CHENNAI (MADRAS)
To
give an introduction to a city like Chennai is to give you an idea of what
Chennai is not…rather than what it is. To give a glimpse of her rich culture,
religion, heritage, people, museums, theme parks, monuments, beaches, palaces,
customs, cuisine, arts, talent and technology would be an exercise equivalent to
"counting grains of sand on the seashore" (this again, is a popular
South Indian expression).
Chennai is the oldest municipality in India. James II granted George Town its
first municipal charter in 1688, which later grew into Chennai. The fort St.
George was constructed over the period of 15 years and was completed in 1653. It
was around the fort that George Town developed. For more than 2000 years this
area has been popular with the traders. During the 17th century, it caught the
attention of the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British East India
Company. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the British and the French tried to
gain supremacy in the region and finally the British took over. During the
19th century, the city was one of the four divisions of the British
imperial India and it has continued to grow since then.
Chennai is a city where you can find the perfect blend of tradition and
modernity… where ‘Udupi’ hotels and fast-food joints, gopurams (temple
towers) and skyscrapers, mantras and mobiles, ragas and rap, coexist…
Today, Chennai while retaining her old world charm with the enchanting landmarks
of a historic city, has also become a lucrative investment destination for
hi-tech ventures.
Wherever you begin, the quest to travel will lead you from one place to another.
From the Government Museum, a huge repository of the past where you can find
Paleolithic stone implements and earthenware to modern day artifacts ...Where
sun drenched beaches stretch for miles with the white surf breaking against the
shores (do you know that the Marina beach in Chennai is the second longest beach
in the world ?)...To the numerous divine temples which vibrate with the
sing-song notes of shlokas and mantras right from early morning ...The jewellery
and silk shops of T. Nagar, the timeless elegance of its monuments, the flower
bazaars, the annual music festival where die-hard carnatic music fans throng to
the sabhas. You will discover all this in Singara Chennai (as it’s lovingly
referred to here)…and more.
Valluvar
kottam -
Valluvar Kottam is on the Kodambakkam High Road and is named after the famous
Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. He wrote the famous `Thiru Kural', which is supposed
to be nearly 2000 years old. This structure is dedicated to the great poet and
the Thiru Kural is inscribed on the panels.
High court buildings - This red Indo-Saracenic structure at the Parry's
corner is supposed to be the largest judicial building in the world after the
courts of London.
Luz church - This church dedicated to Our Lady of Light, was constructed
in the 16th century and is the oldest church in Chennai. It was built by Portuguese
sailors.
Fort St. George - This fort was constructed by the British East India
company in 1653 and it presently houses the secretariat and the legislative
assembly. The museum in the fort houses collection of memorabilia which were
built by the French and the British East India Companies.
St. Andrew 's church - This church is in classical style and has impressive
blue dome decorated with golden stars.
Parthasarathy Temple - This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It is
one of the oldest surviving temples in Chennai. The temple was constructed in
the 8th century by the Pallavas and it was later renovated by the rulers of
Vijayanagar.
Little Mount - This Mount is where St. Thomas is believed to have lived
during his visit to India. This little cave can be entered through the church
built by the Portuguese in 1551.
Guindy National Park and Snake park - These parks are adjacent to each
other. The national park houses have some wild life where as it is the snake
park that is more impressive with a whole variety of snakes and lizards to be
seen.
Film Studios - The film studios in Chennai are one of the best and the
largest to be found in the country. The MGR film city is an impressive one and
is the only one that is open to the public most of the times.
Marina and Eliot beach - Marina beach is considered one of the longest
beaches in the world. The stretch of the beach is 13 kms, approximately and
it is one of the places where Chennai's crowd can be seen especially during
holidays. Eliot's beach is much quieter compared to Marina, but now it is also
infested with people especially in the evening hours.