Chennai (Madras): Gateway to South India

Marina Beach is Chennai's most famous and popular beach. It is 12 km long (and is reputed to be the second longest urban beach in the world) and is at times 437 meters wide. It has a broad and elegant promenade lined with flower beds.

Marina Beach runs from Fort St George to Besant Nagar, passing on the way such sites as Madras University, Anna Square, the Triumph of Labour statue, the Senate House, and the Chepauk Palace (the former princely court of the Nawabs of Carnatica). There are fishermen's colonies at both end of the beach.

The beach is a great getaway place for harried city dwellers escaping the summer heat. There are hundreds of food and snack sellers. Kite flying, beach cricket and pony riding take place here and there. 

Other beaches in Chennai include Edward Elliot's Beach and Breezy Beach.

Places of Worship

Chennai has a good number of temples, mosques and churches. 

The Kapaleeshwarar Temple, in the Chennai suburb of Mylapore, is one of the city's oldest temples. A temple has been on this site since around the 8th century and the present temple dates from the 15th century. It features a 37 meter high entrance gate (gopuram) replete with hundreds of figures of gods and goddesses. A large pool of water (tank) is located behind the temple.

Other temples include the Parthasarathy Temple and the Sri Ramakrishna_Math- Universal Temple. Mosques include the Big Mosque (also known as the Wallajah Mosque). Churches include St. Mary's Church (see below), St. Thomas Mount, Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas, and the Baptist and Lutheran churches.

The British founded Madras (now renamed Chennai) in the 17th century (by combining two earlier towns, Madraspattinam and Chennapattinam).

Some of the buildings they constructed may still be seen, including:

-- Fort St. George: This fort, built in 1640, guarded the early trading activities of the East India Company, which later developed into Madras. As such, it presided over the first securing of a foothold on the Indian subcontinent by the British.

-- St. Mary's Church: This church, located inside Fort St. George, is one of the oldest churches constructed by the British in India. Consecrated in 1680, famous weddings have occured there, such as that of and of Governor Elihu Yale (the benefactor of Yale College in America (1680) and Robert Clive (Clive of India) (1753).

Other interesting British colonial buildings include the Ripon Building, Central Station, Egmore Station, the Commissioner's Bungalow (Beach Road), Museum Theatre, and the Victoria Memorial, the Senate House (University of Madras) and the Presidency College, all located near Marina Beach.

There is also a well-preserved Art Deco architectural area at Parry's Corner.

Film Making

Chennai is an important center for film making (though less known than the film making of of Mumbai's Bollywood and Kolkata's art house cinema producers). Some of the film stars from Chennai include Hema Malini,  Asin Thottumka and Sridevi.

Music

Chennai is hugely important in the music world as the center of traditional Carnatic music. You can see this music every December during the five-week long Music Season.

Dance

Chennai is also famous for its teaching and performances of the classical music dance form known as Bharatanatyam.

Cuisine

Come to Chennai to taste magnificent Tamil cuisine. My favorite Tamil dish is marsala dosa. My favorite Tamil drink is filter coffee. Around Chennai you find many eateries serving tasty south Indian delicacies. More about Tamil cuisine. 

Festivals

Chennai's festivals include the Arubathimoovar Festival, the Kanthuri Festival, the Kadavi Festival, the Pongal Festival, and many others. More about Chennai's fairs and festivals.

Handicrafts

When you visit Chennai you will see many beautiful handicrafts, including the beautiful Kanchivaram silk sarees which local women wear while being decked in gold jewelry and with jasmine adorning their hair. Other handicrafts include cane and bamboo items.

If you acquire some beautiful handicrafts of your own or to use as gifts, you visit any of the Co-optex shops, Victoria Technical Institute and the handicraft shops on Mount Road.

Other Attractions

Other interesting attractions in Chennai include the zoo, the snake park, many amusement and theme parks, and various centers for music, dance, theater, cinema and fine arts. There are many sporting clubs (for tennis, cricket etc.).

Nice day trips can be had to nearby towns such as Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Tirupati and Kanchipuram (some of which have wonderful temples and festivals of their own!). Mahabalipuram is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chennai is a major commercial center in southern India with:

-- service industries in areas such as Information technology, software design, call centres, and BPO (business process outsourcing); and

-- manufacturers in areas such as automobile, rail, telecom (mobile phone manufacturing) and leather goods.

Chennai Hub
More info on Chennai history, monuments, memorials and culture.