Chennai - Queen of the South

Chennai :
With longest beach & coastline in the world and some ancient heritage sites, Chennai or Madras is a polite, quiet and courteous city, absorbing everyone with the warmth of hospitality. The gateway city of south homes a modest feeling of humility, despite the fact that it is an economic powerhouse of India. A city with yellow colour and vibrance all around, Chennai is a true reflection of India's diversity.

Climate :
Summer: 45 °C (Max) - 28 °C (Min)
Winter: 33 °C (Max) - 20 °C (Min)
Rainy Season: May to December, 1300 mm rainfall, immense humidity
Best time to visit : November to March

Main Attractions: Fort St. George, Valluvar Kottam, Sri Parthasarthy temple, Marina & Elliot beaches, St. Andrew's Church.

Location :
Geographic: Capital of the largest state of India, Tamil nadu, Chennai is one of India's 'metro' cities.
Famous for: An important center of culture of commerce.

How to Reach Chennai :
By Air : Chennai is well connected both nationally as well as internationally, through the Anna international & Kamaraj domestic terminals.
By Road : Four major highways connect Chennai to Mumbai, Kolkata, Tiruchirapally & Tiruparti.
By Railways : Chennai has numerous stations: Chennai Egmore, Chennai Central & Chennai Beach connecting it to all major Indian cities through overnight journeys.

Attractions :
A bustling city amongst the largest in India & the world, Chennai is famous for its cultural roots: Carnatic Music, theatre, ancient Indian dance form, the Bharatanatyam, & of course, Kollywood the colorful Film Industry of Tamil nadu. The original town of Madras which sprang around Fort St. George, was built by the British in 1640, this lends Chennai deep historical roots, whose connotations can be experienced through a Chennai city guide.
Some of Chennai's prime attractions are -

Fort St. George :
Fort St. George was the first British fortress in India, founded in 1639 to support the British East India Company, which had entered India around 1600 for trading activities. The fort is a formidable structure with 6 meter high walls that stood the test of time against many battles through the 18th century with the exception of 1746 to 1749, when it passed to the French. A Museum inside the fort contains many important relics of the Raj, including portraits weapons, coins, medals, uniforms & original correspondence of those times. The fort also shelters, St. Mary's Church which is the oldest Anglican Church in India built in 1678-80 AD.

Valluvar Kottam :
Built in the memory of the immortal Tamil poet, Thiruvalluvar, this building is built in typical Dravidian style of architecture. The shrine has the 1330 verses of the 2000 year old verse, the Kural engraved on it in beautiful intricacy.

Sri Parthasarthy temple :
Originally built by the ancient Pallava dynasty in the 8th century AD, this temple is one of the oldest surviving near Chennai. Dedicated to Lord Krishna, the temple underwent studious renovation during the 16th century in the heydays of the Vijayanagar empire.

Marina & Elliot beaches :
These beaches form an integral part of any Chennai city guide & are sandy stretches which form the favorite playground for Chennai locals & as the sun goes down, the strips are transformed to carnivals of food & entertainment.

St. Andrew’s church :
Built in 1821, this beautiful church has been built in the classic gothic style of architecture. The enormous blue dome is richly decorated as a representation of the azure heavens above & has interesting imagery.

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