Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu and one of the four metropolitan cities of India was the third most visited city by foreigners after Mumbai and Delhi in 2007. According to the source 8,30,620 domestic tourists arrived in Chennai in March 2011 in addition to 29,558 tourists who visited Mamallapuram. Now I guess you just realised how popular is this tourist destination.
Chennai is popularly known as “Gateway to South”. It has rich cultural and traditional importance. The city is the perfect blend of old and new where the modern beliefs and conventional ways coexist in harmony. Both domestic and international tourists are attracted to this amazing city. Chennai has so much to offer to tourists that many revisit this place again.Lets take a look at some of the best places to visit in Chennai.
Places to visit in Chennai
- Fort St. George Fort St. George is a place of pride for the people of Chennai. Built in 1640 AD, Francis Day and Andrew Cogon of East India Company were the supervisors of this project. This fort houses St. Mary’s Church along with a museum. It is said that this house solemnised the marriages of Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale, the founders of the Yale University in the USA.
- The Marina Beach It is the second longest beach in the World. It has a wide sandy foreshore. Another important attraction on this beach is the Anna and MGR Samadhis, the memorials of the most popular former Chief Ministers of the State. University of Chennai, Chepauk Palace, Senate House, Presidency College, aquarium and Ice House are all located on this beach drive.
- Kapaleswara Temple This is the 8th Century Pallava Temple. The ‘Gopuram’ or the tower of the temple is in Dravidian style of architecture. There are bronze idols of 63 Saivaite Saints and the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is located at Mylapore “Myil” means peacock and ‘Oor’ means town.
- Guindy National Park This Park is the only Wild Life Sanctuary which is situated within a city’s limits. If you visit this awesome National Park you also stand a chance to visit other surrounding places like Raj Bhavan, Indian Institute of Technology, a Children’s Park with its own mini zoo, Snake Park, Memorials to Gandhiji, Rajaji, and Kamaraj. The Anna University of Technology, Central Leather Research Institute as well as the country’s finest Race-courses.
- The High Court The high court of Chennai is the second largetst judicial complex in the world. The domes and corridors depict the Indo-Saracenic architecture.
- Sri Parthasarathy Temple This is a Lord Krishna temple. Originally built by the Pallavas, this temple was later modified by the Chola and Vijayanagara Kings.
- Valluvar Kottam This is a memorial built in the shape of the temple chariot in the memory of Tamil Poet-Saint Thiruvalluvar. A 33m tall life-size statue of the saint has been installed in the chariot. The auditorium at Valluvar Kottam can accommodate about 4000 people and is believed to be the Asia’s largest auditorium.
- Birla Planetarium The Birla Planetarium at Kotturpura is the most modern planetarium in the country. It was constructed in the memory of B.M. Birla, one of the famous industrialists of India. Nearby is the Periyar Science and Technology Museum useful for young learners.
- Kalakshetra Kalakshetra was founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale encourage and revive interest in Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is the classical dance form of the state.
- MGR Film City The film city has various film shooting locations and settings. It also has dubbing and recording studios. It was set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu and is located in Tharamani area.
- Connemara Public Library The Library is located at Pantheon Road in Egmore. It is one of the well known National Libraries.
- Crocodile Bank It is a research centre run by Romulus Whittaker .Crocodile Bank is about 42 kms from Chennai near to Mamallapuram. Varieties of Indian and African Crocodiles are reared and bred in this crocodile bank. There are about 6,000 different species of crocodiles and a snake farm is also present in the same area.
- Amir Mahal Amir Mahal belongs to the Royal family of Arcot. It was established in 1789 and then later it was possessed by Arcot Royal family.
- Anna Nagar Tower It is the highest park tower in Chennai located in Anna Nagar Park. It also has a special cyclic stairs.
- Anna Zoological Park It is the biggest zoological park in South East Asia. It is the house for tropical mammals, birds and reptiles.
