About Chennai & Mahabalipuram

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Renowned for its rich cultural heritage, Chennai is a bustling metropolis on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.

It serves as a major hub for commerce, education, and healthcare in southern India. The city boasts a mix of traditional Tamil architecture, vibrant festivals, and modern developments, making it a diverse and dynamic urban center.

Chennai is also famous for its Marina Beach, one of the longest urban beaches in the world, and hosts numerous historical landmarks, temples, and museums.There is no wonder in calling Chennai as an exotic state as it preserves its deep-rooted traditions and age-old heritage. Chennai is the cultural capital of South India. This 350 years old city has the vibe of young hearts. British had a stronghold on Madras during the independence era and did many good to the city. They were the prime reason for the drastic development of Chennai city, which was once just a forest land.

The northern part of Chennai is primarily an industrial area, and the central part is the commercial heart of the city. Whereas South and West Chennai are mostly residential areas. Once you were at Chennai you will quickly adapt to its hustle bustle and will tend to love its multi face.

Chennai was previously called Madras. Madras was the shortened name of the fishing village Madraspatnam, where the British East India Company built a fort and factory (trading post) in 1639–40. Tamil Nadu officially changed the name of the city to Chennai in 1996.

The culture of Chennai, popularly called the “Gateway to the South India” ,is distinct from that of any other Indian city. Being a cosmopolitan hub, the city’s culture reflects its diverse population that has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern metropolis, Chennai continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a peculiar cultural blend in city, from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises, and from classical music and dance.

Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram is located barely 55 kilometres from Chennai, Mahabalipuram can be accessed from all over the country easily. While Chennai is the nearest airport and also nearest railhead, Mahabalipuram can also be reached from other major cities of south India, such as Madurai, Coimbatore and Pondicherry.

Places to visit in Mahabalipuram

Temples and heritage monuments are the best places to visit in Mahabalipuram. Being the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts a lot of these in number and each one of them being a gem in its own ways. If you are traveling to this wonderful city of Tamil Nadu, you need to make a list of places that you will have to cover.

Temples in Mahabalipuram

Although Mahabalipuram is an ideal escapade for all kinds of travellers but the temples still remain the prime attractions of this place. Built between 700 and 728 AD, Shore Temple is one of the best attractions of this place, the city offers much more for the devotees. While there are certainly a lot of temples that can be visited on your trip to Mahabalipuram; here is the list of temples in Mahabalipuram that can’t be missed.

Around Chennai & Mahabalipuram

Fort St. George Museum

Constructed by the Britishers in 1640, Fort St. George has an interesting story behind its origin. It is said that the authorities of the East India Company came to India in 1600 and obtained a license for starting trading and commercial activities. However, to safeguard their English trade interests linked to spice and other items, the company decided to build a fort and hence, purchased the land close to Marine Beach. After that, the EIC started working on it and the project was completed on April 23, 1644. Coincidentally, it was the same date on which St. George Day was celebrated, and hence, they named the fort as Fort St. George.

Marina Beach

Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of 6.0 km, making it the second longest urban beach in the world, after Cox’s Bazar Beach.

St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica

San Thome Church, officially known as St Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in India, at the Santhome neighbourhood of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. The present structure dates back to 1523 AD, when it was rebuilt by the Portuguese over what they believed was the tomb of Thomas the Apostle.In 1896, it was renovated in the Madras province according to neo-Gothic designs, as was favoured by British architects in the late 19th century.

Guindy National Park

Guindy National Park is a 2.70 km2 (1.04 sq mi) protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai, India, is the 8th-smallest National Park of India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, formerly known as the ‘Guindy Lodge’, the official residence of the governor of Tamil Nadu, India. It extends deep inside the governor’s estate, enclosing beautiful forests, scrub lands, lakes and streams.

Vivekananda House

Vivekanandar Illam, earlier known as Ice House or Castle Kernan, is a historical building in Chennai, India. It was constructed in 1842 by Frederic Tudor. Indian Saint Swami Vivekananda stayed in the building when he visited Chennai in 1897, and it was later renamed in his honor. It is currently maintained by Ramakrishna Math and houses an exhibition on the life of Vivekananda.

Arulmigu Marundeeswarar Temple

Marundeeswarar Temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Shiva, located in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai adjacent to the beach of Bay of Bengal. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams where two of the most revered Nayanars (Saivite Saints), Appar and Tirugnana Sambandar, have glorified the temple with their verses during the 7th century CE. The temple has been widely expanded by Chola kings during the 11th century CE. The temple has two seven-tiered gateway towers, a huge tank, with the overall temple area covering 1 acre. The Marundeeswarar temple has been a place of curative worship for people with diseases.

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of South Indian Architecture.

According to the Puranas, Parvati worshipped her husband Shiva in the form of a peahen, giving the vernacular name Mylai (Mayilāi) to the area that developed around the temple. Shiva is worshiped as Kapaleeshwarar, and is represented by the lingam. Parvati is worshipped as Karpagambal (goddess of the wish-yielding tree). The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Shaiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam.