India Travel Guide

Chennai Travel Guide

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India, and is the country's fourth-largest city. It is located on the Coromandel coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.45 million (2005), the 367 year old city is the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world. Its has the 2nd longest seashore in the world.

History
Madras was founded in 1639 when the company(Represented by Francis Day and Andrew Cogan and aided by a local Translator(AKA Dubash) Beri Thimappa) was granted land to build a trading settlement by the local ruler(Nayak) of the suburb of Vandavasi, Damerla Venkatapathy Nayak. The document of the land grant is dated Aug 22nd 1639 and hence Madras celebrates its Birthday on Aug 22nd each year as Madras day. Madras was one of the first outposts of British East India Company. Colonel William Lambton, superintendent of the great Trigonometrical Survey of India, started his journey of triangulating India from St. Thomas Mount. The British built Fort St. George (today the legislative and administrative seat of the state). Fort St George was completed on St George's day in 1640(April 23rd) and hence was named after the Patron Saint. George Town then developed becoming the modern city of Madras, absorbing several nearby boroughs. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles is associated with Chennai. He is said to have come to India as an evangelist and died in what is now Chennai. Two suburbs, Santhome and St. Thomas Mount, are named in his memory.

In 1996, the Tamil Nadu government renamed Madras to Chennai providing the reason that 'Chennai' was the city's traditional name while Madras was one derived during colonial rule. The reasons for this name change is somewhat ambiguous as by no means clear that "Madras" is of foreign origin.

Madras is derived from Madraspatnam, a name given to the area when the British negotiated settling there. The origin of the name is uncertain. Tradition suggests that a fishing village near to the location of the British settlement was called Madraspatnam. Others think early Portuguese may have called the area Madre de Sois after an early settler, or Madre de Deus after an early church (of St. Mary).

Chennai is derived from Chennapatnam, a name with almost equally uncertain origins. Tradition has it that Chennapatnam was the name of a fishing village near to the location of Madraspatnam. However it is not clear if the village was there beforehand or grew up around the British Madraspatnam settlement. There are some suggestions that the name was given to the developing Indian settlement honor a local Indian administrator.

As the settlements grew, the exact location of both Chennapatnam and Madraspatnam became confused as the two settlements merged into a single town.

Under the British, the then city of Madras grew to be a major city, It was the capital of the Madras presidency, a province that covered the parts of Southern India that were not governed by any of the other princely states. After independence, it became the capital of Madras state, and when the states were reorganized on a linguistic basis, it narrowly escaped becoming the capital of Andhra Pradesh and became the capital of Tamil Nadu. Since then, it has had an uneventful history, except that in the 60s, it was the centre of the agitation against the Central government's attempts to impose Hindi on the state's primary education system.

Chennai proudly boasts of three of its greatest children. Elihu Yale founder of Yale Univeristy, Arvind Sanmugam of Canada- Chairman World Police Academy, Chairman and CEO of Chez Leeloo Canada,Chairman of Chez Leeloo India,Director of Chez Leeloo Philippines, President of Canadian Peacemakers Corporation and Director of Tan Theta Entertainment and Indira Nooyi the CEO of Pepsi International.

Culture
Chennai, being the capital of Tamil Nadu, is home to a host of Tamil culture art forms including dance, literature, sculpture, music and cinema.

The season for Bharatnatyam and Carnatic Music draws visitors and aficionados from the world over. Being the capital of Tamil Nadu, the preferred language of communication amongst the local population is Tamil. However, English is widely spoken as the language of commerce and hence visitors should have no problem getting around. The city also has a fair number of people that speak Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.

Mamallapuram, an extension of the city which is known for its sandy beaches, stone carvings, food and resorts. It also hosts the Choloamandalam artists village which is fairly well known in art circles both in India and abroad.

The city has a thriving Tamil film industry. It is also known as Kollywood. It is the second largest film industry in India. Some of the most prominent figures of Tamil Nadu like M.G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, M. Karunanidhi, J Jayalalithaa, Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Shankar, Mani Ratnam, Illayaraja, AR Rahman are currently, or have at some stage of their career, been associated with Kollywood.

Amongst sports, Chennai is also a major centre for cricket, motorsports and tennis.

Chennai, like all the other metropolises in India, experienced significant economic growth in the last 15 years. It has several options for mainstream entertainment with malls, multiplexes, restaurants and hotels at nearly every major commercial district. Pubs and lounges, however, are restricted to only hotels in Chennai due to legal restrictions on the sale of liquor.

Climate
Climate of Chennai is Tropical.

Chennai has mainly two seasons - summer(33 deg C - 38 deg C)Mar, Apr and May and monsoon(Oct, Nov and Dec). It does not enjoy the south-west monsoon, but gets its bountiful rains from the north-east monsoon from October through December, thus amounting to about 125-150 cm of rainfall annually. Rainfalls occur usually from october to december. During some seasons, Chennai gets ample amount of rainfall if there are depressions in Bay of Bengal.

December to February are the mildest months temperature-wise.

Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city is on the coast. Summers are very hot and humid.

Get in

By plane
Chennai International Airport (IATA: MAA) is the third busiest in India . All international flights arrive at Anna Terminal, while the domestic flights arrive at Kamraj Terminal. The two terminals are on the same road and are 150 meters away from each other.

Europe and the United States: Lufthansa (Frankfurt), Air France (Paris), Jet Airways(Brussels) and British Airways (London-Heathrow), fly nonstop to Chennai with connecting service from their European hubs to points in the United States. Jet Airways is the only airline flying to the States (New York-JFK) via Brussels. Delta Airlines,

South-East Asia: Thai Airways offers nonstop service to Bangkok, Singapore Airlines and Tiger Airways connects you to Singapore along with many Indian carriers like Indian Airlines and Air India Express. Well, Malaysia Airlines offer nonstop service to Kuala Lumpur. India's very own Jet Airways flies non-stop to both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Middle East: Nonstop services are available from Chennai to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Dammam, Doha,Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh and Sharjah on Air Arabia, Indian Airlines, Air India Express, Oman Air, Emirates, Etihad, Kuwait Airways, Saudi Arabian and Gulf Air.

Sri-Lanka: Chennai is a hub for flights to Colombo with SriLankan Airlines, Jet Airways, Indian Airlines, Air India Express, JetLite and recently joining the race Kingfisher Airlines.

Domestic: All the major Indian domestic carriers (Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Spice, Go Air, Indigo) connect Chennai with multiple flights to points all over India and most use Chennai as a hub for flights to smaller cities in South India. Paramount Airways is a low cost all business class airline that offers flights from Chennai to points in South India. Chennai is also a staging point for flights to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands.

By train
Chennai has two main long-distance train stations, Chennai Central (code MAS) and Egmore (code MS), with daily trains from/to Bangalore, Bombay, Coimbatore, Delhi and virtually all other major Indian cities.

If you happen to arrive at the Central Station, you'll have to hand over your journey tickets to the Ticket Collector waiting at the exit. You'll have a tough time warding off all the touts and taxi drivers soliciting passengers the moment your are out of the concourse. Make your way through this crowd and reach the 'pre-paid' autorickshaw / Taxi stand.

By bus
Chennai has one of Asia's largest bus stations, CMBT. Seven different state owned corporations fly buses to and from various destinations within South India. There are hourly buses for places like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore. You will get the option of A/C or Non-A/C coaches for cities like Bangalore, Trivandrum, Hyderabad.

Several private players also operate buses between most southern destinations. During the weekends most buses are fully occupied and it's better to reserve a ticket in advance. All buses terminate near Koyambedu but there are different stands for state owned(CMBT), and private buses (Omni bus terminus). Both these terminuses are near each other, and it is better to tell your exact destination to the taxi/autorickshaw driver. Buses usually drop passengers at various points in the city before reaching the terminus. So feel free to ask the driver or fellow passengers the closest drop-off point to your destination.

By car
Chennai is very well connected and to other parts of India by road. Five major national highways radiate outward towards Kolkata, Bangalore, Tiruchy/Madurai, Tiruvallur, and Pondicherry. With the progress of the Golden Quadrilateral project, driving down from Bangalore is actually an option, but driving in India is still dangerous if you are a foreigner unused to the Indian Laws.

Get around
Getting around in Chennai often takes a long time, due to traffic and heavy congestion; plan accordingly. Travel within Chennai is expensive by Indian standards, but still extremely cheap by typical Western standards.

By train
 
Map of Chennai's suburban rail network and major bus linksChennai has a suburban train network. There are four routes:

Chennai Central - Arakkonam
Chennai Central - Gummidipoondi-Sulurpet-Gudur
Chennai Beach - Tambaram and Chengalpet
Chennai Beach - Velachery (MRTS)
The suburban trains are generally reliable and fast. It's worth it to pay the small premium for first class, as second class suburban trains at times are notorious for overcrowding and having passengers hang off the edge of the train while it is moving.

By bus
Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses ply throughout the city. These are government-run and extremely cheap.Extreme caution is advised in using these buses as they are often out of shape, will begin moving before passengers are fully boarded, and are, like second class suburban trains, notorious for passengers having to hang off the edge or outside of the bus while in motion. But now state corporation introduces New Type Deluxe, A/C Buses for Chennai Passengers. Also introduced new 2500 buses for Chennai.

Bus Route information for MTC Chennai

State Express Transport Corporation buses ply to different parts of the state. Private carriers also ply to other towns/cities in state. You can buy these bus tickets online at redBus [4] or realIndia or RathiMeena.

By auto-rickshaw
Auto-rickshaw drivers in Chennai are notorious for overcharging, rigged meters, and general harrassment of foreign passengers, although they are ubiquitous and possibly the easiest form of transportation to locate. Use Auto-rickshaws only for short distances (if you know exactly how far you are going). Before talking to auto person ask any local person what the actual fare should be, because if you don't know, they might ask for up to 3 times more.

If you want to travel by the auto, stick to these rules:

Don't go by the meter (if they have one) - the meter is rigged to show a higher fare
Negotiate a rate with the driver beforehand. Try to stick to the agreed price, though the driver may attempt to ask for more.
Consult local friends beforehand to find out reasonable market prices for the distance you intend to go.
Try to hail individual auto rickshaws in traffic which are heading in the general direction of your destination and avoid those parked in groups as they may try to gang-up on you.
Make sure you hold on tight and keep all parts of your body inside the vehicle. If you have asthma, allergies to smoke, or generally do not get along well under traffic pollution, it is highly recommended not to take an auto-rickshaw.
As a general rule, expect to pay about Rs.10 for every kilometre you travel.

Some auto-rickshaws will also try to tell you that you have to pay more, usually after the ride and even sometimes during the ride itself. Typical scams they run are:

They ask you to pay for the return trip, citing the distance traveled from where you started. You don't have to pay for any return trips.
You tell them to go to a landmark near where you want to go, and upon reaching the landmark, ask them to go a little further along a particular road to your destination. They cite the extra distance traveled and ask for more money.
During the ride, they go to a petrol station for more fuel and ask you to pay for the petrol.
A variation on the previous: they say that if you have no change, to pay for petrol to get change to pay them (and they conveniently do not mention that what you paid for petrol should be subtracted from what you finally pay them)
Your destination is along a one-way road. They claim that they cannot return the way they came and therefore should be compensated for it.
Getting to your destination requires making a U-turn, which they claim they were not aware of, when quoting to you. Therefore you are asked to pay more.
The call taxis are better regulated and can be ordered air-conditioned, although unlike auto-rickshaws, advance reservations are needed and they cannot usually be flagged on the street.

Visit this link for an idea of pre-paid auto fares from Chennai Central to various parts of the City.

By taxi
Taxis (locally called "call-taxis" since they must be pre-arranged) are available by phone. They are mostly reliable, can be ordered air-conditioned, and have digital fare meters, although time-based hire is also possible with some companies.

There are several other call taxi companies operating in Chennai, which send taxis to your place, on a phone call. They charge by the distance. The minimun fare is Rs. 100/-, which is for 5 km and for every subsequent km they charge Rs. 10/-. It is advisable to book your taxi a few hours in advance and call shortly before your trip to confirm, if your trip is time-sensitive.

You can call these taxis from any location within the Greater Chennai City area. Perhaps they are much reliable than the auto-rickshaws. Here is the list of Chennai Taxi contact numbers.

See
The Birla Planetarium,at Kotturpuram, between Adyar and Guindy, is the most modern planetarium in the country. Adjoining the planetarium is a Periyar Science and Technology Museum which will be of interest to students and other science scholars.
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. Programme Timing: 10.45 am - 1.45 pm and 3.45 pm. English: 12.00 Noon and 2.30 pm Tamil.

Connemara Library, Pantheon Road, Egmore 
Elliots Beach, is in the Besant Nagar suburb of Chennai. Sometimes called Besant Nagar beach, after the area it is located in. It is a popular place to cool off from the city heat. It is a very nice beach, safe and good place for picnicking.
Breezy Beach is located in the quiet neighbourhood of Valmiki Nagar. It is smaller and less popular than the Elliots beach. This beach is not as commercialized as the Elliots beach, and is hence more quiet and peaceful.

Ennore Port,and Ennore foundaries
Fort St. George, built in 1653 by the English Company of the Eastern Indies (CAIO), houses the Secretariat and the legislative Parliament of Tamil Nadu . There is a museum presenting objects of the time of the domination of the CAIO, and a banquetting suite going back to 1802 where the portraits of the governors of the fort are hung. The fort comprises also the oldest Anglican church of India, the church of St Mary. This also happens to be the worlds oldest church to the east of the Suez Canal.

Government Museum, or National Art Gallery on Pantheon Road, comprises an interesting archaeological collection and a room holding a significant and superb collection of Chola bronzes. One building has modern works, while the other has historical works.
Guindy National Park, The smallest national park in India and one of the few located in a metro. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding the official residence of the governors of Tamilnadu.

Guindy Snake Park, next to the Guindy National Park. See the deadly King Cobra, pythons and vipers as well as other reptiles. There is a Children's Park adjacent with collections of animals and birds.

Marina Beach, one of the worlds longest beaches is 13 km long. The tsunami on December 26, 2004, caused massive death and destruction along the beach. It has been difficult to recover, but the community is working hard to make the area attractive to tourists and vacationers once again.
Integral Coach Factory- The Railway Coach manufacturing unit of Indian Railways, which has a Rail Museum.

St.Thomas Basilica The popular myth is that one of the apostles of Jesus Christ died in India and that his body was buried in Mylapore and that this church is built over the tomb.
St. Thomas Mount The hill where it is believed that he died. It is a wonderful sight to see the flights take off and land - since the airport is very near to this hill
Valluvar Kottam, Nungambakkam An auditorium built in memory of the poet Thiruvalluvar. All of the verses of the poet's 'The Thirukkural' are inscribed on the pillars around the auditorium.
Vandalur zoo, Tambaram A zoo which is largest of its kind in Asia.Just a 17 km drive from the heart of Chennai.See the large number of species found there,some endangered species.For details, visit www.aazoopark.gov.in

Temples, Mosque and churches
Aarupadaiveedu Temple, Besant Nagar (Kalakshetra Colony)
Ananthaa Padmanabha Swaamy Temple, Adayar
Annai Velankani Church, Besant Nagar
Ashtalakshmi Temple, Besant Nagar (Kalakshetra Colony). The temple is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. It looks different from other South Indian temples as it is of modern construction, less then 20 years old.
Ayya Vaikundar Nizhal Thangal, Manali Pudunagar.
Big Mosque, Triplicane, Chennai
CSI Church House Of Prayer, Adayar.
CSI Church, Near Gemini fly over.
CSI Wesley Church, Royapettah.
Guruvayurappan Temple, Nanganallur.
ISKCON (Hare Rama Hare Krishna) Temple, Injambakkam.
ISKCON Temple, Perumbur.
Jain Temple, Kutchery Road, Mylapore.
Kaalikaambaal Temple, Parrys.
Kapaleeshwara Temple, Mylapore.
Kaaraneeswarar Temple, Saidapet.
Luz Anjaneyaar Temple, Mylapore.
Madhya Kailash Temple, Adyar.
Mary's Church, Built in 1680 it is the oldest Anglican Church in India. Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale (who later formed Yale University in the USA, were married here.)
Marundeeshwar temple, Thiruvanmiyur.
Mundakaneeyaman Temple, Mylapore.
Nizhal Thangal, Oragadam.
Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane.
Periaapaalayath Amman Temple, Adayar.
Puttaparthi Sairam Temple Sundaram, Chamiers Road.
Qurasani Mosque, Adayar (near new bus terminus).
Ragavendhra Temple, Triplicane.
Ratnagirishwarar Temple, Besant Nagar (near RBI).
Santhome Cathedral Basilica, Mylapore, Santhome, where the Apostle St. Thomas is buried according to Christian tradition [10].
Shirdi Sai Temple, Mylapore Tank.
Shiva Vishnu Temple, T.Nagar.
Sringeri Saradha Peetam Temple, Venkatnarayana Road, T.Nagar.
Sri Santhana Srinivasa Perumal Temple-Mogappair.
St. Antony's Church, Kamarajapuram, Anakaputhur, Ph. No: 044 - 22481447.
St. Francis Xavier Church, Pallavaram, Chennai - 43.
St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Stringer's St, Broadway.
St. Peters & St. Paul Orthodox Chapel, Koyambedu, Near Anna Nagar.
Tamil Baptist Church-91, Medawakkam Tank Road, Near Kellys Signal, Kilpauk.
Thirumalai Thirupathi Devasthanam Temple, Venkatnarayana Road, T.Nagar.
Thousand Lights Mosque, Anna Salai.
Vadapalani Murugan Temple, Vadapalani.
Vadivudai Amman Temple, Tiruvottiyur.
Varasidi vinayakar Temple, Besant Nagar (near bus terminus).
Visvaroopa Baktha Anjaneyaar Temple, Ramnagar, Nanganallur (The idol is 32 ft in height.)

Do
During summers it becomes too hot and humid to venture out during the day. So go out for a stroll during the night (7-9pm) on the Marina beach and Elliots Beach (Besant Nagar). It's a nice idea to pack dinner and have a picnic on the beach as most locals do. If you happen to drive a car you can also consider taking along a few foldable chairs. Beyond 10pm, no one is permitted to be on the beach. There are policemen on the beach to ensure people follow this rule, and on some occasions they tend to shoo people out by 9pm.
Stroll along the over crowded Pondy Bazaar and Ranganathan Street and try your skills in bargaining for stuff and knick-knacks. Be warned that it is an intensely crowded place, where you have to elbow your way through. However, if you do enjoy local flavour in all its madness, you must visit these two places.

You can visit VUYIROLI old age home, to cheer up a few people, if that is the kind of thing you enjoy. The old people would be happy for your company.