Chennai Charm - A Visual Odyssey

The sun kissed shores abutting the Bay of Bengal in South India, is a destination to be considered. Surprisingly, it rich cultural heritage, blends exceedingly well with modern day style of living.  Ancient temples from the Chola regime known for architectural excellence can blend well with 21st century landmarks, thus presenting a kaleidoscope of colours and flavours. With gourmet dinners joints, co-existing side by side with street food, for the palette it is a land waiting to be explored.  Welcome Chennai – the Gateway to South India.

Brief History

With fishing business thriving along the Cormandel Coast, and a harbour to promote trade, the British East India Company saw this as an opportunity to develop the city between 1639 and 1640 by establishing both a port and a fort. Thus, a small fishing village Madraspatnam got transformed to Madras, and later renamed as Chennai. It is believed that 2 Britishers Andrew Cogan and Francis Day founded Chennai almost 400 years ago. Come, let us begin a journey to explore and understand one of the gems of South India, and probably the largest of the South Indian cities.   

Topography:

The city abuts the sea coast all throughout located on the North East corner of the state. Days are humid and turn pleasant with the advent of sea breeze in the late afternoons. The best time to visit Chennai is during the winter months when the weather is milder. The Marina beach runs along the coast for over 13 Kms, and is the second longest beach in the world.  

Popular places of Interest:

Marina Beach : A must visit landmark in the heart of Chennai, running across almost half the length of Chennai, the beach comes alive in the late afternoon hours for a session of fun and frolic. With plenty of options of street food, and small time vendors selling different kinds of wares like artefacts, curious, local made handicrafts etc... a discerning traveller gets immersed in the local way of life. The evening sunset is truly exhilarating.

Government Museum: To get a slice of Madras through the ages, then, Chennai government Museum is the perfect place to stop over. Loaded with art, artefacts and archaeological treasures, paintings, rare ancient coins can also be found. History enthusiasts and art lover ill find it truly rewarding.     

Valluvar Kottam: To pay respect to one of the greatest saints and poet of Tamilnadu, the Valluvar Kottam was established. Designed by a south Indian architect, it was built in 1976, by the late chief Minister Karunanidhi, and the late President of India, Fakuruddin Ali Ahmed inaugurated it.  A visit during either sunrise or sunset lends beauty to this attraction.

Dakshina Chitra Museum: As the very name suggests Dakshina meaning south, it is a heritage museum, incorporating the best of culture of all the 4 south Indian states, viz.  Tamilnadu, Andhra and Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. It is a collection of 18 houses in historical style depicting contextual exhibition pertaining to each of the 4 states. It is an excellent centre for books, folklore, and exhibits. A must try attraction for arts and crafts.

Fort St. George: A typical colonial style architectural building a very limited access is permitted mainly to the area where the Museum is located. It also houses the St. Marys church. The place has a lot of interesting tales of the British era. Other area in the region is not meant for tourist access, as it also houses a couple of Government offices.  What is remarkable about Fort St. George is -it was built in 1644, and still retains the same grandeur that existed in its original form.  

Velankannni Church, Beasant Nagar: It has an eclectic blend of an amalgamation of architecture, primarily of Portuguese, Christian and Gothic style. Tall majestic towers with extra large floor to ceiling height central hall are hall mark of this attraction. Set against the back drop of the Bay of Bengal, the structure is truly magnificent.   

Kapalaeewarar Temple: Mylapore is considered the seat showcasing culture of the Dravdian kings.  The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple came in to existence somewhere around the 7th century. The legend associated with this temple is Parvati worshipped Lord Shiva who was in the form of a peacock, thus, giving a vernacular name Myaeel.(Peacock), and hence came to be known as Mylapore. The style is also based on Dravidian architecture.

Birla Planetarium: If a date with the celestial bodies is of interest, then this is the place to watch out for. Located on the Gandhi Mantapam road, the images, the audio-visual commentary is synchronised and blends well with the narrative, and one can grasp the nuances of astronomy, in an easy manner.

Parthasarathy Temple: Triplicane has been in existence long before the British set shore in to India. The culturally rich Tamil populace established a Vaishnavite temple somewhere around the 6th century. There is a legend from the epic Maha Bharath associated with the temple.  The origin of the temple is credited to the Pallava dynasty and subsequently this was expanded both by the Cholas and Vijay Nagar kings.

Guindy Park:  If you are planning to see a mini zoo, then the Guindy National Park answers the question. (The official zoo is situated in Vandalur.). Housed between the IIT Campus and the governor’s residence, Raj Bhawan, this is 1.03 sq miles and the 8th smallest park in India. Around 300 varieties of trees and 150 varieties of plants can be spotted. In addition, 15 species of captive mammals can also be found in the park.  

Assistance by Skyway  & Madras Travels in organising Chennai tours:

Skyway tours, who primarily have offices in the State of Karnataka, have also established themselves in the state of Tamil Nadu with office in Chennai and partnership with Madras Travels & Tours to offer local logistics support. This local office with support from partner office would boost the confidence level of a tourist, as they would have known help is not far away. For details on planning and organsing Chennai or Tamilnadu related tours talk to the experts Ms. Shylaja  on Mobile No. 98451188115  / Mr. Suryanarayan on Mobile No. 9840162337  who will be glad to render the requisite assistance to get started and complete the tour.  

Visit www.chennaicitytour.com  to explore.