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Places of Interest in Chennai

Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple
This ancient Shiva temple is a delightful introduction to Dravidian temple sculpture and architecture. Fragmentary inscriptions date back to 1250 AD, but the present structure is the renovated one which was rebuilt by the Vijayanagara kings in the 16th century. The magnificent 37m tall gopuram is profusely carved. The crowded cosmogeny of Stucco gods, goddesses and saints depict important Puranic legends. The 'Punnai' tree in the temple courtyard is one of the oldest trees in Chennai and shades a small shrine depicting the legend that gave Mylapore its name. The goddess Parvati, in the form of a peacock, is shown worshipping Siva, represented by the traditional Lingam. Parvati is worshipped in this temple as Karpagambal. The Kapaleswarar temple famed for being the site of a miracle is sculpturally represented in the shrine of the saint in front of the temple flagmast. Among other special features of the temple are the bronze statues of 63 Saivite saints, canonised for leading exemplary lives of devotion and penance. The figure of these 63 Nayanmars (saints), which adorn the outeryard of the temple, are carried in a colourful procession on the eighth day of the 10-day Arupathumoovar temple festival held in March-April every year.

Guindy National Park
Once this was all part of Governor's Estate. Now it is fragmented and the major part is a thickly forested game sanctuary where the spotted deer and the black buck roam about and a wealth of smaller fauna thrive. This is the country's only Wild Life Sanctuary within a city's limits. Raj Bhavan, the Governer's mansion, occupies one end of the park, and at the other is the beautiful forest-girt campus of Chennai's famous Indian Institute of Technology, one of Asia's foremost technical educational institutions. In between, and edging the road, are a famous Cancer Institute, a children's park with its own mini zoo and mini-railway, a snake park, rich in reptiles, and Memorials to Gandhiji, Rajaji, the first Indian Governer -General, and Kamaraj, a great national leader. Latest addition to this array of memorials is that of Bakthavatchalam, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Opposite the park are the Anna University of Technology, whose nucleus was the oldest technical school in the East; and the Central Leather Reasearch Institute. To the east of the park as well as at the back of it sprawls the campus of the Central Institute of Technology. Not far away is one of the country's finest Race-courses. Children's park Timing: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Tuesday holiday.

Fort ST. George
The building of the nucleus of this Fort in 1640 was the first step towards the founding of chennai and an Empire. The fort itself kept growing over the years and is one of the finest examples in India of British military construction. Within its solid walls and sturdy gates are much that is historic. Clive's Corner in the house where Robert Clive lived, commemorates the Empire-builders who first learnt his trade here. St. Mary's Church consecrated in 1680 and the oldest Protestant Church in the East, contains several antiquities, not the least being the oldest British tombstones in India and memorial of weddings in which Clive and Elihu Yale, benefactor of America's yale University. Arthur Wellesley who became Wellington and Warren Hastings were present for wedding held here. The Legislature and Secretariat of the Government were built around a core that was Fort House, the home of the first governor of Chennai and, the Fort Museum, once a building that housed Chennai's first lighthouse, first commercial bank and first club, is now a well-kept repository of tangible memories of early Madras. Fort Museum Timing: 9am to 5 pm. Friday holiday.

Government Museum Complex
Once British Society in Chennai used to meet in the Pantheon. Its 18th century buildings and grounds have over the years since then been developed into the Connemara Library, one of the country's three National Libraries, the national Art Gallery, a beautiful building of Jaipur- Mughal architecture, the government Museum with its fabulous collection of bronzes and the Museum Theatre, a quaint theatre that is another building out of the Museum Theatre, a quaint theatre that is another building out of the gaslight era. Timings: 8am to 5 pm.

Valluvar Kottam
A unique bit of modern building in the city is the huge auditorium that draws its inspiration from the great temple builders of Tamil Nadu's past. This huge memorial hall to the Poet-Saint Thiruvalluvar is dominated by a towering temple car in stone. Timing: 8am to 5pm. Closed on Fridays and National holidays.

MGR Film City
This is a special designed place near Taramani, Adyar, to serve the film industry. Several sets of artificial sceneries like forest, water falls, market place etc., are built here to serve as background for the shooting of films.

Birla Planetarium
Built in memory of B.M. Birla, the well known industrialist and visionary, the Planetarium is considered to be the most modern in the country. It is located at Kottur near Anna University. Programme Timing: 10.45 am - 1.45 pm and 3.45 pm. English: 12.00 Noon and 2.30 pm Tamil.

The Marina
Stretching two miles, from the Coovum River's mouth, south of the Fort, till the northern boundaries of the 16th century Portuguese town of San Thome, is this magnificent beach drive and promenade. At the southern end of the Marina is the San Thome basilica, built in 1896. To the east of the road is the Promenade, well-kept gardens and a wide beach which claims to being the world's second longest. At the north end of the beach is Anna Square, the serene resting place of Dr.C.N.Annaduari, who founded a populist party that ushered in anew the ancient glory of Tamil Nadu and the Tamils. His samadhi is marked by a beautiful park, a striking memorial sculpture and crowds pay homage daily.

Nearby is the samadhi of M.G Ramachandran, one of the most popular Chief Ministers of this State. In between, sentinels on the promenade, are several statues of Tamil scholars and Mahatma Gandhi. Chennai's Aquarium is also on this beach. Across the road are several important buildings of Chennai. The University campus has Indo-Saracenic buildings of the 1930s blending with perhaps one of the country's finest building's in this hybrid style, Senate House built by one of the founders of the modern version of this school of architecture, R F Chisholm, in mid- 19th century.

Chisholm's PWD buildings front, the striking Chepauk Palace, once the home of the Nawabs of the Carnatic, but now government offices whose exteriors still reflect Nawabi splendour. Presidency College, another Chisholm's masterpiece, was the nucleus of the 125 years-old University of Madras. Vivekananda House, now a hostel, was once a storehouse for imported ice; then home of Swami Vivekananda when he visited Chennai. The long and impressive office of the Director-general of police, another 19th century construction was built as the city's first Masonic hall.