Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal is the capital of the state of TamilNadu. The city is home to Fort St. George church, built in 1644 and now a museum showcasing the city’s roots as a British military garrison and East India Company trading outpost, Also, called Madras it has numerous religious sites including Kapaleeshwarar Temple, and St. Mary’s church, a 17th century Anglican church. Chennai is nicknamed “The Detroit of India”, with more than one-third of India’s automobile industry being based in the city.
The city is home to the Tamil film industry, Kollywood producing the largest number of movies in India. Some f the most notable places to visit in the city are Marina Beach, Valluvar Kottam, Thousand Lights Mosque, Elliot’s Beach, Dakshinachitra, Ashtalakshmi Temple, Government Museum, Mylapore, Guindy National Park, and Sri Parthasarathy Temple. Chennai is also home to neighborhoods that predate colonial history by more than 1,500 years. it is one of the largest cultural, economic and educational centres of south India.
Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities by foreign tourists. Chennai had the third-largest expatriate population in India by 2010. Chennai is ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index, and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey. The name Chennai is of Telugu origin. It was derived from the name of a Telugu ruler, Damarla Mudirasa Chennappa Nayakudu, father of Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak, a Nayak ruler who served as a general under Venkata III of the Vijayanagar Empire from whom British acquired the town in 1639.
The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. In 1746, Fort St. George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages. The British regained control in 1749 through Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and strengthened the town’s fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. In 1769 the city was threatened by Mysore and the British were defeated by Hyder Ali, after which the Treaty of Madras ended the war.
Gradually, the city grew into a major naval base and became the central administrative centre for the British in South India. Chennai is located on the south–eastern coast of India in the north–eastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, travels through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore.
The southern stretch of Chennai’s coast from Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai are favoured by the endangered olive ridley sea turtles to lay eggs every winter. A large number of cattle egrets, pond herons and other water birds can be seen in the rivers of Cooum and Adyar. About 75,000 birds migrate to Chennai every year. Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai also play host to a number of migratory birds during the monsoon and winter. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the city and its neighbourhood by members of Madras Naturalists’ Society. Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits.
Wildlife conservation and research activities take place at Arignar Anna Zoological Park including olive ridley sea turtle conservation. The hub of economic activities for the southern part of India, the city is well connected by rail, road, air and sea with all major cities of India and abroad. The city is a major educational hub with numerous well known educational institutes that attract students from across India and abroad. The city has evolved into a major player in IT sector with numerous global and Indian companies setting up offices creating employment opportunity for lakhs of professionals. Tourism in Chennai is not just about beaches, temples and churches but numerous other monuments.
are numerous hotels, resorts and lodges that provide accommodation to tourist. there are also huge shopping arenas, malls and markets that sell everything from saree, jewelry, artifacts, handicraft as well as a variety of branded products. The restaurants offer a variety of veg and non-veg food items. Street food that is spicey is in great demand by those who visit the city. The happening nightlife in Chennai allows people to unwind and relax in numerous bars and watering holes. A hub for sports activities the is well known for its music, cultural and literature festivals. Steeped in tradition religious festivities draw the maximum crowd in the city.
