CHENNAI - Places & Shopping

Chennai is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, formerly known as ‘Madras’ and considered to be the 36^th largest Metropolitan city in the world. This city sings the glory of the past and its cultural heritage. This can be seen from the various monuments of the city that are focused in the following paragraphs which are the main attractions of the visitors.

FORT ST. GEORGE:

St. George Fort is situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal which has been designed by the British East India Company in 1640 AD. It remains as a trading post and it is a military architecture marvel.

FREEMASONS HALL:

Freemasons Hall is the existing example of the city’s cultural and traditional heritage of the people. It is situated in Egmore.

GOVERNMENT MUSEUM:

The visitors’ first choice for sightseeing in Chennai is the Government Museum which is the oldest in India.

KAMARAJ MEMORIAL HOUSE:

This Memorial House was opened by the then Chief Minister Mr.M.G.Ramachandran in memory of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Sri Kamaraj who has been elected thrice for this position.

MGR MEMORIAL:

This monument is placed at the easily reachable area of T.Nagar in memory of the former actor and politician of Tamil Nadu, Mr.M.G.Ramachandran. The inauguration was done by his wife Mrs. Janaki in 1990.

SENATE HOUSE:

The Senate House is situated in the University campus of Chennai near Marina Beach which is an architectural marvel of 19^th century.

THOUSAND LIGHTS MOSQUE:

The mosque is the famous worshipping place for Muslims which is located in Anna Salai and has a remarkable religious importance.

VALLUVAR KOTTAM:

Valluvar Kottam has been built on an unutilized lake in memory of the Tamil Poet St. Thiruvalluvar in the shape of a temple chariot with the statue of the poet.

WAR MEMORIALS:

These memorials have been dedicated to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Nation.

CHENNAI BEACHES:

While Chennai is well known for its valuable historical and cultural traditions, it is also blessed with a lot of peaceful beaches. Let us site some for the benefit of the visitors of Chennai.

- Covelong Beach

- Elliot’s Beach

- Marina Beach

ENTERTAINMENTS:

Though the people of Chennai are tied up with their round the clock work, they do not hesitate to enjoy the entertainments they have been provided. The following are the remarkable places of entertainment for the visitors also.

- Amusement Parks

- Cinema Halls

- Discotheques

- Shopping Malls

- Water Sports

PLACES FOR EXCURSIONS:

Chennai has provided a lot of places for excursions around the city. The visitors and the residents will definitely enjoy the warmth of it. The following are some of the remarkable places for excursions.

- Crocodile Bank

- Mahabalipuram

- Muttukadu

- Pulicat

WORSHIPPING PLACES IN CHENNAI:

The city of Chennai consists of people belonging to all religions and their places of worship are the Churches, Temples, Mosques and Dargahs. Let us view examples of them in the following paragraphs.

Churches - St. Mary’s Church, Santhome Basilica, Velankanni Church, The

Armenian Church, C.S.I. Holy Cross Church, St. Thomas Mount,

St. Andrew’s Church, St. George’s Cathedral, Descanso etc.

Temples - Parthasarathy Temple, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Sri Vadapalani

Andavar Temple, Ashtalakshmi Temple, Mangadu Kamakshi

Amman Temple, Kaligambal Temple, Ayyappan Temple,

Thirumalai Thirupathi Devasthanam Temple, Shirdi Saibaba

Temple, Mathya Kailash Temple, Marutheeswarar Temple,

Thiruneermalai Vishnu Temple, Thirukalukundram Temple,

Anjaneyaswami Temple etc.

Mosques - Makka Masjid, Masjid Mamoor, Grand Mosque in Red Stone,

Thousand Lights Mosque with painted sayings from the Holy

Kuran etc.

Dargahs - Anna Salai Dargah, Hazrat Baba Dargah, Mohammad Ismail Sahib

Qadri Baba Dargah, Thameem Ansari Baba Dargah etc.

Apart from the above, there are remarkable 5 Star Deluxe Hotels, 5 Star Hotels, 4 Star Hotels and 3 Star Hotels for the convenience of high and middle class people.

Chennai Airport is the third largest international airport which has been located at Meenambakkam. It connects all the major cities and countries of the world through air.

Chennai Hospitals are familiar for their 24 hours service with Emergency Wards. There are a host of Government Hospitals and other Private Hospitals on a reasonable rate depending upon the class of people.

Chennai city is also mingled with a lot of statues in the coastal areas and other important places of the city as an attraction added to its existing beautiful monuments. As others use to visit Chennai frequently, you can also make a useful trip to this city by road and air.