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For the visitor wishing to explore southern India
extensively, Chennai, the capital of the state of Tamil
 Nadu,
is the most convenient point of entry. Chennai has an international airport, a
sea port and a rail and road network that links it to all major towns and cities
of the region. It also has several deluxe hotels and others to suit modest
budgets. Tamil Nadu is a bastion of Hinduism, whose past endures into the
present. Temples with towering spires called gopurams are a common feature of
this state, seldom seen anywhere else in the country. Temples in Tamil Nadu were
the fulcrum of society and even today art forms that have their origin in
religious worship continue to colour daily life. Notable among these are
splendid bronzes of deities, painting on glass and Bharatnatyam, an evocative
dance form.
Mahabalipuram,
Kanchipuram and Thanjavur are good examples
 of
temple towns where within the temple fortifications grew a multi layered society
that preached faith and grew from social harmony. Kanchipuram, also called
Kanjeevaram, is famous throughout the country as the center where lustrous silk
sarees are woven. Likewise Thanjavur is an important center for bronze figure
casting. Mahabalipuram, with its wealth of sculptures, is located by the seaside
and has excellent resorts.
The towns of Tiruchirapalli
and Madurai also contain famous temples.
Quite a contrast to the temple
heritage is provided at Pondicherry, for long a French colony. French is
still widely spoken, and seaside villas and cobbled streets are more reminiscent
of the south of France than the south of India! Yet another facet of this
surprisingly diverse state is two hillstations Ootacamund and
Kodaikanal. Both are little patches of England, being much loved by the
expatriate population of the Raj. Both places provide delightful relaxation
during an extended tour of the south, having a wide range of hotel
accommodation. The cuisine of Tamil Nadu, more or less totally vegetarian, has
become enormously popular all over the country, and few towns do not have at
least one eatery serving popular snacks from the state’s extensive repertoire.
PLACES OF INTEREST
- Fort St. George & St. Mary's Church
- Gandhi Mandapam
- High Court
- Anna Square
- Kapaleeswara Temple
- Light House
- Marina Beach & Aquarium
- Parthasarathy Temple
- San Thom Cathedral
- Snake Park
- Theosophical Society
- Valluvar Kottam
- Ripon Buildings and War Memorial Fort Museum
(0900-1700 hrs. Closed on fridays)
- Govt. Museum & Art Gallery (0800-1700 hrs.
Closed on fridays)
EXCURSIONS
- Covelong 38 kms
- Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary 85 kms
- Pulicat 61 kms
- Kanchipuram 71 kms
- Ennore Beach 18 kms
- Muttukudu 30 kms
- Red Hills 14 kms
- Mahabalipuram 61 kms
- Cholamandal Artists Village 20 kms
- Elliots Beach 11 kms
- Crocodile Bank 42 kms
- Pundi Reservoir 60 kms
- Thirukkalikundram 80 kms
- Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur)
HOW TO GET THERE?
Air: Chennai is directly linked by Indian
Airlines to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Goa, Bombay, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Cochin,
Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Port Blair, Madurai, Pune, Tirupati,
Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Puttaparthy, Vishakhapatnam and to Colombo, Kuala
Lumpur, Singapore. East West Airlines also connects Chennai with Bombay
Rail: Chennai is connected by rail with
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad,
Kodai Road, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Ooty ( via Mettupalayam ), Rameshwaram,
Trichy, Tirupati Trivandrum and Varanasi.
Road: Chennai is connected by road with
all the major towns in India. Some of the road-distances from Chennai are Bombay
1329 kms, Bangalore 334 kms, Hyderabad 669 kms, Kanyakumari 693 kms, Madurai 461
kms, Mahabalipuram 60 kms, Pondicherry 162 kms, Rameshwaram 619 kms, Kanchipuram
71 kms, Tirupati 143 kms, Ooty 535 kms, Kodaikanal 498 kms, Trivandrum 709 kms,
and Thanjavur 334 kms.
External Transport: Regular buses
available from Chennai to Bangalore, Cochin, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai,
Nagapattinam (Velankanni), Ooty, Pondicherry, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tirupati,
Trichy and Trivandrum.
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