:: Wellcome to Chennai :: Chennai Tourism, Chennai Tourism in India, Lakesparadise !

Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the gateway to Southern India and the largest city in southern India located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, developed after 1639 when the British East India Company established a fort and trading post at the small fishing village of Chennai. It is the capital city of Tamilnadu state. This coastal center of trade has drawn traffic from all over the world for centuries and maintains a cosmopolitan quality as well as a Tamil air. The center of South India's film industry, its skyline is ablaze with bright movie billboards advertising the latest celluloid fantasies.

Attractions In & Around

Anna Square :- The mortal remains of Dr. C.N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was buried at the Anna Square, which is at the northern end of the Marina Beach.

B.M. Birla Planetarium :- This modern planetarium houses a fully computerized projector to depict the skies. It is situated at Kotturpuram in the city. It presents audio-visual programs on astronomy and is a must for students and lovers of astronomy.

Big Mosque: :- Built in 1795, this mosque is one of the most attractive ones in South. It lies on the Walajah road and is built of grey granite rather than wood of steel.

Chennai Museum :- The Government Museum is on Pantheon Road. The Main Building has a fine archaeological section representing all the major South Indian periods including Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukya. The bronze gallery has a superb collection of Chola art. One of the most impressive is the bronze of Ardhanariswara, the androgynous incarnation of Shiva.

Children's Park :- Situated on Sardar Patel Road in Chennai, the park has a large number of antelopes, jackals, spotted deers and different kinds of monkeys. The main attractions of the Park are the elephant and pony rides.

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.

Dash 'N' Splash :- Located about 30 kms. from Central Station this is South India's exclusive water park. It has wave spiral and free fall slides and flumes from height of 12 ft to 35 ft.

Dev Centre :- For Musical InstrumentsThis centre has an exquisite collection of ancient and modern musical instruments, both original and prototype. It is located near Mylapore.

Elliot's Beach :- This beach is comparatively quiet and an ideal place to go sea bathing. It is located near Besant Nagar and is ideal for sunset strolls.

Film City :- Created by the Tamil Nadu government it is a recently built place, especially for the thriving film industry in Chennai. It has many film studios and a film school. This complex has remarkable outdoor settings.

Fisherman's CoveCovelong Beach :- (Fisherman's cove), quiet and far away from the distractions of the city lies close to Mahabalipuram, famous for its unique 7th century shore Temples. It has a host of activities designed to make your stay memorable, if you love the outdoors and culture.

Fort St. George :- Fort St. George, on Rajaji Salai, completed by the British in 1640, is presently used as the offices of the Tamilnadu Secretariat and the Legislative Assembly. Today, it is the commercial heart of the city, throbbing with life from dawn to dusk, its streets packed with crowds of traders, buyers and their employees.

Government Museum :- Located on Pantheon Road, Egmore this is home to one of the finest bronze collections in the world. This renowned museum exhibits a variety of arms, rare coins, vintage stamps, antiques, and musical instruments.

Guindy National Park :- The Guindy National Park is 1 km from the Guindy station, sprawling over hundreds of acres and interspersed with different species of endangered trees. This is a recommended picnic spot for the entire family.

Gurudwara :- The holy place for Sikhs located at T.Nagar-Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha is a place of remarkable serenity and tranquility.

High Court Building :- On the site of Fort St. George's first Indian town has come up the splendid Indo-Sarcenic buildings of the High Court and the Law College. The high court was built in 1892 and is believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world.

Ice HouseThe Govt. of Tamil Nadu named The Ice House Vivekanandar Illam. It was built by Mr. Frederic Tudor, the 'Ice King' in Calcutta, Bombay and Chennai to keep ice under proper insulation so that it could be stored for months together. Today, it houses a Gallery of about 150 rare photographs on the life of Swami Vivekananda. Timings: Open from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm. It is closed on Wednesdays.

Jain TempleLocated at T.Nagar is the striking Jain temple contrast to rock hewn temples of Tamilnadu. The temple is built of lime-and- soapstone and marble giving it a dazzling appearance.

Kalakshetra :- Founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale in 1936 the institution is devoted to the revival of traditional dance, textile designing, and weaving, which are taught in naturally harmonious environs.

Kapaleeswarar Temple :- This ancient Siva temple, situated at Mylapore is little more that 350 years old and is considered by Hindus to be one of the most sacred Hindu, sites in Southern Part of India.

Kishkinta :- It is India's No. 1 Theme Park located about 28 kms. south of Chennai at Tambaram. The attractions represent a wonderful blend of tomorrow's technology and all-time fantasies.

Little Folks :- It is an amusement complex situated about 46 kms towards Mahabalipuram on the new private land, offering a wide range of entertainment, like the Giant-Piano, Toy Train, Rainbow Fountain, Slide-into-pool, Cartoon show & Paddle-Pool. It also has an open-air theatre.

Madras University :- Just opposite to Anna Square is Madras University, whose ground and buildings are examples of the Indo-lslamic style of architecture. The 'Senate House' across the University is perhaps the best example of this style.

Marina Beach :- The stretch of beach known as the Marina extends for 13 kms. and is claimed to be the second largest in the world. It is bordered by gardens and is a major tourist attraction.

MGR MemorialOverlooking :- the Madras University on the sands of Marina adjacent to Anna Square lies the grand memorial of M.G.Ramachandran, the matinee idol - turned - Chief Minister.

National Art Gallary And Museum :- The National Art Gallery at Pantheon Road (Egmore) houses a vast collection of rare paintings from the Chola period. It has a plethora of paintings dating tentatively from around the 10th century A.D. The museum was established in 1857 and can justify its claim to being one of India's best housing various sections on geology, archaeology, numismatics, anthropology, botany and zoology.

Prime Time :- It is an exorbitant amusement park situated near Annanagar, offering all sorts of new games including bumper car rides and play pens.

Rajiv Gandhi Memorial :- It is raised in honour of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India who was assassinated here by a human bomb in 1991. It is located at Sriperumbudur, 40 Kms from Chennai and incidentally happens to be the birthplace of Sri Ramanujar, the Vaishnavite saint.

Ripon Building :- One of the most beautiful of the more modern British constructions in Madras is Ripon Building, home of the Madras Corporation. This splendid domed vision in white, built in 1913, is part of a large municipal complex that includes parks and gardens, Nehru Stadium, Victoria Public Hall, a public meeting place out of the gaslight era, and Moore market, a fascinating shopper's paradise.

Santhome BasilicaThe Portuguese between the 14th and the 15 century AD built The Santhome cathedral. Deriving its name after St. Thomas, this continues to be an important place of pilgrimage for the Christian community in the country and is also historically important.

Snake Park :- Adjacent Childrens' park is the interesting snake park housing a vast variety of reptiles, ranging from the dark deadley 'King Cobra' 'Banded' Krait' to puff adders', vipers, pythons and allegators.

Sri Parthasarathy Temple :- This temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, was built in the 8th century AD under the patronage of the Pallavas, housing the idols of the five avataras of Sri Vishnu. It has a small temple shrine dedicated to Vishnu's consort called Vedavalli Ammai in this part of the country.

St. Mary's Church :- This is the oldest Anglican Church in Asia. The imposing white edifice was consecrated in 1679 AD; and continues to be an important place of worship. It's treasures are the altar piece, a large painting of the last supper, a 1660 bible and silver plates.

St.Thomas Mount :- Situated near the Airport, the small hillock is believed to be the place where his assassins killed the apostle. The paintings of "The Holy Lady and The Child" in the church and "Our Lady of Expectations" are widely believed to have been painted by St.Thomas himself.

Theosophical Society :- Madras is also the fountainhead of the theosophical movement, which spread worldwide. The Theosophical Society is located along the Adyar River. Discourses are conducted here under a huge banyan tree, which spreads to almost 40,000 sq. ft. of area.

Thousand Lights Mosque :- Built in mid-1800 in the land donated by Nawab Wallajah, On Mount Road, this mosque has two tall minarets and a separate place of worship for women. The mosque also houses a library, a burial ground and guesthouses.

Valluvar Kottam :- The Valluvar Kottam established in 1976, on the corner of Kodambakkam High Road and Village Road, honors the acclaimed Tamil Poet, Thiruvalluvar, whose classic work, the Kural, is reputed to be about 2000 years old. The shrine is designed like the temple car of Thiruvarur.
Timings: It's open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary :- At a distance of about 86 kms. from Chennai, it can be reached by bus from the little town of Chengalpattu. It is spread over 72 acres of marshy land with trees ideal for nesting are home to many species of water birds.

Velankanni Church :- This church is in honour of Our Lady of Health, the Madonna of Velankanni. Smaller in scale than the original one at Velankanni (near Nagapattinam) the devoted believe in the miraculous curative powers of the Madonna.

VGP Golden Beach :- This is a popular beach resort and amusement park filled with children's games about 30 Kms from Madras.

Victory War Memorial :- Adjacent to the Fort St. George on the south is the War Memorial, which housed the coastal battery and was formerly called 'Cupid's Bow’. The Memorial honours those who laid down their lives for their country since the First World War.

Getting in, Around & Away
AIR : The Anna International Terminal and the Kamarajar Domestic Terminal are situated at Thrisulam 17 km from the city centre.
RAIL : Madras Central (Chennai Central) caters for all broad gauge services and the Egmore station for all meter gauge services. Both the stations are located in the heart of the city and are easily accessible.

Tourist Information Center
1 Tourist Information Centers(Govt)
Government of India Tourist Office,
154 Anna Salai,
Tel.: 8524785, 8524295;

Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC),
143 Anna Salai,
Tel.: 830498, 830390.

Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)
29, Commander-in-chief Road,
Tel.: 8278884.