Chennai City Tourism Information | Madras Travel Guide

Chennai

Chennai is the largest city in Tamil Nadu and is located on the southeastern coast of India. The city was formerly known as Madras and was established by the British. They developed it into a significant urban center and naval base. Around 20th century, Chennai became an important administrative headquarter and the capital of Madras Presidency. The growth and expansion of British Empire led to development of the city. It has been endowed with the rich heritage of art and culture.

It is for this reason that Chennai is also called as the 'Gateway to South India'. The city been blessed with the wealth of arts and literature. It is famous for its various cultural events, showcasing the performing arts such as Dance, Music and Drama at its best. Tamil literature is very rich in content and preaches ancient morals and values. Chennai is also popular for the glitz and glamour of Kollywood, the 'Tamil film industry'.

Chennai has the only international airport of Tamil Nadu. Most of the major international airlines have a direct flight to Chennai from several international destinations. Air India, British Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Air Lanka and Malaysia Airlines,

Chennai Travel Guide
Temple at Chennai, Chennai Travel Guide
Chennai, also known as Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is the country's fourth largest city. Compared to the other major metros of India, it is far less congested and polluted. Chennai was the site of the first settlement of the East India Company. It was founded in 1639, on a piece of land given by the Raja of Chandragiri, the last representative of the Vijayanagar rulers of Hampi.

Chennai, the gracious capital city of Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest metropolis in India. Located on a 17km stretch of the Coramandel coast, the city is trisected by the waterways of Cooum and Adyar and the Buckingham Canal. With a population of 6 million people, Chennai is a vibrant city ever growing, expanding and changing every year. Popularly regarded as the "Gateway to the South", Chennai presents culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India. Music, dance and all other art forms of the South are cherished and nurtured in this city which, though industrialized, continues to be traditional and conventional in many ways.

The region of Chennai was called Tondaimandalm in those days and had its military headquarters at Puzhal, which is now a small and rather insignificant village on the outskirts of the city.

Modern Chennai grew out of a small village when in 1639 a fishing hamlet called Madraspatnam was selected by early English merchants of the East India Company as a site for the settlement.

Chennai is a gracious city that has a clear skyline, long sandy beaches, parks, historic landmarks and tourist infrastructural facilities which make it a convenient entry point or base to start your tour of Tamil Nadu and South India. Where religion is concerned, history has certainly left its mark on this city which is believed to have been the place of St. Thomas, in the outskirt of the city. There are a number of churches in Chennai that are connected with the life and times of this apostle. There are also several ancient temples around Chennai, and, within the city itself are two magnificent temples - a temple in Triplicane and another in Mylapore.

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