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Chennai, formerly known as Madras is the capital city of
Tamil Nadu. One of the four metropolitan cities of India,
Chennai is widely spread in area about 180 Sq. Kms. The city
situated on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Chennai the automobile capital of India, is also referred as
the Detroit of South Asia. The 12 Kilometre long Marina
Beach in Chennai, is one of the longest beaches in the
world. The city is trisected by two rivers namely Cooum
River and Adyar river. The Cooum river divides the city into
almost half and the Adyar river divides the southern half of
the city into two parts. The historic Buckingham canalruns
through the city, almost parallel to the coast. The 350 year
old city retains much of its old charm and today stands as a
big commercial and industrial centre. Rich in the cultural
heritage, the temples, shrines, forts and palaces, the city
presents a blend of past with present. |
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History :
Chennai and its nearby area has served as an important
administrative, military and economic centre way back to
the 1st century.Several South India kingdoms like the
Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya and Vijaynagar empires
have ruled over the area. The British occupied the
powerof the town in 1749 and under British rule the city
developed into a majorurban centre and naval base. The
city grew up around the English settlement of Fort Saint
George and slowly extends in the adjacent towns and
villages.Chennai became the capital of Madras state
after the Independence of Indiain 1947, and the state
was later renamed as Tamil Nadu is 1968 |
Attractions :
Fort St. George - Fort St. George is one of the
finest examples of British military constructions.The
construction of the fort was completed in 1654, but it was
remodelled in 1749. The oldest Protestant Church -St.
Mary's Church, stands in the fort complex. The St.
George’s towering flagstaff is, still today, the tallest
in India. The memories of early Chennai are preserved in
Clive Corner, Wellesley House, Fort Museum and St. Mary's
church. The Legis latureand Secretariat houses of the
Tamil Nadu government are built around the Fort.
High Court Complex - On the site of Fort St.
George’s first Indian town the Indo-Sarcenic styled
buildings areoperational as High Court. Built in the year
1892 the High Court Complex is assumed to be the second
largest judicial complex in the world. The Highcourt
building has beautiful domes, a grand central cupola and
many stained glass windows. A tall granite Doric column
which still stands is an or namentto the campus. The
interior of the court buildings has corridors, vestibules
and stairways. Inside the High Court Complex the High
Court, the Small Cause’s Court and the City Civil Court
stand.
George Town - George Town is considered as the
commercial heart of the city, as the streets remain packed
with traders, buyers and their employees. Rajaji Salai
(North Beach Road) separates George Town from the Harbour
and along one side of it, imperial architecture
flourishes. The British commercial house stands at the
beginning, further one can watch most of the major
business centres in Chennai. George Town is bounded in the
north by Old Jail Road and Clive Battery.
Corporation Complex - The Cororation Complex houses
Ripon Building, home of the oldest municipality in India,
the Madras Corporation built in 1913. The complex have a
building with the designin spired from the Taj. The domed
white building has Parks and Gardens, Nehru Stadium,
Victoria Public Hall, a public meeting place out of the gas
lightera and Moore market. The Moore market is the perfect
place to shop.
Government Museum -
The Museum was established in the year 1857. One of the
country’s best museums has the collection of authentic
relics of 2nd century A.D., brought from the Buddhist
site of Amaravati. The museum displays prehistoric
antiques of South India and exquisite carvings of the
Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths.One can also see a fine
collection of wood carvings from processional temple
Chariots. In addition the museum has the interesting
collection of South Indian musical instruments and
jewellery, ancient icons and modern bronzes, including
the famous bronze Natraja and the beautiful set of Rama,
Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
National Art Gallery -The gallery has the the
finest collection of old paintings. It houses the10th
and 13th century bronzes, 16th-18th century Rajasthani
and Mughal paintings, 17th century Deccani paintings and
11th and 12th century Indian handicrafts.
Kapaleeswarar Temple -
The temple is one of the oldest temples of the world, it has
inscriptions of 13th century dedicated to the Lord Shiva.
The Dravidian architectural style with paintings on the
walls remind incidents from Hindu Mythology.
Sri Parthasarathy Temple - Built by the Pallavasin
the 8th century the temple was dedicated to Lord Krishna,
the temple houses images of Lord Vishnu.
Santhome Cathedral - The 500 year old cathedral was
built by the Portuguese in honor of Saint Thomas.
Saint Thomas Mount - Built by the Portuguese
thechurch offers the spectacular views of the city.
Marina Beach - World’s second largest beach,12 Kms
long, is a best place for recreation and relaxation.
Valluvar Kottam - Located at Nungambakkam, the
memorial was built for immortal Tamil poet-saint,
Thiruvalluvar. The memorial has also an auditorium with a
capacity of up to 4000 people.
Accessibility :
Chennai is connected by Airways, Railways and Road link with
all the major towns of the country.
Road - Chennai is linked with well motorable roads from
rest of the country. The distance of major towns from
Chennai are Mumbai (1329 Kms), Bangalore 334 (Kms) Hyderabad
(669 Kms), Kanyakumari (693Kms), Madurai (461 Kms),
Mahabalipuram (60 Kms), Pondicherry (162 Kms),Rameshwaram
(619 Kms), Kanchipuram 71 (Kms), Tirupati 143 (Kms), Ooty
(535Kms), Kodaikanal (498 Kms), Thiruvananthapuram 709 (Kms)
and Thanjavur (334Kms).
Rail - Chennai Railway station is connected with all
the major railway stations of the country like Delhi,
Mumbai, Calcutta,Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad,
Lucknow, and Varanasi.
Air - The Airport in Chennai is directly linked to
Airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore,
Goa, Bhubaneswar, Cochin, Hyderabad, Port Blair and Pune. |
Chennai
Travel Packages:
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