Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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Birla Planetarium
Straight out of the '70s, the planetarium is generally full of inquisitve tourists and noisy school groups. Next dorr to the Periyar Science & Technology Centre.
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Enfield Factory
Motorcycle fans will get a kick out of visiting the famous Enfield factory, 17km north of Chennai, where bikes have been made since 1955. Half-hour tours run on Saturday mornings.
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Fort Museum
The Fort Museum, in the old Exchange Building near the fort entrance, has military memorabilia from the British and French East India Companies, as well as the Raj and Muslim administrations. There's a scale model of the fort in Gallery 2 and some fine prints upstairs depicting early colonial Madras.
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Fort St George
Built around 1653 by the British East India Company, Fort St George has undergone many alterations over the years. Inside the vast perimeter walls is now a precinct housing the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly, so there's plenty of daily activity here but not much of historical interest. The 46m-high flagstaff at the front is a mast salvaged from a 17th-century shipwreck. The main entrance to the fort is on Kamarajar Salai (near the flagstaff).
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Government Museum
Housed across several British-built buildings known as the Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai's best.
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Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Chennai's most active temple, the ancient Shiva Kapaleeshwarar Temple is constructed in the Dravidian style and displays the architectural elements - rainbow-colour gopurams (gateway towers), mandapams (pavilions in front of a temple) and a huge tank - found in the famous temple cities of Tamil Nadu.
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Little Mount
It's believed that from around AD 58, St Thomas lived in hiding at Little Mount. The cave still bears what some believe to be Thomas' handprint, left when he escaped through an opening that miraculously appeared. Three kilometres on, St Thomas Mount (Parangi Malai) is thought to be the site of Thomas' martyrdom in AD 72.
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Marina Beach
During an early morning or evening stroll along the 13km sandy stretch of Marina Beach you'll pass cricket matches, kids flying kites, fortune tellers, fish markets and families enjoying the sea breeze. Don't swim here - strong rips make it dangerous. About 2km further south in Besant Nagar, Elliot's Beach is a more affluent place, popular with young couples.
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Periyar Science & Technology Centre
Periyar Science & Technology Centre. You can learn your weight on Pluto and other titbits from its kitschy science exhibits.
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Ramakrishna Mutt Temple
The tranquil, leafy grounds of the Ramakrishna Mutt Temple are a world away from the chaos outside. Orange-clad monks glide around and there's a reverential feel here. The temple itself is a handsome shrine open to followers of any religion for meditation.
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San Thome Cathedral
Built in 1504, then rebuilt in neogothic style in 1893, San Thome Cathedral is a soaring Roman Catholic church between Kapaleeshwarar Temple and Marina Beach. In the basement is a chapel housing the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle (Doubting Thomas).
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St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, completed in 1680, was the first English church in Madras and India's oldest surviving British church.
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Theosophical Society
Between the Adyar River and the coast, the 100 hectares of the Theosophical Society provide a peaceful retreat from the city. The grounds contain a church, mosque, Buddhist shrine and Hindu temple, and a huge variety of native and introduced trees, including a 400-year-old banyan tree. The Adyar Library here has a huge collection of books on religion and philosophy. If you're interested in the Theosophical Society's philosophy, call into the public relations office and chat with the director.
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Valluvar kottam
This memorial honours the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and his classic work, the Thirukural . Thiruvalluvar, a weaver by trade, lived around the 1st century BC in present-day Chennai, and apparently wrote the poem when asked to record his eminent verbal teachings. The Thirukural suggests ways to contemplate life's enigmas and strategies for right understanding and conduct.
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Vivekananda House
The Vivekananda House is fascinating not only for the displays on the famous 'wandering monk', but also for the building in which it's housed. The semicircular seafront structure was formerly known as the Ice House and was once used to store massive ice blocks transported by ship from North America. Swami Vivekananda stayed here in 1897 on his return from the US and preached his ascetic philosophy to adoring crowds.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
