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Chennai Tourism |
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About Chennai
Guindy National Park
Birla Planetarium
Fort ST. George
Valluvar Kottam
Government Museum
High Court
Vandalur
Sri Kapaleswarar Temple
Crocodile Bank
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Snake Park
V.G.P. Golden Beach Resort
MGM Dizzy World
Kishkintha
Muttukadu Boat House
Mahabalipuram Temples
Besant Nagar Beach
Santhome Cathedral Church
TIDEL Park |
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About Chennai
 Madras,
or Chennai as it is now called, is known as the Gateway of Southern
India. The East India Company developed Madras as one of the major
trading centres in India. Chennai has a blend of Dravidian and Gothic
architecture in its buildings. The city might have grown but it has
never lost its traditional grace and charm. The Tamil society might have
incorporated English culture but the Dravidian roots are as strong as
ever.
Chennai is the epitome of tradition, culture and life-style of Southern
India. But like the rest of India, Chennai has over the years, developed
its share of urban style and modernity. Accommodation and transportation
are cheap and efficient. It is very likely that the temples that you
will visit in Chennai are unlike any other that you have seen before.
Visit the 4.5-km long Golden Marina beach - one of the longest beaches
in the world.
Unlike
Mumbai, the Chennai port is not a natural harbour. Nevertheless, this
man-made port is very modern and efficient in handling cargo and other
traffic. Today Chennai is the fourth largest city in India and commands
a major share in the trade from the South.
Population: About 5.9 Million
Climate:
Chennai has a very hot tropical climate. The temperature variation
between winters and summers is minimal. Rainfall is timely and tends to
be heavy during the monsoons. Proximity to the sea makes the atmosphere
heavy and humid. The summers are sultry and hot while winters are warm.
As such Chennai has enough to offer a year-round tourist season and one
can visit the place any time.
Best times to visit: Between November and February
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Guindy National Park
 Once
this was all part of Governor's Estate. Now it is fragmented and the
major part is a thickly forested game sanctuary where the spotted deer
and the black buck roam about and a wealth of smaller fauna thrive. This
is the country's only Wild life Sanctuary within. a city's limits. Raj
Bhavan, the Governor's mansion, occupies one end of the Park, and at the
other is the beautiful forest-girt campus of Chennai's famous Indian
Institute of Technology, one of Asia's foremost technical educational
institutions. In between, and edging the road, are a famous Cancer
Institute, a Children's .Park with its own mini zoo and mini railway, a
Snake Park, rich in reptiles, and Memorials to Gandhiji, Rajaji, the
first Indian Governor. General, and Kamaraj, a great national leader.
latest addition to this, array of memorial, is that of Bakthavatchalam,
former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Opposite the Park are the Anna
University of Technology, whose nucleus was the oldest technical school
in the East and the Central leather Research Institute. To the east of
the Park as well as at the back of it sprawls the campus of the Central
Institute of Technology. Not far away is one of the country's finest
Race courses.
Children'5 Park Timings: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Tuesday holiday.
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Birla Planetarium
 Birla
Planiorium is located near Adyar and Guindy. This modern planetarium is
housed in a hemi-spherical theatre. Here a fully computerized projector
brings the heavenly bodies to life. The latest astronomical phenomena
are brought back to life in simulated environment. Periyar Science &
Technology Centre situated near enables the visiting public to
understand scientific and technological inventions through working
models Kalakshetra:is located eyond Elliot's beach, is Kalakshetra or
'Temple of Art'. It was founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale to
train, encourage and revive interest in bharatanatyam, which is the
classical dance form of the state. This institution is among the finest
of its kind in the country and is run on the ancient gurukulam system.
Throughout the year Kalakshetra conducts music recital and dance
performances in different parts of Chennai. Details about venue and
timings can be obtained from the daily newspapers or from the
information desk of the Government of India Tourist Office.
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Fort ST. George
 One
of the most sought-after travel destinations in India, Chennai (formerly
Madras) is an enchanting city with a seamless blend of modern
sophistication and old world charm. Capital of the south Indian state of
Tamil Nadu, this throbbing metropolis has all the ingredients of
captivating you with vibrant nightlife, delicious dining, and exotic
shopping. Best Indian Travel provides you the complete travel guide to
make your visit to this city a memorable.
Chennai
was born in 1639 on a piece of land given to the English by the Raja of
Chandragiri, the last representative of the mighty Hindu kingdom of
Vijayanagar. The Fort St.George and the later English town of Madras
were based here.
While
crisscrossing the city one is bound to see the obvious British
influence, evident in buildings in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture,
the various cathedrals, wide tree lined avenues. But Chennai still
retains its traditional Tamil culture with a fine blend with the modern.
So get
ready to enjoy the frantic pace and cosmopolitan feel of Chennai. After
paying a visit to the city's most prominent colonial monument, Fort St.
George, and a look at the wonderful Chola paintings dating back to the
10th century A.D. in the National Art Gallery and Museum, the best way
to spend time is simply to stroll down the city's atmospheric
streets.Built in 1640 AD, the Fort St. George once served as the very
first bastion of the British East India Company. Presently it houses the
Secretariat and the Legislative Assembly. Located on Pantheon Road, the
Government Museum and Art Gallery has an interesting archaeological
section, and a bronze gallery. The archaeological section has an
excellent collection of items from all the major South Indian periods,
including the Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukya periods.
Madras
Harbour is certainly a feather in the city's cap. This artificial harbor
is one of the finest in India. Mylapore in the south of Chennai is the
site of the celebrated Kapaleeswarar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It
has a typical Dravidian gopuram. Adjacent to the temple, is the San
Thome Cathedral, which is said to contain the remains of St Thomas the
Apostle (Doubting Thomas). Situated on Triplicane High Road is the
famous Krishna Parathasarathy Temple. Constructed in the 8th century by
the Pallavas, it was later renovated by the Vijayanagar kings in the
16th century.
Chennai
revels in reputation of being home to the St. Mary's Church, the oldest
Anglican Church in Asia built in 1680, while the exuberance of the city
can be seen along the Marina beach, the world's second longest beach.
As a result of the opening up the Indian economy, and the consequent
economic boom, which has touched the lives of certain sections of
Chennai populace, the city can now boast a great party vibe and non-stop
nightlife.
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Valluvar Kottam
 A
unique bit of modern building in the city is the huge auditorium that
draws its inspiration from the great temple builders of Tamil Nadu's
past. This huge memorial hall to the Poet-Saint Thiruvalluvar is
dominated by a towering temple car in stone. Timing: 8am to 5pm. Closed
on Fridays and National holidays.
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Government Museum
 One
of the finest museums in India, the Government Museum has sections
devoted to geology, anthropology, botany, zoology, sculpture and
numismatics. The relics from the 2nd century AD Buddhist site 'Amaravati'
and the prehistoric South India are the most prized possessions of the
museum. The museum has a vast collection of carvings of Hindu, Buddhist
and Jain faiths. Collection of South Indian musical instruments and
jewelry is worth seeing. The bronze gallery that has a superb collection
of ancient icons and modern bronzes that should not be missed at any
cost.
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High Court
 This
imposing Indo-Saracenic style building, built in 1892, has beautiful
domes, a grand central cupola and many stained glass windows. The
building houses the High Court, the Small Cause's Court and the City
Civil Court.
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Vandalur
 The
sprawling 1,265 -acre Anna Zoological Park is the biggest in South Asia
and is building up a superb collection : of tropical mammals, birds and
reptiles amongst others. The enclosures for the animals are located in
natural surroundings : with vast areas for the animals to move freely.
Bicycles are available for hire to see the zoo on the wheel.
Timings: Weekdays 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 pm. Sunday and Holidays: 10.00 a.m.
to 8.00 p.m.
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Sri Kapaleswarar Temple
 This
ancient Siva temple is a delightful introduction to Dravidian temple
sculpture and architecture. Fragmentary inscriptions date back to 1250
AD, but the present structure is the renovated one which was rebuilt by
the Vijayanagara kings in the 16th century, The magnificent 37 m tall
gopuram is profusely carved. The crowded cosmogeny of Stucco gods,
goddesses and saint depict important Puranic legends. The `Punnai` tree
in the temple courtyard is one of the oldest trees in Chennai and shades
a small shrjne depicting the legend that gave Mylapore its name. The
goddess Parvati, in the form of a peacock, is shown worshipping Siva,
represented by the traditional Lingam. Parvati is worshipped in this
temple as Karpagambal.
The
Kapaleswarar temple famed for being the site of a miracle is
sculpturally represented in the shrine of the saint in front of the
temple flagmast. Among other special features of the temple are the
bronze statues of 63 saivjte saints, caononised for leading exemplary
lives of devotion and penance. The figures of these 63 Nayanmars
(saints), which adorn the outeryard of the temple, are carried in a
colourful procession on the eighth day of the 10-day Arupathumoovar
temple festival held in March-April every year.
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Crocodile Bank
 Several
species of Indian and African crocodiles and alligators bred in
captivity are 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.
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Snake Park
 The Snake
Park is situated next to the Guindy National Park and is a popular spot
with most visitors to the city. Established in 1972, the Madras Snake
Park Trust (MSPT) has been home to a wide range of snakes, from the
deadly King Cobra to adders, pythons, vipers and other reptiles.
The
Snake Park in Chennai gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo from
the Central Zoo Authority in 1995. The Madras Snake Park is slated to
become a nodal point for captive breeding of endangered pythons in the
country, especially the Indian rock python (Python Molorus) and
reticulated python (Python Reticulatus).
While
at the Snake Park in Chennai, take note of the information furnished
about different types of snakes and the common misconceptions
surrounding them. A museum of preserved specimens of reptiles and
amphibian's is an added attraction. In its endeavor to spread
information about snakes, the Snake Park also published periodicals.
Adjacent to the Snake Park in Guindy, you will find the Children's
Park - an enjoyable collection of birds and animals. This area also
houses a play park for the kids. The elephant and pony rides are popular
with the children visiting this park. Do not miss the antics of the
monkey. Admire the antelopes and spotted deer that amble along, be it
the white buck, black buck and the small India Civet Cat. You may be
able to spot a Grey Partridge, King Fisher or the Blue Jay.
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V.G.P. Golden Beach Resort
 This is a
very skilfully planned beach resort geared to entertain the visitor with
sculptured vignettes from the past, folk dances and enthnic sea food
cuisine. Its unique stretch of spotlessly clean golden sand is a warm
invitation to sun bathers and the surf beckons the sea-bather. The V.G.P.
Art Centre, a part of the resort complex, sells merchandise ranging from
sea shells to rural handicrafts.
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MGM Dizzy World
 One more
children's amusement park has come up on a 27" acre site at Muttukkadu
enroute to Mamallapuram. Water Chute, Parachute Tower, Pirate Boat,
Striking Boat, and a 110 feet "Dizee Shake" Challenger and Visual
Reality are some of the important attractions out of the 37 attractions
of the Park.
Timings: 10.30 am. to 9.00 pm
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Kishkintha
 The first
theme amusement Park is "Kishkintha" near Chennai. Situated 28 km. south
of Chennai near Tambaram spread over 4110 acres, Kishkintha Park offers
various exciting rides and attractions.
Timings: Weekdays: 11.00 am to 7.00 pm Sundays and holidays: 10.00 am to
8.00 pm
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Muttukadu Boat House
 Situated
on the edge of back waters, this place has facilities for boating and
wind-surfing. There is also a TTDC restaurant offering light
refreshments.
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Mahabalipuram Temples
 Mahabalipuram is a temple town situated along the shores of the Bay of
Bengal in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The sheer sculptural
extravaganza of the rock-cut temples is not only reflective of the
artistic tastes of the erstwhile Pallava rulers: the temples are also
regarded as the birthplace of an entirely new style of architecture,
which came to be known as the South Indian temple architecture.
Mahabalipuram art can be divided into four categories : open air bas -
relief, structured temples, man-made caves and rathas ('chariots' carved
from single boulders, to resemble temples or chariots used in temple
processions). The famous Arjuna's Penance and the Krishna Mandapa, adorn
massive rocks near the centre of the village. The beautiful Shore Temple
towers over the waves, behind a protective breakwater. Sixteen man-made
caves in different stages of completion are also seen, scattered through
the area.
Mahabalipuram is about 60 Kms. south of the city of Madras, in Tamil
Nadu. Mahabalipuram, or Mamallapuram, was the chief seaport of the
Pallavas who ruled over much of South India from as early as the first
century B.C to the eighth century A.D., and it is now recognized as the
site of some of the greatest architectural and sculptural achievements
in India.
Temples of Mahabalipuram
Cave Temples were excavated by scooping out the scarp
of the hill. The scooping work starts from front to back. The cave
temple is usually divided into inner & outer mandapas, distinguished by
the difference in levels. The front mandapa will have pillars & plasters
numbering 4,6,8,10. The inner mandapa contains single, triple or five
cells. The cave temple with little modification is categorized as
Mamalla style. The pillars under this style are slender & taller with
squatting lion at their base. The pillar is divided into distinct parts
known as kalasa, tadi, kumba, padma etc.
Monolithic Temples are locally known as Rathas. They
were executed by chiseling out the exterior face of the boulder. Work
started from top to bottom. The pyramidal vimana with sikhara at the top
is an important feature of this style. It can be rightly said that these
monolithic temples must have paved the way for the structural temples
with elaborate architectural & sculptural details in the subsequent
stage. There a total number of 8 monolithic temples found in
Mamallapuram. The five rathas in one place, Ganesha Ratha, Valayankuttai
Ratha & Pidari Rathas.
Five Rathas – a small hill sloping from south to north
has been segmented into five divisions & converted into monolithic
temples. The heights of the segments have been cleverly used for temples
with single tier to three-tiered vimana. Each monolithic temples shows
different kind of sikhara. The five rathas are Dharmaraja Ratha, Bhima
Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha and Nakul Sahadev Ratha.
Shore Temple
The Shore Temple on the Bay of Bengal was constructed in the 7th century
during the rule of King Narsimha-Varman II Rajasimha (c. 690-728).The
Shore temples is a temple complex consisting of two Siva temples and a
carving of Anantasayana Vishnu.
The temple facing east is entered by a small gopura. On plan, it
consists of a small sanctum & a front mandapa & is a two-tired vimana.
The sanctum is housing a linga. The Somaskanda panel consisting of Siva
& Parvati with baby Skanda is on the back wall of the sanctum. The dhara
linga & Somaskanda panel on the back wall of the sanctum are the
features of the Pallava temples only.
The temple facing west is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is
large in plan comprising sanctum, mahamandapa, front mandapa, balipitha
and dvajastamba. The temple’s vimana is four tiered with octagonal
sikhara. It is important to note that stupis of both these temples are
not covered by kalasa (copper finials).
The carving on Lord Vishnu on a boulder in Anantasayana form is lying in
between these two temples. It belongs to the period of Narasimhavarman I
and thus earlier than the Siva temples.
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Besant Nagar Beach
 Elliot's Beach is situated in Besant Nagar, a
suburb of Chennai, India. Sometimes Elliot's beach is colloquially
referred to as Besant Nagar beach, after the area it is located in. The
beach used to be a little less crowded than the Marina Beach and a lot
more cleaner than it. The beach is now a 'lung' of Chennai, popular with
a crowd who frequent the beach to cool off and get a break from the
city's otherwise humid weather. The beach is pleasant, safe for swimming
and also ideal for lounging and picnicking.
There is a stone memorial on the beach for Dutch sailor Karl Schmidt,
who lost his life rescuing a drowning swimmer. The road next to the
beach is lined by a lot of restaurants and small eat-outs. Elliot's
beach is also a popular locale for movie shoots of popular Indian
feature films. The road adjoining the beach has been featured in
numerous fight scenes in Indian films.
The
beach is becoming quite crowded on all days of the week, particularly in
the evenings, and is a popular hangout for young people. It is not
uncommon to see a variety of games being played on the beach.
To the
south of the beach are two popular places of worships - Ashtalakshmi
Kovil (a temple) and the Velankanni Church.
About a kilometer to the north of the Elliot's beach is a clean and
quiet stretch of the beach, behind the Theosophical Society
headquarters. The river Adyar meets the sea here. This place is of
interest to bird-watchers. A variety of bird(s) like flamingos, egrets
and Indian Pond Herons and are seen here.
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Santhome Cathedral Church
 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.
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TIDEL Park
 "TIDEL
Park" a one million square feet IT park , has been inaugurated
on 4 July-2000. All 100% of the available space in TIDEL already stands
marketed. It is estimated by real estate consultants that there is need
for 2 million sq.ft. of additional space for IT Companies in Chennai in
the next two years. TIDEL-II is being planned for which a Detailed
Project Report is being prepared. Tidel has identified power supply and
connectivity as two critical requirements of software companies. TNEB,
VSNL, DOT, STPI have extensively been involved in providing power and
communication / uplink facilities. VSNL is creating a structured
communication backbone terminating OFC / PCM cables at each office by
offering unlimited bandwidth. TIDEL is also adopting a similar
architecture for establishing parallel backbone for future private
service providers and STPI. SNL is offering media diversity by
providing direct to Satellite connectivity, terrestrial through OFC and
also Microwave facility for transmission of data.
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To find out more write to us at
medicaltravel@chettinadhealthcity.com | >
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