More – Chennai
Chennai
About the city
Chennai formerly known as Madras is the capital city of Tamil Nadu state and is the fourth largest metro city in India. The city grew up around the English settlement of Fort Saint George and gradually absorbed the surrounding towns and villages. However, despite the strong British influence, Chennai has retained its traditional Tamil Hindu culture and effectively blended it with the foreign influence. The city is widely spread in about 180 Sq. Kms. It is a major trade center, being well linked by road, rail and air to important cities besides being a sea port. Compared to the other major metros of India, it is far less congested and polluted.Chennai, is a journey into timeless India, a kaleidoscope of moods. rich in the treasures of history, from temples and shrines to forts and palaces, the landscape of the past lives easily with the present. Chennai is the fourth largest city in India and the capital of Tamil Nadu. Retaining much of its traditional charm, this 350 year old city is the gateway to the south, providing many a fascinating vignette of southern heritage.
Chennai, formerly known as ‘Madras' is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is India's fourth largest metropolitan city. It is located on the coromondel coast of the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is a large commercial and industrial centre and is known for its cultural heritage and temple architecture. It is also a hub for south Indian classical music and dnce performances. Chennai is considered the automobile capital of India, with a major percentage of the automobile industry having a base here and a major portion of the nation's vehicles being produced here. This has led to Chennai being referred to as the ‘Detroit of South Asia'. Presently Chennai has become a major centre for outsourced jobs from the West.
Chennai was the first major settlement of the East India Company, and a fort and factory were built in 1644. This later grew into the present Fort St George and became the centre of the struggle for supremacy in India between the English and the French.
Autorickshaws are the favoured mode of transport. Make sure that the meter works. The Chennai drivers are known to fleece commuters. So opt for a prepaid, if not, haggle shamelessly. The roads from Mount road to Nandanam has been made four lanes, but lane traffic rules are not strictly followed. But be warned, a traffic cop might just stop and fine you for flouting the rules! Have a look out for some unique mini flyovers dotted around the city. Some of these have colourful tile work! You could even try the suburban electric trains that run from Beach Station to Tambaram and from Chennai Central Station to Gummidipoondi and Arakkonam. Two new options are call taxis and share autos. Call taxies as the name implies are on call! It is advisable to stay clear of the share autos, because, they try to pack more people going in one direction and are usually jam packed. Here are a few call-taxi (both AC &Non-AC) numbers that you may find useful.
Chennai - The Gateway of South
Chennai, the ‘Cultural capital of India' is the fouth largest metropolis in the country. The present town was founded in 1639, by Sir Francis Day, who arrived with East India Company. The British East India Company established a fort and a trading post at the small fishing village of chennai. Today, it has emerged as a major industrial and educational centre.Chennai erstwhile known as Madras, is the elegant and eloquent capital city of Tamilnadu. It is the fourth largest metropolis in India with a population of 6 million people multilingual, multiracial, multi religious, all blended into a harmonious homogeneity. Located in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, the city faces the Bay of Bengal. Chennai-Madras, one of the four major metropolitan cities of India, is the capital the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu-the exotic state famous for its cutworks in the temples, coconut fringes, and silk saris.
This capital city has several important temples. The ancient ones among them are the Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore and Parthasarathi temple at Thiruvallikeni. Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest metropolis in India. Located on a 17 km 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 a 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.
Chennai is a gracious city that has a clear skyline, long sandy beaches, parks, historic landmarks and tourist infrastructure facilities which make it a convenient entry point or base to start your tour of Tamil Nadu and South India. As far as 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.
Demography
The city of Chennai has a population of about 4.2 million. The population density in the city is 24,418 per sq. km. While the overall population density is 5,847 per sq. km. The sex ratie is 948 females for every 1000 males, slightly higher than the national average of 934. The average literacy rate is 80.14%.Situated on the east coast, Chennai, the fourth largest of the Indian Cities is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. The Gateway to the South of India, Chennai was the first British major settlement in India. Though there are dominant British influences in the form of old Cathedrals, buildings in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture and wide tree lined avenues, Chennai retains a charm characteristic of the typical South Indian heritage and way of living. Ever growing and changing, Chennai is a fascinating place, presenting an increasingly cosmopolitan exterior that contrasts sharply with a resolute and religious interior.
Hot, sticky and a noisy metro on the move is Chennai for you, in a nutshell. A city that is as scientific as it is religious, as steeped in culture as it is in commerce and as inspired by history as it is by progress, today Chennai is a city of temples, beaches, nightclubs and fast cars. This automobile capital of India and centre for outsourced jobs has a fresh new attitude as jasmine bedecked braids and temple visits are gradually replaced by short skirts and nights at the discotheque. Like its historic Fort George that houses the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly today, the past and the present live side by side in Chennai, straddling conflicting cultures to forge a fresh, new path.
Orientation
Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the capital of the State of Tamil Nadu and is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is divided into three areas. The northern district bordered by the River Cooum is the location of George Town, west of the dock area and north of Poonamallee High Road. This area developed during British occupation and its main focal point today is Parry's Corner, which is the intersection of Prakasam Road and NSC Bose Road. The GPO is situated in this area and many city buses terminate here. The second area is Central Madras with Anna Salai as its centre where you will find most of the theatres, banks, consulates, high-end hotels and restaurants of the city. Also of particular interest is the area south of here near the coast called Mylapore which has several tourist attractions and places of pilgrimage.History
Chennai was initially a small fishing village. The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military and economic centre dating back to the first century. It has been ruled by the south Indian kingdoms, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya and the vijaynagar empires. Under the British rule, the city of Chennai (then Madras) grew into a major urban centre and naval base. With the advent of railways in India in the late 19th century, it was connected to other important cities such as Bombay (now known as Mumbai) and Calcutta (presently called Kolkata), facilitating communication and trade with the hinterland. It was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central powers during the World War. However, after India's independence in 1947, Chennai became the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu in 1968.While the region around Chennai had been ruled by various South Indian kingdoms, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar empires, the earliest settlers of Chennai are said to be the Portuguese who came here in the 1500s. However, the city as it exists today first came into being in the 1630s when it was selected as a trading centre for the East India Company. The name Madras was derived from the name 'Madraspatnam', the then existing name of the locality chosen by the British for a permanent settlement in 1639. However locals referred to the town as Chennapatnam or Chennapuri. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the administrative base for the new colonial city. In In 1746, Fort St George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, but the British would regain control of the city in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. By the late 18th century, having survived consequent attempts at invasion by the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore, the British established the Madras Presidency covering most of the region around Tamil Nadu, with Madras as its capital. The British developed Madras as an important administrative and naval base and an important trade centre.
