Welcome to Chennai

This metropolis is often called the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage. Chennai is a city younger than its image. More than any other city in India, it is a true reflection of this country’s diversity. In a time span of just over 350 years, Chennai has blossomed into a charming city that has a large heart and is very welcoming. It is city that encourages all forms of development, both modern technology and the traditional arts and crafts, and it embraces a series of paradoxes.

It was in 1639 that Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, agents for the English East India Company, acquired a strip of land on lease from the Vijayanagar King. They built the Fort St.George, which remains of the city’s important landmarks and serves as the Government Secretariat today. It was built to set up a factory that served as a nucleus for British settlements that began to be formed. Surrounding villages like Triplicane, Purasawalkam, Egmore and Chetput slowly merged with the new developments, to form Chennapatnam, as it was known.

The city was called Madras till 1996 and then renamed Chennai. Today this buoyant metropolis is a blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern.

Spread over 200 square kilometres with the Bay of Bengal on the east, the city is the gateway to the rest of South India. There are verdant green patches found amidst the high-tech, high-rise buildings.

With a population of around six million, it is India’s fourth largest city. From before days of Independence to present , the people of Chennai have played an important role in shaping the country’s political destiny.

Prime Attractions

» Marina Beach - Golden sand, good surf and a shimmering clean blue sea; this in a nutshell is Marina beach. This beach is counted among one of the longest beaches in Asia.

» Theosophical Society - On a vast expanse of over 250 acres on the banks of the Adyar estuary lies the more-than-a-century-old Theosophical Society, amidst the woods, marshes, gardens and waters.

» Kapaleeswara Temple - The Kapaleeswara Temple situated in Mylapore is very famous and attracts thousands of devotees, especially during festival days.

Excursions from Chennai City

MGR Film City - Known to the world over for its film industry, MGR Film City is a special delight, which houses various locations and settings for film shootings besides dubbing and re-recording theatres.

Covelong Beach- Located 40 km from Chennai, Covelong is a beautiful beach with a number of historical monuments around it. The Dutch Fort and the Catholic church are amongst them.

Mahabalipuram - Located at a distance of 58 km from Chennai, Mahabalipuram has everything that makes a site memorable; tradition, history, piety, western annals, and current importance as a centre of tourism.

Crocodile Bank - Located 42-m from Chennai is a farm where several species of Indian and African crocodiles and alligators are bred in captivity. This crocodile bank is on the way to Mahabalipuram and is run by Romulve Whittaker.

Tirupati - 84-km from Chennai at the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh is Tirupati, one of the most important pilgrimage centres of India.