestic airlines connect Chennai with all
the major cities of India.
Rail:
Regular train services
connect Chennai directly with all major cities of the
country. Suburban Electric trains run from Beach station
to Tambaram and from Central to Gummidipoondi and
Arakonam.
Road:
Chennai being gateway to the south is connected by
excellent roads to all parts of the south. Taxis,
Auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. all
types of tourist vehicle are easily available on hire.
Sea:
There is a sea line to Andaman and Nicobar islands.
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