Top 10 tourist places in Chennai

Cities have emerged as the prime engines of the Indian economic growth and generators of national wealth, the future is inescapably urban, says a study, jointly conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Institute of Competitiveness. Chennai’s history goes back to 350 years. The city of Chennai is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. From being a small fisherman’s village in 1639, Chennai has become one of the most enormous and beautiful city in India. This city of Chennai boasts of beautiful and intricate Hindu temples and has come a long way from where it once stood.

This city grew up under the influence of an English settlement of Fort Saint George and later absorbed the surrounding towns and villages. However, despite having a British influence, Chennai has been able to retain its traditions and culture, and provide a distinct blend of foreign influence and Indian culture.With a total urban population of 285 million, India’s cities and towns are developing at a fast pace. But do Indian cities offer good quality of life? Chennaiis considered the musical and cultural capital of India. It is one of the metropolises of India. There are a number of travel attractions in Chennai, including temples, gardens, museums, caves, beaches, churches, wildlife parks, etc. The Best 10 Places to see in Chennai and Tourists Attractions are

Anna Zoological Park:

Anna Zoological Park is also known as the Vandalur Zoo, located in Vandalur southwestern part of Chennai. Founded in 1855, the park was the first Public Zoo in India. This Zoological Park is said to be one of the biggest in the South East Asia. More than 170 species of mammals, birds and reptiles can be seen here.It also houses many endangered and rare species of chimpanzee, monitor lizards, Nilgiri macaques, Bengal tiger, lemur, vulture, white tiger, star tortoises, Muscovy duck etc. To see some of the exotic species like cassowary and emu, you will have to come to this Chennai zoo. Not just rare and exotic fauna, it abounds in more than thousands of flora spread over the zoo.

One of the major objectives of the park is breeding some rare species like Asian palm civet, wild dog, Asiatic Wolf, bison, hippo, Malabar giant squirrel and ostrich apart from a host of others. Among the park’s many conservational efforts cross breeding is also included.

Elliot’s Beach:

Elliot’s Beach is located in near Besant Nagar and is one of the popular Beaches in Chennai. The Elliot beach is a calmer and quieter beach. At the end of this Beach are Ashtalakshmi temple and Velakanni Church. Elliot’s Beach is popularly known as ‘Bessie’. Elliot’s Beach is set in a tranquil and clean surrounding. Elliot’s Beach near Chennai is much tidier than the Marina Beach and has a wide choice of restaurants and fast food joints for you to enjoy while viewing the sea waves. You can see a great many car parking space few yards away from the Elliot’s Beach in Chennai.

Elliot’s Beach is situated to the south of the Marina beach where you can spend hours by relaxing and bathing in the sun. You can even make sand palaces or simply stroll about on the beach. You will easily reach Elliot’s Beach of Chennai by well-maintained transport system. Nowadays,

Marina Beach:

The popular beach runs for 12 km and is the second longest beach in the world ans is also the most famous tourist place in Chennai. A visit to Marina beach is a fantastic Experience.The beach drive runs between magnificent stately buildings like University of Madras,Chepauk Cricket Stadium,Presidency College and Ice House.Bathing and swimming are illegal at Marina beach since the undercurrent in the region is very strong, and there are no lifeguards stationed here. As many people throng the beach, quite often there are drowning mishaps. An estimated five sea-bathers are drowned every month at the beach, and most of the swimmers are dragged by the tides into the debris of a tramp ship SS Damatis that sank off the beach during a cyclone in 1966

Kapaleswar Temple:

The ancient Kapaleshwar temple, situated in Mylapore, is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a popular travel attraction of Chennai. Kapaleeshwar Temple is considered as a fine example of Dravidian style of temple architecture. The gopuram of the temple is intricately carved and is about 37 meters high.TheKapaleeshwar Temple located in Mylapore in Chennai is a fine example of eight-century Pallavan architecture and is the oldest temple in the city. This temple forms a nucleus for the crowded residential area of Mylapore. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Kapaleeshwar Temple is characteristic of the Dravidian architectural style with its elaborate and intricately carved Gopuram, mandapams and a tank. You can find fragments of inscriptions dating back to 1250 AD.

Government Museum and National Art Gallery:

The Government Museum at Chennai is one of the finest museums in India. It has sections devoted to anthropology, botany, geology, numismatics, sculpture and zoology. The National Art Gallery consists of four different sections, which are Tanjore Painting Gallery, Decorative Art Gallery, Indian Traditional Art Gallery and Ravi Varma Painting Gallery. There’s also a good collection of South Indian musical instruments and jewelry that are worth seeing.

San Thom Cathedral:

San thome Cathedral is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Santhome, at Mylapore in South Chennai. Santhome Cathedral is a popular religious centre. The basilica has an tremendously stained glass window and a beautiful one-meter statue of Virgin Mary that was brought from Portugal in 1543.St.Thomas one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ came to India in A.D.52, martyred in A.D.72 and was buried here in  Mylapore.

There are only three basilicas built over the tomb of an apostle. St.Peter’s at Rome and St.Jame’s at Spain (Compestella, Santiago) are the other two.
There is an underground tomb chapel below the Basilica. His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited and prayed at this tomb on 5th February 1986.
St.Thomas who brought Christianity to India is considered to be the Father of Indian Christianity.

Valluvar Kottam:

Valluvar Kottam is a popular destination in Chennai. Valluvar Kottam is located towards the corner of Kodambakkam. Valluvar Kottam was built as a memorial to Thiruvalluvar, the author of ‘Thirukkural’.

Valluvar Kottam consists of an auditorium and a memorial. The auditorium can accommodate 4000 people at a time. The auditorium is surrounded by granite pillars on which all the verses from Thirukkural have been carved.

Covelong Beach:

Located at a distance of 40 km from Chennai, Covelong is a refreshing beach. Today, Covelong Beach has transformed to become one among the top beach resorts in the South. The Ancient Historic monuments like forts, churches and mosques make it a popular sightseeing choice. The proximity to Mahabalipuram and Crocodile Farm also make Covelong Beach a popular destination.

Sri Parthasarathy Temple:

One of the oldest surviving temples in Chennai, the Sri Parthasarathy temple was built by the Pallavas in the 8th century. The principal deity of Parthasarathy Temple is Lord Krishna, who was the charioteer (sarathy) of Arjuna (Partha).

Fort St. George and St. Mary’s Church:

St. George Fort is an important historic monument in Chennai, located on Rajaji Salai in Chennai. St. George Fort was built by the British East India Company in the year 1640. Fort St. George encloses other famous historic monuments such as St. Mary’s Church and St. George Fort Museum. The St. Mary church was built in 1678-80 and was the first English church in Chennai. Another feature of Fort St. George was its Flagstaff made of teakwood which was 150 feet tall.