Chennai Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

The crowning attraction of Chennai is the Marina Beach, which is the longest beach after that in Brazil. You can also visit Elliott Beach, which is quieter and cleaner.

Churches:

St. Mary's Church

It is said to be the first Anglican Church in India. Built in the end of the 16^th century in Fort St. George, it has some historic assets such as the altar piece, a painting of the Last Supper, a bible from the 1660s and silver plates.

Velankanni Church

This is a church dedicated to Our Lady of Health, the Madonna of Velankanni, located on the Elliot beach. It is believed that the Madonna has miraculous curative powers.

Christ The King Church

This is a beautiful church located in the campus of Loyola College. It is a fine piece of Gothic architecture designed by an Indian architect S.A Gnanpragasam Pillai, who interestingly enough had no formal education in either architecture or civil engineering. It isn't a very old chapel, and was built in 1933. The interiors and exteriors are said to be equally noteworthy. 

San Thome Basilica

This Church has been built on the site where St. Thomas, an apostle of Jesus Christ is buried. It is on the southern end of the Marina Beach. Built in the Gothic style, it has a beautiful stained glass depicting St. Thomas's meeting with Jesus Christ. A few relics and a small fragment of the bone of the saint are placed in the crypt below.

Temples:

Parthasarathy Temple

This is the oldest surviving temple in Chennai, dating back to the 8^th century. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, and has enshrined five different incarnations of Vishnu. Parthasarathy means charioteer of Arjuna and Lord Krishna had been the charioteer for Arjuna in the war of Mahabharata. This temple was built by the Pallavas, with renovations being made to it in the centuries after.

Kapaleeswara Temple

The original temple is said to have been submerged in the sea, and what you see is the new one built 300 years ago. It has enshrined the God and Goddess Shiva and Parvati, called Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal.

Ashtalakshmi Temple

This temple is dedicated to the Goddess Mahalakshmi, who is said to have eight manifestations, and so the name of the temple. It is located on the Elliott Beach in Chennai.

Ayyappan Temple

This is said to the first temple of Chennai and is a must visit for all devout Hindus.

Monuments:

St. George Fort

A 16^th century fort, it was built by the East India Company and was named after the Saint of England, St. George. Within its grounds is the church of St. Mary and the fort museum.

Valluvar Kottam

This is a memorial dedicated to the poet and saint Tiruvalluvar. The memorial is shaped like a temple chariot very similar to the one in Thiruvarur. This chariot houses a statue of the saint standing 33 mts tall. The auditorium here is said to be Asia's largest.

Vivekananda Illam

Dedicated to Swami Vivekananda who visited Chennai in 1897 to deliver a historic sermon, the building was originally called the Ice House, as it had served as an ice storage place. Today it is home to Swami Vivekananda's statue and 150 rare pictures of Swami Vivekananda's life.

Anna Memorial

A memorial dedicated to the leader of the Dravidian movement, Arinzar Annadurai, it lies on the north side of the Marina Beach.

Light House

This favourite landmark of Chennai is located on the south side of the Marina Beach, and stands out in the horizon.

Government Museum

Originally known as Pantheon Complex during the British rule, the Museum displays artefacts from the contemporary to pre-historical periods, as well as exquisite sculptures and bronzes. It is also home to the Connemara Public Library and the National Art Gallery.

Birla Planetorium and the Periyar Science and Technology Centre located nearby are interested places to take the children.

The Adyar Banyan Tree is the largest banyan tree in the world at 238 ft height and 250 ft width, and covering an area of more than 59,500 sq ft.

Other Activities

Shopping

In Chennai mainly revolves around handicrafts and handlooms. You can shop for palm leaf mats and handicrafts, bronze and brass curios, traditional dance jewellery, stone carvings from Mamallapuram,  and of course, the famous silks from Kanchipuram.

The most popular shopping areas are in Rannganatha Street in T. Nagar and Anna Salai. Most of the Government owned emporiums are on Anna Salai. You could visit Poompuhar, Victoria Technical Institute and Central Cottage Industries there. The famous South Indian Silks are best bought from Nallis.

Try the favourite Thali also called Sapaad, or the delicious variety of tiffin items such as vada, idi and dosa.

Excursions (East Coast Road):

Dakshina Chitra

This is a unique architectural museum set up 26 km south of Chennai, on the road to Mahabalipuram. Here you can see the typical houses of all the southern states, transported from their original site and perfectly re-constructed in a truly authentic ambience.

Crocodile Bank

This is a unique reptile farm and museum set up by the naturalist Rom Whittaker. It has several rare species of crocodiles, alligators, and snakes and is a very interesting and educative place for young people to visit.

Mahabalipuram

Built by the Pallava Kings, in the 7^th century, the famous monuments here are the Shore Temples, Arjuna's penance and the Pancha Pandava Rathas, five monolith chariots named after the five Pandava brothers. You should see the Varaaha mandapa, the Krishna mandapa and the Mahishasuramardhini cave

Tourism Info: 

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC)
Tourism Complex, No.2, Wallajah Road (near Kalaivanar Arangam)

Chennai - 600 002.

The fourth largest city in India, Chennai is the seat of culture and learning in South India. It is also India's third largest commercial and industrial centre and the automobile capital of India. Lying on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is a city famous for its beaches, historical monuments, and its rich cultural heritage.  It is home to one of the world's longest beaches, the 12 km long Marina Beach.

Chennai, originally called Madras, has a rich and historical past. Its existence dates back to the 1^st century, where it served as an important military and economic center. It was ruled by many great South Indian dynasties, like the Pallavas, Cholas, and Pandyas.

The 15^th century saw the arrival of the Portuguese at Madras, followed by the Dutch and then the British. In 1639, the site of Madraspatnam was chosen as the place to settle in by the East India Company. The town of George Town, with the fort of St. George became their stronghold. In fact it was granted its first municipal charter in 1688, which makes it the oldest municipal corporation in India. 

Elihu Yale was a famous British governor of Madras and it is said that the fortune he gathered in Madras partly funded the Yale University in USA. In 1746, Fort St George and Madras were captured by the French who ruled it for a short while, tilt the British regained control in 1749. By the late 18th century, the British had conquered most of present-day Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and they established the Madras Presidency, whose capital was Madras.

Chennai's economy today is flourishing on account of the many industries that have set up base here. It has become an important software hub, home to many IT and BPO firms. Other industries operating here are automobile, petrochemicals, manufacturing, textiles and financial services.