Chennai Ready Reckoner
About Chennai
Marina Beach
India's longest beach happens to be Chennai's Marina Beach which extends from Fort St. George to Besant Nagar. One of the best places to visit in Chennai for viewing a spectacular sun rise, this sandy delight is lined by palm trees on one side. An old light house stands on the southern end of Marina along with several other structures including an aquarium, a swimming pool and a park. With food stalls, rides on ponies and beach games to entertain you, a visit to here must be included on your trip to this city.
Elliot's Beach
Now renamed as Besant Nagar Beach, Elliot's is one of the places to see in Chennai and less crowded than the popular Marina Beach. On the southern side of this seashore are the most famous Ashtalakshmi Temple and Velankanni Church which are popular among the residents of Chennai. The Schmidt Memorial is yet another draw of Elliott Beach which was built in remembrance of a Dutch sailor, Karl Schmidt. Here too there are several food stalls and restaurants close to the beach.
Covelong Beach
Located at a distance of 40km from Chennai, on the coast of Coromandel, Covelong Beach is well-known for its beach activities and the serene beauty of its surroundings. Once a major port, one comes across it on the way to Mahabalipuram. It is now thronged mostly by water sports enthusiasts for activities such as wind surfing and swimming. Close by are ancient monuments like forts, churches and mosques apart from the town of Mahabalipuram and the Crocodile Farm, making Covelong Beach a popular destination for a day outing.
Nettukuppam
Nettukuppam is the northernmost tip of Chennai and its beach is not yet tarnished by encroaching crowds or the shouting hawkers. It is a solitary retreat for those who seek to enjoy the raging sea up close but in a peaceful environment. The saltwater creek of Ennore joins the sea here forming an estuary of sorts.Nettukuppam is the perfect spot for you where you can spend some time close to nature. For the photography enthusiast this is like a double treat for you where you can click some memorable pictures.
The broken bridge that is popularamong the locals was believed to have been built to hold a dredger at the creek’s mouth several years ago. It is said that during the high tide the water rises to a great height where you will surely get drenched in the sea water.
Fort St. George
A delight for history buffs, this fort constructed during the British Rule, encloses historic monuments of St. Mary's Church and St. George Museum. The museum houses artefacts from that era including paintings, coins, silverware, arms, porcelain and documents.
Timings: 9 am to 5 pm (except Friday)
Entry Fee: INR 100 for foreign tourists and INR 5 for Indian visitors (only the museum)
Photography: Allowed
Santhome Church
An important religious spot for the Christian community, the sparkling white structure of Santhome stands on the tomb of St Thomas. This structure, which is a reminder of the colonial past of the city, has stained glass windows and a statue of St Thomas in a sitting posture. A museum, a library and a shop selling prayer material are found within the church premises.
Timings: 6 am to 8 pm
Entry Fee: None
Sri Parthasarathy Temple
The Parthasarathy Temple is a 6th-century temple dedicated to Vishnu, located at Thiruvallikeni, Chennai. It is one among the 108 Divya Desam temple.
The name 'Parthasarathy' means the 'charioteer of Arjuna, referring to Krishna's role as a charioteer to Arjuna in the epic Mahabaratha
Timings: 4 am to 11:30 pm
Entry Fee: None
Photography: Allowed
Kapaleeswar Temple
Kapaleeswarar temple is one of the prominent Shiva temples situated in Mylapore, Chennai. Here Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kapaleeswar [self-manifested] and Goddess Shakthi [Uma] as Karpagambal.
Timings: 5:30 am to 12 pm, 5-9 pm
Entry Fee: None
Photography: Allowed
Velankani Church
Just off the Elliot's Beach stands the Velankanni Church which is much revered among both Christians and non-Christians. The pristine white structure of the church stands overlooking the Bay of Bengal and is visited by thousands of solace-seekers each day.
Timings:5 am to 9 pm
Entry Fee: None
Photography: Allowed
Thousand Lights Mosque
Another place to see in Chennai for its architectural magnificence is this mosque which holds a special place in the Shia community. A total of 1000 oil lamps light up the hall of the mosque, that is how it got its name. Its multi-domes and twin minarets enclose the main hallwhere men offer their prayers. There is a separate hall for the women.
Timings: 5:30 am to 9 pm
Entry Fee: None
Photography: Allowed
Connemara Public Library
Constructed in late 19th century, Connemara library is a treasure house of centuries-old publications. With a collection of over 600,000 books, it is one of Asia's largest libraries. Be it avid readers or scholars doing research work, one could easily get lost in this enchanting world of books as they immerse themselves in their favourite activity.
Timings: 9 am to 7:30 pm
Entry Fee: None
Photography: Allowed
Mylapore
Mylapore ante-dates British rule by several centuries. It was historically known as Vedapuri. As the available historical and archaeological evidence show, it could well be the oldest part of Chennai, with written records of early settlements going back to the first century BCE. Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil poet philosopher, is believed to have been born here in 31 BCE.
Kapaleeswarar Temple is one of the most famous temples of Mylapore. Originally built by the Tuluva dynasty (1491–1570 CE), the main deity of the temple is Lord Shiva. The temple exhibits exquisite Dravidian architecture. The huge temple is surrounded by traditional crowded street markets of Chennai selling fruits, flowers, vegetables and also traditional cook wares.
Not only Shiva temples, Mylapore also has several Vishnu temples – notable among them were Adi Kesava Perumal Temple and Madhava Perumal Temple.
Santhome Church and Luz Church are also in Mylapore that belongs to Christian community.
Sri Ramakrishna Mutt is also in Mylapore and its sprawling campus contains several huge quiet halls for meditation.
Madras High Court
Madras High court is one of the highest courts in India that was constructed in 1892.
There are several matters of architectural interest in the High Court. The painted ceilings and the stained-glass doors are masterpieces in themselves.
Open time: 10 AM- 5:45 PM
Vivekananda House
Vivekananda House is one place which is a must visit for you. This house is one of the important landmarks in Chennai which is associated with Sri Ramakrishna Math since 1897. Vivekananda House is the place where the great Swami Vivekananda stayed for 9 days after his return from the west. This place attracts thousands of visitors every year. Now this historic place houses a permanent technological smart museum called “Experience Vivekananda” on Indian Culture and Swami Vivekananda's life and his message.
Visitors time: 10:00 AM- 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM- 5:00 PM
Royapuram Fishing Harbour
There is no doubt that fishing is one of the leisure activities which everybody loves to do. Royapuram fishing harbour also called Kasimedu fishing harbour is one of the busiest fish harbours where you will find people busy and even bustling in the dark. For the photography lovers you can click some of the amazing pictures of the fisherman piling up their fish and shifting their catch from the canoes. Apart from local markets, this fishing harbour caters to the needs of neighbouring states as well like Kerala and Karnataka.
Besant Nagar
An upscale coastal neighbourhood with a lively vibe, Besant Nagar which was named after the famous theosophist Annie Besant attracts more footfalls during weekends as it has Edward Elliot's Beach, Ashtalakshmi Temple and Velankanni Church coupled with a lot of eateries around that make one’s time spent special.
DhakshinaChitra
Dakshinachitra is an exciting cross cultural living museum of art, architecture, lifestyles, crafts and performing arts of South India. The main mission is to exhibit, promote and preserve aspects of the broader, more inclusive cultures of the states and to bring these arts to the public in a participative, enjoyable and engaging way. Dakshinachitra Heritage Museum, a project of Madras Craft Foundation, an NGO, was opened to the public on December 14th 1996. The Museum is located overlooking the Bay of Bengal, at Muttukadu, twenty-five kilometers south of Central Chennai, on the East Coast Road to Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dakshinachitra has a collection of 18 authentic historical houses with contextual exhibitions in each house. All the houses bought and reconstructed at Dakshinachitra had been given for demolition by their owners. The authentic homes in a regional vernacular style are purchased, taken down, transported and reconstructed by artisans (Stapathis) of the regions from where the houses came.
Muttukadu
A backwater area of the Bay of Bengal, Muttukadu is one of the tourist places near Chennai where one can get to indulge in water sports. With its extensive facilities, that include a restaurant, and a large number of boats, it can host visitors throughout the year.
Located at 36 km from the city centre, the boat house in Muttukadu offers rowing, wind surfing, water skiing, speed boat riding and paddle boating.
One can get a glimpse of various species of birds at the backwaters during migratory seasontoo.
Mahabalipuram
Famed for its ancient mountains, Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, is one of the places to visit near Chennai. Placed around 60 km south from the city of Chennai, it was once a busy seaport during the dynasty of the Pallavas.
The iconic Shore Temple, among the oldest temples of South India, is carved out of a large block of granite. A short distance from this place of worship is 'Descent of the Ganges' or 'Arjuna's Penance.'.Among the world's biggest bas-reliefs, it depicts the story of the descent of the River Ganges from Heaven to Earth. 'PanchaRathas' or the five chariots are again carved out of a single rock and are dedicated to the Pandavas.
Explore and observe the fine sculpture of the various monuments standing in Mahabalipuram. The drive from Chennai to Mahabalipuram along the seashore is quite an experience too. The beach at this tourist place near Chennai is also ideal for spending a day just lounging on the sand and relaxing.
Sadras
The coastal town of Sadras was once a Dutch fortress which was taken over by the British in later years. Located at 70 kmto city centre, now closer to the Kalpakkam Atomic Power Plant, the glorious Sadras Fort was constructed by the Dutch for commercial purposes and it has a vast compound that contains a large granary, stables and structures used to mount elephants. However, now only one of these structures survives and the Fort is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in a bid to contain further dilapidation.
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Kanchipuram
This bird sanctuary is the oldest of its kind in India, established in 1798 by the British Government. It is inundated with thousands of birds of varied species during the migratory season. The lake within the sanctuary is the important source of water for these creatures. Located at about 75 kms from Chennai, it is the home for about 4000 birds including the migratory ones like common sandpiper, grey wagtail, garganey, blue-winged teal, pintail, snake birds, painted storks, darters, moorhens, little egrets, large egrets, shovellers, terns, spoonbills, grey pelicans, spot-billed duck, grey herons, cormorants, grebes, and many such more enthralling birds.
Tiruttani
This small town is known for the temple dedicated to Murugan that stands on top of a hillock here. One can reach the temple by climbing up the 365 steps which denotes the number of days in a year. A few religious festivals are celebrated here during which many devotees visit the temple.
Tiruttani is the birth place of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, second President and first vice president of Independent India. Dr Radhakrishnan was born here on 5th Sep 1888 and his birthday is celebrated as Teacher’s Day all over India.
Pulicat Lake & Bird Sanctuary
Formed by the backwaters of the Bay of Bengal, Pulicat is the second largest lagoon in India that has brackish water after Chillika Lake. And the bird sanctuary stands on a piece of land in the middle of this lake.
Major part of the lake comes under Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu, the city Pulicat is almost 60 km north of Chennai City on the seaward side of Sri Harikota Island. Spectacular sights of thousands of pink Flamingoes flocked together can be viewed only at this place. Besides, you can spot pelicans, herons, kingfishers, storks and many more at the sanctuary. There are quite a few fishing villages on the lake's edge which one can visit if interested.
Boating in the lake during which one can see birds splashing about in the water can interest many tourists.
Fulcrum Tours & Travels P Ltd.,