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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