Chennai (India): attractions, their photos and description

The city of Chennai (India) until 1996 was called Madras. From this word bows distant journeys, dangers, mysterious stories, a touch of the colonial past. Once it was founded by the British to have its outpost on the Hindustan Peninsula. But then the ultra-patriots decided that this name reminded too much of the disgraceful period of dependence and renamed it. Chennai is located in the south of India. It is the administrative center of the state of Tamil Nadu. Now it is the sixth largest city in India. This is an industrial center, the focus of the country's business. The city likes IT companies and places its offices here. Here is also the Bollywood film studio, which takes the second place on the production of films in the country. But what can you see in these places an ordinary tourist-traveler? We will discuss this in our article.

How to get to Chennai (India)

You can fly here by plane. The city's airport has both domestic and international terminals. If you fly here from another region, then, most likely, you will arrive in Camray. And if you arrive from abroad, you will receive terminal Anna. The airport is not in the city itself. Therefore, to get to Chennai (India), you will either have to use the services of a taxi (it will cost about five hundred rupees), or take the train. She departs from the station "Tirisulam". Indian trains are not too comfortable and often crowded to such an extent that people ride on rooftops. Therefore, we recommend buying tickets for the first class. Another airport closest to Chennai is the Mumbai hub. You can fly there directly from Russian cities.

How to go here

The city of Chennai (India) refers to megacities. It is densely populated, and you will tire of walking all the time. Renting a car is also not the best way out, because there are constant traffic jams in the city and very busy traffic. If you prefer a taxi, then you expect the same problems, and even for a lot of money. It is cheaper to travel by bus or tuk-tuk, or even better by metro. In Chennai, four branches of the subway, which can take you to the suburban areas.

Sightseeing Overview

By Indian standards, this is a relative new city. Once there was a fishing village here. And as the city of Chennai (India), a photo of which shows its colonial past, was built mainly by the Dutch, Portuguese and English. Therefore, almost all the attractions have a European touch. This is the specificity of the city. Excursions here often lead to Catholic churches. Nevertheless, it is still Indian land, and you will find very interesting walks through traditional temple complexes. The dominance of Muslims also left an imprint on Chennai's architecture, mostly secular and administrative. Therefore, it is worth to ride along the streets or to make a sightseeing tour.

Temple dedicated to the disciple of Christ

The Cathedral of St. Thomas is one of the main tourist attractions of the city with such a colorful name - Chennai (India). The photo of this Catholic church became almost the visiting card of the former Madras. It is built in the Neo-Gothic style. Therefore, against the background of the city and its traditional Indian buildings, it looks very original. But before the modern church there were earlier several churches. The cathedral was built on this place not by chance. Legends say that it was St. Thomas who went to preach to India. He managed to create a Christian community here, but he had enemies who threatened him with death. Allegedly, on one of the hills where the cathedral now stands, the hater of the apostle and his disciples killed the preacher with a spear. Therefore, this mountain was called by the name of the saint. Later, a church was built here, where, as historians tell us, the famous traveler Marco Polo, and then the Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier, came to worship. Pilgrims from all over India flock here. The cathedral is considered to be the national shrine of the country.

Other churches

In addition to the Cathedral of St. Thomas, Chennai (India), the photo of which you see on the page, can surprise you and other cult Christian buildings. For example, this is the church of Luz. It was built in the Middle Ages by Portuguese sailors. They say that during a terrible storm near the Indian coasts they saw a strange light that led them to a safe harbor. Here they built the church in gratitude for their salvation. They called it "Luz", which in Portuguese means "light." Among the temples erected by the British, it is possible to mark a church dedicated to the Apostle Andrew. It is a copy of the cathedral of St. Martin in Trafalgar Square in London. And the Church of Our Lady is the first Armenian temple in India. He suffered very much during the disaster. But in the two thousand and eighth year was restored by the Armenian diaspora of the city of Calcutta.

Eastern architectural landmarks

If you like traditional Indian temples, then Madras will not disappoint you. There are huge amazing complexes here. For example, the Kapalishvar temple. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in a city such as Chennai (India). Sightseeing, equal to it, perhaps, is not found here. The temple is built in the Dravidian style and is an excellent example of it. It is dedicated to the goddess Kali. There are religious holidays in her honor. Dravidians are one of the most mysterious peoples of India, who founded one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. And outside the city you can visit another temple complex, which is a real maze. This is Mahabalipuram. It is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal and is very picturesque. There you can see about twenty ancient temples with amazing carvings, including carved in the rocks bas-reliefs. They are built in the seventh-eighth centuries. Among them there are temples-chariots, as well as prayer buildings in caves. And if you go to the south-west of the city, you will find a pilgrimage center for Madurai Hindus. Visiting it, tourists usually visit the giant temple of the goddess Menakshi and the "thousand-column hall" of Shiva. There are very interesting Muslim shrines here. This Shiite Mosque is a thousand lights. It was built in the eighties of the last century under the influence of modern architecture of the Arab Emirates.

Museums and interesting buildings

But not only religious buildings are of interest to the traveler who came to Chennai (India). What to see in the city yet? Here is the oldest museum in India. It is simply called the Government. The museum is huge and has interesting collections. There are exhibits of a historical and cultural nature - artifacts from the times of Ancient Rome (bronze ware, weapons, armor). The museum has an art department, mainly dedicated to sculpture. There are also halls dedicated to animals, plants, ancient coins. We can say that this is a variant of the museum of local lore. Pay also attention to the building of the Supreme Court. The style in which it is constructed is called Indo-Saracenic. It looks simply gorgeous, especially the huge elegant domes and beautiful stained-glass windows. In one of the domes is a real lighthouse.

Parks

Madras is also famous for its parks. They are praised by most tourists visiting Chennai (India). Reviews say at least four of the most popular parks. They are not only familiar to us artificial groves with rare plants - there are also exotic animals. This is what the names say: a park of deer, snakes, reptiles. Almost in each of them there are playgrounds, attractions, good restaurants. A traditional park in the usual style (for walks) you can visit if you go to one of the unique places Chennai - the International Center of Theosophy. It was once created by Elena Blavatsky. Here she is remembered and honored. In the building of the center you can get acquainted with modern theosophy and its history, and in a huge park - just walk.

Seaside holidays

It happens that tourists from different countries of the world come to the city of Chennai (India) in order to sunbathe and swim. This is not surprising, because the local beach - Marina Beach - has a length of as many as twelve kilometers. They say that this is one of the longest sandy coasts in the world. But, unfortunately, foreigners on this beach is better not to appear. It is quite dirty, the fishermen are engaged in industrial fishing. On weekends, local families come there for picnics. And after ten in the evening on this beach it is better not to go out at all to avoid provoking crimes. But if you are determined to go on vacation to Chennai (India), then it's better to visit the country resorts of Eliot and Breeze. These are nice clean beaches with developed infrastructure. The locals call their city "the gate of the sunny south", and this is really true.

Festivals and concerts

Chennai is considered the center of Bharatanatyama. This is the local version of classical Indian dance. Therefore, if you appreciate the local culture, devote the evening to some serious theater (and there are quite a lot of them in Madras). You will not regret. Love colorful festivals? Come to Chennai in January. But it's not about the usual New Year's tour. At this time, there is organized an amazing festival Pongal. But if you want to see how in India, namely in Madras, celebrate the New Year - then visit Chennai in April.

Hotels

Hotels here are very different, as it should be in a metropolis. Among the best city hotels are called "Hyatt Regency" in the center. Here, clean and cozy rooms with original design, themed restaurants, pool on the terrace (lobby level). In the vicinity of Chennai there are quite a lot of beautiful country hotels with a large territory, swimming pools and own beaches surrounded by palm groves. Such rezorts can be found to the north, in the Mahabalipuram area. On the shore of the Bay of Bengal there is, for example, the four of the "Ideal Beach Resort" with two swimming pools, good cuisine (especially good baked in the leaves of fish) and the cleanest beach in the area. Here, even Russian and European specialists working in Madras come to rest on weekends. The best hotel in the area is Radisson Blue. A large area, huge beautiful swimming pools with Jacuzzi right on the ocean, a good SPA complex, delightful rooms.

Chennai (India): reviews of tourists

People who have visited here, believe that they were lucky that they visited Madras. Here, fascinating excursions, beautiful nature, many attractions, and not always the usual for India. In addition, in Chennai, interesting local cuisine, as well as beautiful beaches with white sand. But especially here is liked by those travelers who love and appreciate the ancient Indian culture and religion. Any temple in and around Madras is well worth a visit. Beach vacation is good only away from the center of the metropolis. The more the coast is stronger from the city, the cleaner it is. In Chennai, there is also good shopping. It's better to go here in October-November. The tourists gave good reviews about the crocodile park, its serpentarium and the show of cobras.