Madras redireciona aqui. Para outros usos, veja Madras (desambiguação). Chennai (Tamil :), anteriormente conhecido como Madras. É a capital do estado sulista de Tamil Nadu na Índia. Com uma população de 8,6 milhões (censo de 2011), Chennais área urbanizada é o mais populoso no sul da Índia eo quarto mais populoso da Índia. Ele está situado na costa leste da Índia peninsular. Embora Chennai traça a sua história para Fort St George e vila adjacente de Madrasapatnam fundada pela Companhia Britânica das Índias Orientais em 1640, alguns bairros residenciais da cidade são mais antigos. O nome Madras foi mudado para Chennai em 1997 por um ato especial da legislatura de Tamil Nadu. Chennai é bem ligado por estrada, comboio e ar e é um ponto de parada para passeios para o século VII Pallava templo de Mahabalipuram. Um local do património mundial do UNESCO, os templos Hindu de Kanchipuram. Sriperumbudur e Tirupati. O santuário de pássaros de Vedanthangal eo ashram de Pondicherry. Chennai tem um clima extremamente quente e úmido que não pode ser propício para turistas estrangeiros. Durante as monções (julho a novembro), Chennai experimenta fortes chuvas. Entenda a história O cavalo e cavaleiro, Anna Salai. Madras foi fundada em 1639, quando a British East India Company (representada por Francis Day e Andrew Cogan e ajudada por um tradutor local Beri Thimappa) foi concedida terra para construir um acordo comercial com o governante local (Nayak ) Do subúrbio de Vandavasi, Damerla Venkatapathy Nayak. O documento da concessão de terras é datado de 22 de agosto de 1639, e, portanto, Madras comemora seu aniversário em 22 de agosto de cada ano como Madras dia. Madras foi um dos primeiros postos da British East India Company. O Coronel William Lambton, superintendente do grande Levantamento Trigonométrico da Índia, iniciou sua jornada de triangulação da Índia do Monte de Santo Tomás. Os britânicos construíram Fort St. George (hoje sede legislativa e administrativa do estado). Fort St George foi concluída no dia St Georges em 1640 (23 de abril) e, portanto, foi nomeado após o santo padroeiro. George Town então se tornou a cidade moderna de Madras, absorvendo vários bairros próximos. Tomé, um dos doze apóstolos de Jesus Cristo, está associado a Chennai. Ele é dito ter vindo para a Índia como um evangelista e morreu no que é agora Chennai. Dois subúrbios, Santhome e Santo Thomas Monte, são nomeados em sua memória. Em 1996, o governo Tamil Nadu renomeou Madras para Chennai, fornecendo a razão que Chennai era o nome tradicional da cidade, enquanto Madras foi um derivado durante o domínio colonial. Madras é derivado de Madraspatnam. Um nome dado à área quando os britânicos negociaram o estabelecimento lá. A origem do nome é incerta. A tradição sugere que uma vila de pescadores próxima ao local do assentamento britânico fosse chamada Madraspatnam. Outros pensam que os primeiros portugueses podem ter chamado a área de Madre de Sois depois de um colono adiantado, ou Madre de Deus após uma igreja adiantada (de St. Mary). Chennai é derivado de Chennapatnam. Um nome com origens quase igualmente incertas. A tradição tem-no que Chennapatnam era o nome de uma vila da pesca perto à posição de Madraspatnam. No entanto, não está claro se a aldeia estava lá de antemão ou cresceu em torno do povoado britânico Madraspatnam. Há algumas sugestões de que o nome foi dado ao desenvolvimento indiano liquidação honra um administrador local indiano. Como os assentamentos cresceram, a localização exata de Chennapatnam e Madraspatnam tornou-se confusa como os dois assentamentos fundiram em uma única cidade. Sob os britânicos, a então cidade de Madras cresceu para ser uma cidade importante, era a capital da presidência de Madras. Uma província que cobria as partes do sul da Índia que não eram governadas por nenhum dos outros estados principescos. Após a independência, transformou-se a capital do estado de Madras. E quando os estados foram reorganizados numa base linguística, tornou-se a capital do Tamil Nadu. Chennai orgulha-se de muitas pessoas bem conhecidas, incluindo Elihu Yale, cujo liberal dom financiou a construção da Universidade de Yale em 1718 Indira Nooyi CEO da Pepsi International A. R. Rahman, o gênio musical de Slumdog Millionaire, Manirathnam o diretor de cinema, Vijay Armirthraj, Ramesh Krishnan e seu pai Ramanathan krishnan que estavam segurando a bandeira indiana no alto de Tênis e assistente de xadrez Vishwanathan Anand entre muitos outros. Cultura Chennai é porta de entrada para o Sul, e sua cultura é distintamente diferente da de qualquer outra cidade na Índia. Tradição e cultura tâmil é essencialmente a celebração da beleza, que é exemplificada através da dança, roupas e esculturas. Chennai é uma cidade cosmopolita ortodoxa e moderna, a cultura da cidade reflete sua população diversa. As artes tradicionais, música, dança e todas as outras formas de arte de Tamil Nadu crescem e florescem aqui. A comida é uma mistura única de tradicional, fast food e filtro kaapi. É uma terra de templos e sacerdotes. A arquitetura varia de templos antigos a modernos arranha-céus. A música é clássica e ocidental, para a crescente vida noturna da cidade. Você pode encontrar uma escola para tradicional Bharatanatyam ou Salsa dança e para música um veena / violino ou para guitarra / bateria escola em quase todos os bairros da cidade. Chennai cheques reflete seu tradicionalismo em dezembro, quando a temporada de música está em pleno andamento. As roupas são geralmente conservadoras, mas os jovens são contemporâneos. Roupa tradicional do Tamil - as mulheres do Tamil vestem tradicional o Saree ou o Sari quando os homens usarem Dhoti. Que poderia ser um pancha branco ou um lungi colorido com padrões típicos do sul da Índia. O sari, sendo um envoltório un-stitched, realça a forma do portador ao cobrir somente parcialmente o midriff. Na filosofia indiana, o umbigo do Ser Supremo é considerado como a fonte da vida e da criatividade. Portanto, por tradição, o estômago eo umbigo deve ser deixado sem esconderijo, embora a filosofia por trás do traje foi largamente esquecido. Isso faz com que a realização da sharira-mandala (o corpo), onde em Angikam bhuvanam yasya (o corpo é o seu mundo) se une com a shaarira-mandala (o universo inteiro), como expressa no Natyashastra. Estes princípios do sari, igualmente prende para outras formas de envolturas, como o lungi ou desgastado por homens. O lungi pode ser envolvido no sentido horário ou anti-horário e pode ser amarrado na parte traseira ou fixado apenas ao longo da linha da cintura. Às vezes é levantado até o joelho e amarrado na cintura de lazer ou apenas realizada na mão para acelerar a pé. Na tradição Brahmin casas homens usam kachche panchey onde é amarrado na parte de trás, levando-o entre as pernas. Padrão semelhante é visto em mulheres. Tamil Nadu Cuisine - Rice é a dieta básica em Chennai, Dosa, Idli e Uttapam são populares em Chennai. O estado de Tamil Nadu tem um lugar distinto no mapa culinário do país. Chennai tem uma grande variedade de iguarias vegetarianas e não-vegetarianas para oferecer. A comida aqui recebe o seu sabor de uma série de especiarias e condimentos utilizados em Tamil Nadu. Coconut, tamarind e asafetida são uma obrigação para quase todas as receitas vegetarianas. Garam masala é evitado na cozinha Tamil. O óleo refinado do gingelly é usado normalmente como o meio de cozinhar. Chutneys e temperos mistos são servidos no almoço e melhorar o sabor da refeição. O Tamil Nadu almoço ou refeições em Chennai consiste em arroz cozido servido com diferentes tipos de pratos de vegetais, Sambar, chutneys, Rasam (um caldo quente feito com tamarind suco e pimenta) e coalhada (iogurte). O almoço não-vegetariano inclui curry ou pratos cozidos com carne de carneiro, frango ou peixe. Tamil refeições estão incompletas sem crisp Papads ou Appalam. Em Chennai, Chettinad cozinha de Tamil Nadu é particularmente famoso. Esta cozinha é quente e picante e oferece uma variedade deliciosa em carne de carneiro, frango e pratos de peixe. Chettinad Pepper Chicken é um dos pratos mais famosos do Tamil Nadu. O estilo Chennai de comida Mughalai pode ser provado no Biryani e Paya. Paya é um tipo de caldo de trote temperado e é comido com Parathas ou Appam. Pequeno-almoço ou tiffin em Chennai inclui idly (bolos de arroz cozidos no vapor), dosai (uma panqueca feita a partir de uma massa de arroz) e lentilhas fritas em uma panela, vadai (donuts fritos feitos de uma massa de lentilhas), pongal Arroz e lentilhas fervidas e temperadas com ghee, castanha de caju, pimenta e sementes de cominho), uppuma (sêmola cozida temperada com óleo de mostarda, pimenta, semente de cominho e lentilhas secas). A maioria dos pratos de café-da-manhã em Chennai são comidos com chutney de coco, sambar (caldo de lentilha temperado) e podi mulagai (uma mistura em pó de várias lentilhas secas comido com óleo). Tamil Nadu, especialmente Chennai, é famoso para seu café do filtro. A maioria dos tâmiles tem um desagrado sutil por café instantâneo, portanto, o café de filtro é mais popular. A preparação de café de filtro é quase como uma tarefa diária, os grãos de café têm de ser primeiro torrado e depois moído. O pó de café é então colocado num conjunto de filtros e adiciona-se água quente fervida para preparar a ebulição e deixa-se ficar por cerca de 15 minutos. A decocção é então adicionada ao leite com açúcar a gosto. A bebida assim preparada é então vertida de um recipiente para outro em rápida sucessão para fazer o copo espumoso perfeito de café de filtro. Uma bebida exótica que refresca você eo sabor que perdura, servido melhor em Dabarah conjunto que inclui um copo de aço e pires com uma borda. Música - Existem muitos compositores na música Carnatic. Purandara Dasa (1480-1564) é conhecido como o pai (Pitamaha) da música Carnatic devido a suas contribuições pioneiras à música Carnatic. Purandara Dasa é conhecida por formular as lições básicas da música Carnatic. Os contemporâneos Tyagaraja (1759-1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar, (1776-1827) e Syama Sastri (1762-1827), são considerados como a Trindade da música Carnatic devido à qualidade das composições de Syama Sastris, as variedades de composições de Muthuswami Dikshitar E Tyagarajas produção prolífica na composição kritis. As composições desses compositores são prestados com freqüência por artistas de hoje durante a temporada de festival de música. Chennai Music Festival ou Dezembro Season é uma celebração de música clássica e dança do Sul da Índia realizada durante meados de dezembro a meados de janeiro, na capital de Chennai, Tamil Nadu. O festival é realizado em uma série de locais ao redor da cidade por vários sabhas ou organizações. Além dos auditórios, bem conhecidas instalações do templo e bangalôs património estão a ser utilizados como locais de encontro. A dança de um mês e extravagância de música terá performances de artistas eminentes de várias partes da Índia. O festival Margazhi de Dança e Música começou cedo em 1927, para comemorar o aniversário de Madras Music Academy cada dezembro, foi adotado mais tarde por várias organizações que realizaram festivais de arte em diferentes partes da cidade. O mês tâmil de Margazhi (dezembro) é um mês sagrado dos hindus. A música clássica do sul da Índia (Música Carnatic), que tem suas raízes na devoção aos deuses, tem sido uma forma tradicional de adoração desde tempos imemoriais. A cidade ganha vida com o festival que agora se tornou uma festa cultural com mais de 2.000 artistas participando em mais de 300 concertos. O festival também conhecido como Estação de Dezembro atrai indianos expatriados e estudiosos de todo o mundo também. As performances incluem música vocal e instrumental, dança - solo e grupo, ambos por artistas júnior e sênior. Até mesmo artistas próximos têm a chance de atuar junto com artistas bem estabelecidos. A música inclui interpretações vocais clássicas em várias línguas do Sul da Índia como Tamil, Telugu e Kannada e instrumentos como Flute, Veena (um instrumento de corda grande), Goottuvadyam (semelhante a Veena mas sem trastes), Nagaswaram (tubo), Thavil (instrumento de percussão) , Mridangam (tambor), e até mesmo Ghatam (um pote de lama). A temporada vai até meados de janeiro, quando a cena muda para Tiruvaiyaru, perto de Tanjore, onde Thyagaraja Aradhana um festival de música de uma semana é realizada para celebrar o nascimento de um dos maiores compositores Carnatic e um entre a trindade da música - Thyagaraja. Informações sobre os bilhetes e os locais podem ser tidos a partir do escritório de turismo, Chennai. O tempo está fresco e agradável nesta época do ano. Novembro-Dezembro é a melhor época para visitar a cidade. Agora a música na indústria cinematográfica emergiu como uma plataforma de entretenimento importante em Chennai, ao longo dos anos retratando as mudanças culturais, tendências, aspirações e desenvolvimentos experimentados por seu povo. Dance - Chennai é o lar da forma de dança distinta - o Bharat Natyam. Bharatanatyam é a celebração do universo eterno através da celebração da beleza do corpo. Isto é feito através de seus princípios de ter uma postura perfeitamente ereta, uma reta e estômago curvado amuo, uma massa corporal bem arredondado e proporcional à estrutura do corpo, cabelo muito longo e quadris curvilíneos. Estes princípios trazem à vida a filosofia de Natyashastra, Angikam bhuvanam yasya (o corpo é seu mundo). Isto é elaborado na postura de araimandi, em que o intérprete assume uma posição de meia sessão com os joelhos virados para os lados, com uma postura muito ereto. Nesta postura fundamental da dança Bharatanatyam, a distância entre a cabeça eo umbigo torna-se igual àquela entre a terra e o umbigo. De modo semelhante, a distância entre o braço direito estendido para o braço esquerdo estendido torna-se igual à distância entre a cabeça e os pés, representando assim o Natyapurusha, a encarnação da vida e da criação. Clima de Chennai é Tropical. Chennai tem principalmente duas estações - verão (35-42C / 95-108F) AprilJune (a temperatura a mais elevada gravada nunca é 45C / 113F em 30 maio 2003) e monsoon (outubro-dezembro). Recebe chuvas escassas da monção sudoeste (junho-setembro), mas recebe suas abundantes chuvas da monção nordeste de outubro a dezembro, totalizando aproximadamente 125150 cm de chuva anualmente. As chuvas ocorrem geralmente de outubro a dezembro. Durante algumas estações, Chennai recebe ampla quantidade de chuva se houver depressões na Baía de Bengala. Dezembro a fevereiro são os meses mais leves temperatura - (19-28C / 66-82F). O clima é úmido praticamente ao longo do ano, porque a cidade está na costa. Os verões são muito quentes e úmidos. Certifique-se de levar ao longo da luz (não frágil) roupas. Leia Livros sobre Chennai: Madras Descoberto, Contos de Madras Velha e Nova, Madras (1992) por S. Muthiah Madras seu Passado e seu Presente (1995) por S. Muthiah Madras seu Yesterdays e Todays and Tomorrows por S. Muthiah At Home in Madras (1989) de S. Muthiah O Espírito de Chepauk (1998) por S. Muthiah A História de Fort St. George (1945) pelo Coronel DM Ficção de Reid ajustada em Chennai Kalyanis Marido por S. Y. Krishnaswamy Perseguindo Arcos-íris em Chennai. (2003) por Colin Todhunter Em Old Madras (1914) por Bithia Mary Crocker Talk Tamil é a língua mais falada em Chennai e é a língua oficial do estado de Tamil Nadu. No entanto, Inglês, é bem compreendida e muito bem conhecida na cidade, com a maioria da classe alta bem-educado fluente em Inglês. O dialeto do Tamil usado pelos habitantes locais é chamado Madras Bashai e inclui um pedaço desproporcionalmente elevado do vocabulário inglês, telugu, sânscrito, hindu e urdu e seus derivados. Os profissionais de colarinho branco usam Tamlish. Uma forma de conversação tamil com um grande número de palavras em inglês. Ambas as formas de Tamil são diferentes dos dialectos falados em outras partes do estado e são vistos frequentemente com desprezo pelos puros de Tamil. O telugu é falado pela população de um quarto da cidade. A maioria dos falantes telugu é estabelecida na cidade por gerações e são geralmente bilíngües tanto em Tamil quanto em Telugu. No entanto, o roteiro Telugu é muito menos compreendido e muito poucos são alfabetizados na língua. Como o centro de agitações anti-Hindi dos anos 1930 e 1960, a cidade tem historicamente nutrido uma animosidade profundamente enraizada para o hindi. No entanto, desde a década de 1980, quando a retórica muito politizada contra o hindi começou a diminuir, a tolerância para o hindi vem crescendo. Conseqüentemente, os altofalantes nativos do Hindi não funcionarão em nenhuns problemas que falam o Hindi entre se. No entanto, o hindi ainda não é amplamente falado ou compreendido pelos moradores, e mesmo aqueles que entendem hindi são muitas vezes relutantes em falar. Assim, você será melhor tentar inglês em vez de hindi quando tentar falar com os moradores. O Aeroporto Internacional de Chennai (IATA: MAA. Aeroporto de Madras), GST Rd (Aproximadamente 19 Kms Sudoeste do Centro), 91 44 2256 0551. é o terceiro mais movimentado na Índia (depois de Mumbai amp Delhi) . Todos os vôos internacionais chegam ao terminal de Anna, quando os vôos domésticos chegarem no terminal de Kamraj. Os dois terminais estão na mesma estrada e estão a 150 m (492 pés) de distância uns dos outros. É o segundo maior hub de carga do país, depois de Mumbai. Chennai está bem ligado a Londres, Frankfurt, Cingapura, Kuala Lumpur, Oriente Médio, Nova York, Hong Kong, etc - Evite a cafeteria na área de visualização, como houve casos de intoxicação alimentar em 2013. Europa e América do Norte. A Lufthansa (Frankfurt) ea British Airways (Londres-Heathrow) voam sem escalas até Chennai com o serviço de ligação dos seus hubs europeus para pontos nos Estados Unidos e no Canadá. Sudeste Asiático . Thai Airways oferece serviço sem escalas para Bangkok. Silk Air, Singapore Airlines e Tiger Airways conecta você a Cingapura, juntamente com muitas transportadoras indianas como Indian Airlines e Air India Express. Air Asia voa para Kuala Lumpur, Penang e Bangkok com tarifas acessíveis, enquanto a Malaysia Airlines oferece serviço sem escalas para a Malásia. Indias muito próprio Jet Airways moscas non-stop tanto para Kuala Lumpur e Cingapura. Cathay Pacific voa sem parar para Hong Kong. Air Mauritius voa sem parar para Mauritius. Air Seychelles voa sem parar para as Seychelles. Médio Oriente . Serviços sem escala estão disponíveis de Chennai para Abu Dhabi, Bahrein, Dubai, Dammam, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, Mascate, Qatar, Riyadh e Sharjah em Air Arabia, Indian Airlines, Air India Express, Omã Air, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways , Qatar Airways, Arábia Saudita e Gulf Air. Sri Lanka. Chennai é um centro de voos para Colombo com a SriLankan Airlines, Jet Airways, Indian Airlines, Air India Express e JetLite. Chennai é o hub viajando para Colombo. Doméstica. Todas as principais transportadoras domésticas indianas (Jet Airways, Spice, Go Air, Indigo) conectam Chennai com vários voos para pontos em toda a Índia ea maioria usa Chennai como um hub para voos para cidades menores no sul da Índia. Chennai também é um ponto de paragem para voos para Port Blair nas Ilhas Andaman. Airport to City conexão Tirusulam Suburban Railway Station (localizado em frente ao terminal doméstico.-Caminhe pelo parque de estacionamento, atravesse a rua e caminhe para a esquerda até ver a estação. Durante a distância do aeroporto de 500m-600m e alta Volume de tráfego na estrada, a pé para a estação é apenas aconselhável com bagagem limitada.). Esta é a opção mais acessível para entrar no centro de Chennai. - O trem pára em Edgmore e Chennai Park. Para chegar a Chennai Central. Siga as multidões saindo do trem na estação de Chennai Park. - É aconselhável tomar um bilhete de primeira classe, se acontecer de chegar ao aeroporto durante as horas de pico. Os compartimentos gerais são muitas vezes lotados, pois eles transportam os passageiros de / para o trabalho. Nos horários de pico, mesmo os compartimentos de primeira classe também podem estar lotados. Bilhete regular: 5 rupias. Primeiro bilhete de classe: cerca de 70 rupias para / do centro. Usando o táxi pré-pago para chegar à cidade, cada terminal tem vários estandes para várias empresas de táxi quando você sair do aeroporto, fora antes de conhecer a multidão. Fast Track tem o melhor representante, figura em cerca de 560 para o centro da cidade para um Toyota Innova ou equivalente. As tarifas são diferentes para os terminais nacionais e internacionais, embora os terminais estejam próximos uns dos outros. Você pode escolher os táxis padrão (preto com topos amarelos) que são geralmente os carros Ambassador antigos ou o táxi de chamada privada (que pode vir em qualquer modelo e em qualquer cor). É melhor manter pequena mudança na mão, pagando nos balcões. Anote o número do táxi escrito em seu deslize do custo (uma cópia é para o passageiro eo outro é para que o excitador recolha a tarifa do contador). Faça o seu caminho para o posto de táxi e obter o número de táxis atribuído na mesa designada. Os motoristas úteis oferecem para levar sua bagagem e guiá-lo para o táxi que dirige-se rapidamente perto da mesa de alocação. Um novo provedor de táxis chamado Fasttrack iniciou seu serviço e um estande pré-pago deles está disponível em terminais nacionais e internacionais. Comparando com o resto dos táxis sua tarifa e serviço é muito bom. Depende da sua necessidade que você pode obter de Maruti van para Toyota Innova. Pré-pagos e amarelos top táxis não são climatizados, são vintages direito de 70s e 80s, raquítico, propenso a parar a meio caminho, os condutores exibem comportamento áspero, às vezes pode ser perigoso, exigem tarifas exorbitantes, pré-pago pode significar nada e eles podem Exigem mais quando você começa para baixo. Manter afastado destes tipos. Aviation Express é maciçamente caro. O Metro de Chennai está em construção e deverá abrir em 2014/2015. Estação ferroviária central de Chennai Estação central de Chennai Egmore. JPG Estação ferroviária central de Chennai (código: MAS, antigo: Madras Central,) (Você pode chegar ao táxi / auto stand pré-pago e reservar um táxi para transportá-lo ao seu lugar exato de estadia - A entrada principal está localizada em Park Town, na intersecção da via arterial Poonamallee High Road, Pallavan Salai e Wall Tax Road, entre o Peoples Park e Southern Railways sede. A locação da estação está localizada em ambos os lados do Canal de Buckingham, Anteriormente conhecido como Canal de Cochranes, que separa a estação principal eo terminal suburbano - Conectado com a estação ferroviária do Parque pelo metrô Estação de Metro Central de Chennai Abertura 2015. Mar. Chennai Park Estação de trem suburbana Poonamallee High Rd, Poongavanapuram. Tome-o para o oeste para a Praia Central ou para o Sul (oeste) para Tambaram passando Tirusulam estação (um par cem metros de distância do Aeroporto Internacional de Chennai).). Uma das duas principais estações de trem de longa distância de Chennai. Trens diários de / para Bengaluru. Mumbai, Coimbatore. Deli, Hyderabad. Kolkata e praticamente todas as outras grandes cidades indianas. - Alguns trens para Central parada em Perambur (código PER). Estação de trem de Chennai Egmore (código MS) (Você pode chegar no táxi / auto stand pré-pago e reservar um táxi para transportá-lo para o seu lugar exato de estadia. - Uma paragem de Chennai Central ferroviária ferroviária suburbana). A outra estação principal de trem de longa distância. Tem trens que cobrem todos os lugares em Tamil Nadu e também alguns lugares importantes fora dele. - Muitos trens interurbanos a Egmore para em Tambaram (código TBM). Estação da praia de Chennai. North Beach Road, George Town (próximo a Chennai Port). Serve os serviços suburbanos da estrada de ferro suburbana de Chennai (headstation da linha sul) e do sistema de trânsito rápido maciço de Chennai e de alguns trens de passageiro. Perambur Estação Ferroviária (código PER), Perambur High Rd, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Jardim Bunder, Perambu (NW quatro km de Chennai Central). Sirva as áreas suburbanas de Chennai. Tambaram Estação Ferroviária (código TBM,), Estação Ferroviária Road, Tambaram Oriente (SW 29 km de Chennai Central). Sirva as áreas suburbanas de Chennai. - trens para Chennai Beach (a cada cinco-dez minutos), para Chengalpet (a cada 10-15 minutos) e para Kancheepuram (meia hora ou mais) Trens que conectam Chennai para grandes centros como Bangalore, Mumbai e Delhi são geralmente reservado fora dias em avançar. Se você pretende viajar de trem, considere fazer uma reserva antecipada, a reserva abre 60 dias antes do dia da viagem. Os compartimentos AC nos comboios são preferíveis para os novos viajantes como a classe dorminhoco e compartimentos classe sentados são geralmente muito lotados. Um berço AC de 3 camadas de Chennai para Bangalore ou Coimbatore custa cerca de 700 e que para Deli cerca de 2500, incluindo refeições. Por ônibus Chennai Mofussil Terminal de ônibus (CMBT) CMBT (Chennai Mofussil ônibus Terminus), Caminho de passageiro de CMBT, Koyambedu (Localizado na estrada interior de anel de 30 m (Estrada de Jawaharlal Nehru) em Koyambedu entre SAF Games Village e Mercado de Legumes de Koyambedu. Chennai Mofussil estação de metrô Bus Terminus (abertura 2014.Dec./2015.Mar.)), 91 44 24794705 (Inquiry). Uma das maiores estações de ônibus de Asias. Sete empresas de propriedade estatal diferentes movimentam ônibus para e de vários destinos no sul da Índia. Há ônibus por hora para lugares como Tirupati. Pondicherry. Coimbatore, Tirunelveli. Você terá a opção de A / C ou não-A / C treinadores para cidades como Bangalore. Trivandrum. Hyderabad. - Tem seis plataformas em três dedos de ônibus com 180 barramentos de ônibus terminal Omni (Chennai Contract Carriage Bus Terminus, CCCBT), Kaliamman Koil St, Virrugambakkam, Koyambedu (West para Kaliamman Koil St - Tome ônibus para parar Arihant Towers Bus Stop - CMBT Estação de Metro 400m de distância). Este é usado por vários jogadores particulares que também operam ônibus entre a maioria dos destinos do sul. Durante os fins de semana a maioria dos ônibus estão totalmente ocupados e é melhor reservar um ingresso com antecedência. - Omni Bus Booking: Não: B-15, Térreo, Sriji complexo majestoso (ao lado do terminal de ônibus Omni). Todas as barras-ônibus terminam perto de Koyambedu mas há uns carrinhos diferentes para o estado possuído (CMBT) e ônibus confidenciais (término do barramento de Omni). Os dois terminais estão próximos uns dos outros, e é melhor dizer o seu destino exato para o motorista de táxi / auto-rickshaw. Os ônibus geralmente soltam passageiros em vários pontos da cidade antes de chegar ao terminal. Sinta-se livre para perguntar ao condutor ou passageiros companheiros o ponto de entrega mais próximo para o seu destino. Vários jogadores privados também operam ônibus entre a maioria dos destinos do sul. Durante os fins de semana a maioria dos ônibus estão totalmente ocupados e é melhor reservar um ingresso com antecedência. Todas as barras-ônibus terminam perto de Koyambedu mas há uns carrinhos diferentes para o estado possuído (CMBT) e ônibus confidenciais (término do barramento de Omni). Os dois terminais estão próximos uns dos outros, e é melhor dizer o seu destino exato para o motorista de táxi / auto-rickshaw. Os ônibus geralmente soltam passageiros em vários pontos da cidade antes de chegar ao terminal. Sinta-se livre para perguntar ao condutor ou passageiros companheiros o ponto mais próximo para o seu destino. De carro Chennai é muito bem conectado e para outras partes da Índia por estrada. Cinco estradas nacionais principais irradiam para fora para Kolkata, Bengaluru, Tiruchy / Madurai. Tiruvallur. E Pondicherry. Com o progresso do projeto Quadrilátero de Ouro, dirigir para baixo de Bangalore é uma opção também. Existem muitas empresas de aluguer de automóveis disponíveis. Mova-se Ao redor do coração da cidade de Chennai muitas vezes leva tempo, devido ao tráfego e congestionamento pesado. Portanto, é aconselhável planejar a sua viagem em conformidade. Viajar dentro de Chennai não é tão barato por padrões metropolitanos indianos, e são completamente baratos por padrões europeus e dos EUA. De comboio Chennai tem uma rede de comboios suburbanos. Existem quatro rotas: Chennai ferroviária suburbana e interconectividade de ônibus mapa Chennai Central Suburban Railway Station. - Estação Ferroviária Suburbana Arakkonam. Railway Quarters Rd, Arakkonam Norte (Perto de INS Rajali Estação Aérea Naval - Oeste 60 km do Centro da Cidade). Chennai Central Suburban Railway Station (ver acima) - Gummidipoondi Suburban Railway Station (Norte 40 km do centro da cidade). - Sulurpet Estação Ferroviária Suburbana. Sulurpeta, Estado de Andhra Pradesh (Norte 84 km de Centro da Cidade). - Estação de comboio de Gudur (Telugu:, Newari:), Gudur, estado de Andhra Pradesh (N-NW 58km de Sulurpet). Chennai Beach Estação Ferroviária Suburbana. - Tambaram Estação Ferroviária Suburbana (Tamil:, Código: TBM), GST Road, Tambaram (SW 29 km de Chennai Central). E Estação Ferroviária Suburbana Chengalpet. State Highway 58, J C K Nagar (costa sudoeste do Lago Kolavai - SW 29 km de Tambaram). Estação de trem suburbana de Chennai Beach (ver acima) - Velachery (MRTS) Estação de comboio suburbana (Localizado perto da junção da estrada principal de Velachery e da estrada interior do anel interior em Velachery, ao norte do Pallikaranai Marshland. Os trens suburbanos são geralmente confiáveis e rápidos. A freqüência de trens suburbanos é geralmente boa e é aconselhável pegar um bilhete de primeira classe durante as horas de pico. Trens oferecem uma alternativa confiável para chegar rapidamente ao seu destino quando comparado com ônibus que podem ficar presos em engarrafamentos. A tarifa em Chennai os trens suburbanos é o mais baixo no país e você não tem que comprometer o conforto para a quantidade magro que você paga como em outros metros indianos. Há um compartimento separado das senhoras nos trens suburbanos que são relativamente menos aglomerados mesmo em horas peak. A tarifa de trem de segunda classe mais baixa é Rs.4 / -. No entanto, você pode precisar esperar mesmo por quase meia hora em uma fila para o bilhete durante horas de pico. Por isso, seria melhor se você comprar um cartão que está disponível em cada estação que pode ser usado para comprar bilhetes de uma máquina de venda de bilhetes que quase ninguém usa. Mantenha sempre a sua bagagem segura quando estiver a viajar no sistema ferroviário suburbano. Chennai Metro Rail Novo Metro Rail está em construção, em breve estará operacional e irá proporcionar um transporte eficaz. Ele vai ligar o aeroporto, a estação ferroviária, a estação de ônibus CMBT ea maior parte da cidade. De ônibus Metropolitano Transport Corporation ônibus ply toda a cidade. Estes são administrados pelo governo e extremamente barato. Terminal da barra-ônibus da cidade de Broadway. NSC Bose Rd, Esplanade, George Town, (Localizado no coração da cidade ou no centro da cidade - Parrys esquina ampère Fort. - Muito perto da estação ferroviária Central de Chennai. A estação ferroviária suburbana mais próxima é Chennai Fort. É o terminal de ônibus da cidade a maior da Corporação de Transporte Metropolitana (Chennai), Chennai. - Encontra-se em frente à Madras High Court ao longo da Esplanada em George Town. É um ponto de conexão para várias áreas da cidade. O término da barra-ônibus é ficado situado na extremidade do sul de Broadway. Normalmente, a tarifa de ônibus no MTC varia de 4 a 30. A corporação estatal também possui ônibus Deluxe e A / C para passageiros em Chennai. Tarifa para ônibus deluxe é quase duas vezes em relação ao ônibus normal. Para a mesma rota, deluxe e barra-ônibus normal têm o mesmo número mas os ônibus deluxe estão sendo funcionados que alvejam a viagem interurbana desde que parará nas paradas de barra-ônibus principais somente. Portanto, se você encontrar ônibus normal muito lotado, pegue um deluxe. Não AC deluxe também têm portões de alimentação e melhor suspensão que você não vai encontrar no ônibus normal. Se você tiver bagagem com você, você pode ter que pagar o custo de uma pessoa extra, dependendo do seu tamanho. MTC Chennai opera serviço de ônibus AC entre rotas importantes como Parrys - Tambaram, Parrys - CMBT, Chennai Central - CMBT, Chennai central - Tambaram, etc AC mais freqüente é executado entre CMBT Pondicherry e são conhecidos como East Coast Road (ECR) ônibus and is very popular for intracity travel too. Daily and weekly bus passes are available for tourists costing 50 or 300. They can be used on normal and deluxe bus services (but not AC) on all routes within the city. It is worthwhile to purchase the daily pass if you plan to visit more than a couple of places in a day and it will save you from the trouble to maintain loose change. The daily pass can be purchased on the first bus you board from the conductor, while the weekly and monthly passes are sold at kiosks located in major terminus. Recently a hop-on hop-off tour bus has also been organized by the Government. The service covers many of the famous sights along the scenic East Coast Road up to Mahabalipuram . Bus Route information for MTC Chennai is available online at official site 1. jaanlo 2. desiroutes 3 and rab 4. While official site only provides stage wise info, others have more interactive interface which can ease your life specially if you are new to the city like desiroutes 5 is google maps based while rab 6 is based on open street maps. State Express Transport Corporation buses go to different parts of the state. Private carriers also run to other towns/cities in state. You can buy these bus tickets online at redBus or readIndia or RathiMeena . By auto-rickshaw Auto-rickshaw drivers in Chennai do not use meters some try to overcharge and often drive rashly, but thats part of the fun of being in Chennai. They are happy to exploit foreigners and locals alike. The advantage of being a local is that you know when youre being fleeced, and so youll know when to walk away and find another auto. The upside is that autos are ubiquitous and possibly the easiest form of transportation to locate. Use Auto-rickshaws only for short distances because they are uncomfortable. Before talking to an auto driver you might like to try and ask any local person what the actual fare should be, because the drivers will often ask for up to 3 times more. Even so, by Western standards they are dirt cheap. Youll have no problem once the fare has been agreed and for short trips the Auto is a must. The local government of Chennai has failed to regulate the price mechanism of the auto-rickshaws, possibly because they tried to set the price unreasonably low. If you want to travel by the auto, stick to these rules: Dont take the first auto or take the first price, take a least quote and go to the second or third. Never leave anything behind when you leave. Forget the meter no one will go by it, and if they do, its probably rigged to show a higher fare. Negotiate a rate with the driver beforehand if he doesnt agree, just go to the next auto on the road there will always be others unless its very late or very early or you are in a remote area: then be prepared to pay up. Stick to the agreed price, though on very rare occasions 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. As a general rule, expect to pay about 10 to 15 for every kilometer (0.6 mi) you travel. Be careful about the following when you plan to undertake an auto-rickshaw trip: You dont have to pay for any empty return trips that the auto-rickshaw driver has to make once you have agreed upon a fare. 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 might cite the extra distance traveled and ask for more money. So it is better to negotiate the fare upfront. You dont have to pay for petrol during the ride. If you pay them for petrol, make sure you pay them the remaining fare amount after subtracting petrol charges. Sometimes airport and Railway station have something called prepaid auto section they would have a tariff chart also, the actual cost should be around 20 rupees of the amount. 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. Share autos have emerged in the recent years as an alternative mode of transport in Chennai. They are over-sized three wheelers running on diesel and charge slightly more than the bus. There are four wheelers known as meter taxis . which dont have a meter and are not taxis. Recently, yet another four wheeler, Magic (manufactured by Tata), has started running in and around the city, which operate similar to share autos and meter taxis. They are all over crowded and the drivers indulge in rash driving, owing to the competition. The only advantage is that it is cost effective. On a side note - if you are fascinated by the idea of going around in an auto, think about all those foreigners, who are riding an auto from Chennai to Mumbai. A Chennai based event management company, Chennai Event Management Services, has been having these auto-rickshaw rallies from Chennai to Mumbai, or Kanyakumari, etc. and has developed a great fan following for the same. More info: 7 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. Most companies charge a minimum fare of 150/-, which is for 5 km (3 mi) and for every subsequent kilometre they charge 18/-. Alternatively, you can hire a car for a half/full day for around 800/1300. These figures are for basic non-AC Ambassadors, add about 50 if you want a comfier aircon Tata Indica. Waiting charges are included in the meter cost but you are required to pay parking and toll fees additional to the fare displayed in the meter. If your trip is time-sensitive, its best to book your taxi a few hours in advance and call shortly before your trip to confirm. Most prepaid taxi operators have choice of vehicles. Indica is the ubiquitous hatch back that can seat 3 passengers, but it is almost impossible to find one of these well maintained. Opt for a Figo or Liva instead of the Indica when you book the taxi, these are newer models and likely to be in better state of maintenance. If you prefer a sedan, choices are Etios, Maruti Dzire and Ford Fiesta. SUV models Innova or Xylo have more space and are suitable for small groups (up to 7). Innova has a well deserved reputation with travelers for airport transfers due to the reliability, spacious seats and capacity to carry more luggage. Tourist Cabs - Are the best choice in case you want to tour the city all day or visit nearby places like Mahabalipuram, Tirupati, etc. Costs about 10/- per kilometre and 100 per hour as hire charges. Also generally there is special price if you need to go Chennai Central or Chennai Airport. Some radio taxi services are: By car It is generally not advisable for foreign travelers to drive on their own as they might be unaware of the traffic rules and congestion in the city. The roads in Chennai are better maintained than the average Indian road. The main highway is Anna Salai also known as Mount Road . The complex road routes may confuse novice driver and it is sheer waste of time. If you choose to rent a car, its highly advisable to hire a driver as well. Typical driver fee comes to around 250 for 4-hour shift and an additional 50 every hour thereafter. Outstation trips cost a driver fee of 750 for a 12 hour journey. Foreign travelers should keep in mind that both diesel and petrol are used as fuel in India and it varies with the model of the car. Some cars have identical models with only a D badge to indicate diesel. Make sure you find out what type of fuel the car uses from the rental company. ECR or East coast road is one of the very few places around Chennai that is best enjoyed by car. There are a lot of scenic views with many sightseeing options along the route. For most of the sights within the city limits, travelers would be better served by public transport or a taxi. See Churches Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas Lutheran Adaikalnathar Church (TELC) . Tana Street. Protestant Church which is more than 100 years old Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas . 38, Santhome High Road, Mylapore ( Thirumayilai MRTS one km west ), 91 44 24985455. 91 44 24980758. FORMAT. e-mail: parishpriestsanthomechurch. 5:AM-9PM daily. In the whole world, there are only three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus Christ - the Basilica of Saint Peter built over the tomb of St. Peter in Rome, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St. James in Spain and Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas built over the tomb of St. Thomas. Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas is in Chennai, India. The present National Shrine of St. Thomas is built over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle, who came to India in the year 52 AD. After preaching on the West coast, he came to Chennai (formerly Madras), and suffered martyrdom on a hill at the outskirts of the city, today known as St. Thomas Mount. His body was buried on the spot over which the present Basilica stands. A valuable work of art kept in the Basilica is an ancient painting of Our Blessed Mother, in front of which the other great apostle of India, St. Francis Xavier, used to pray. There are two new structures today: The Tomb Chapel below the Basilica and Museum cum theatre. The new underground chapel with a separate access outside the church structure, allows pilgrims to pray at the tomb and tourists to visit it, without disturbing the sacred functions in the church. The museum exhibits artifacts connected with St. Thomas and the Basilica, and the theatre is used for screening a short video on the life of the Apostle. St. Anthony Armenian Church St. Anthony Armenian Church ( Tamil: ), Armenian Street, Parrys ( Chennai Beach Railway Station 400m ). Opened for visitors from 9:00 till 14:30. Constructed in 1712 and reconstructed in 1772. The graves of about 350 Armenians have been laid out throughout the Church. The founder, publisher and editor of the worlds first Armenian periodical Azdarar, Reverend Haroutiun Shmavonian, is buried here. The Belfry adjacent to the main Church structure houses six large bells which are rung every Sunday at 9:30. Church of Our Lady of Light Descanso Church . St. Marys Road, Mylapore ( Mandaiveli MRTS Station 700 m ). A cultural and religious centre. Built in the 17th century. This was the place where St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, took rest and also served the people. Queenship of Mary Church St Andrews Church ( The Queen of Scottish Churches in the East, Tamil: ), Poonamallee High Road, New Bupathy Nagar ( Chennai Egmore Railway Station 200m ). Neoclassical church. Built in 1821. - the St. Andrews Church has finely etched white Doric columns, black and white tiled marble roof, and a high, sky-blue dome of enviable beauty. On the inner surface of the dome, constellations of stars, as they can be viewed in Scotland, are painted realistically. The body of the church is a circle, with rectangular compartments to the east and west. The circular part 24.5 m in diameter, is crowned by a shallow masonry dome colored a deep blue. This is painted with golden starsand supported by 16 fluted pillars with Corinthian capitals St. Georges Cathedral . 224, Cathedral Road ( Next to U. S. Consulate ), 91 44 - 2811426191 98409 31556 (Mobile) FORMAT. Built in 1815. A neoclassical church. Showing elements of Georgian architecture. It has a towering 45m spire and ionic columns. The highlight of this Cathedral is the graveyard. Connected by a guardrail what was made up of war emblems of the capture of Srirangapatnam in 1799. St. Marys Church . Rajaji Salai ( Situated in the fort, south to Legislature and Secretariat ). 10AM-5PM daily except closed on Friday. This is one of the oldest surviving churches built by the British in India. This is the first English church in India and the oldest Anglican church in the East. Designed by William Dixon, the then Master Gunner of the Fort, it was constructed under the supervision of the Governor Streynsham Master. Given the precarious nature of the English presence in India at the time (not to mention later attacks by the French and the locals), the church has a defensive stance - thick walls, castellated parapets and a well within the grounds - to withstand any bombardment or siege). The church was consecrated on 28 October 1680. The tower was completed in 1701 the steeple added in 1710 and the tower was connected to the main body of the church in 1759. Robert Clive - more famous as Clive of India - married Margaret Maskelyne here in 1753. The first but equally famous wedding was that of Governor Elihu Yale (who was to become the benefactor of Yale College) to Catherine Himmers in November 1680. The interior of the church contains many fascinating plaques and monuments to early British India evoking past glories and lives full of achievement. It also contains the old colours of the Madras Fusiliers, the first European regiment of the East India Company. The glass windows, wall frescos, teak plaques still shine with their all time glory. Holy Cross Church ( Church of South India ), Perumal Nagar, Mogappair East ( Thirumangalam Metro Station two km East (2015). Or near to Golden Flats Bus Stop ), 91 90431 13263 (Mobil). Built in1890s. It was originally called the Perambur Railway Church, when it was under the railway authorities. Here was earlier a predominantly Anglo-Indian congregation though now there are also families from other southern states. St. Lazarus Church St. Marks Church St. Matthias Church . Vepery. One of the oldest churches in Chennai which was built by the British. Its also has a higher secondary school in the campus which has both boys and girls studying in the school. St. Marys Co-Cathedral Church in honour of Our Lady of Health ( Church of the Madonna of Velankanni, Annai Velankanni Shrine ), Elliots Beach, Beach Rd, Ashtalakshmi Garden, Besant Nagar ( From Indira Nagar MRTS ), 91 44 24911246. For Accommodation: 91 44 365 264 890 (Ask them to direct you to the Room booking place) 91 44 365 263 421 FORMAT NOCC. fax. 91 43 65263 517. Open from 05.00 -21.00. Fonded in the 16th century after the three miracles. the apparition of Mary and Jesus to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the survival of Portuguese sailors assaulted by a violent sea storm. Saint Patricks Cathedral The Tamil Baptist Church in Kilpauk is worth a visit. It is a 107 year old monument. Saint Theresa Church Perambur . Siruvallur High Rd, Jagannathan Colony ( Perambur Station 400m away ). St. Thomas Mount . Parangi Malai, St Thomas Mount, Chennai South. ( OTA Metro Station half km away (2015). or take bus to stop Butt Road ). St. Thomas, referred to as Didymus, in the Gospel of St. John is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. He is one of the prime witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, who is believed to have been martyred here. The mount is commonly called in Tamil Parangi Malai or Bhringi Malai. History says 2000 years ago, a saint Parangi lived here (parangi in Tamil language is used to refer to a white person). According to local myth, St. Thomas was one of the first Christians to reach India and to preach Christianity. He is believed to have reached South India in AD 52, and spent the last years of his life in a cave on this hill. Tradition states that Thomas was assassinated by an arrow in AD 72, by persons hostile to him. Thus, the hillock acquired the name St. Thomas Mount. Over time Anglo-Indians predominated in this area. A small relic-filled Church built in 1523 by the Portuguese stands at the summit of the 300 feet high St. Thomas Mount. The place was visited by Pope John Paul II during his visit to India on 5 February 1986. At the northern foot of the mount, is a gateway of four impressive arches surmounted by a cross bearing the inscribed date 1547. A flight of 160 steps leads up to the summit of the mount. There are fourteen stations of the cross erected on the way to the summit. Wesley Church Mosques Thousand Lights Mosque Bahram Jung Mosque Casa Veronas Mosque Dharma Kidangu Mosque Hafiz Ahmad Khan Mosque Makkah Masjid and Islamic Center . 822, Mt Rd, Anna Salai ( Near to Mount Road Dhargah Bus Stop ). Masjid Mamoor Masjid-o-Anwari Periamet Mosque Big Mosque, Chennai Big Mosque ( Wallajah Mosque ), Walajah Road in Triplicane ( M: Government Estate Metro Station (2015) or take Bus to Stop Adams Market ). This is a historical landmark. Constructed by Wallajah family in memory of Nawab Muhammad Ali Walajah, in 1795 . It is an imposing structure of symmetry and form of architectural magnificence with an imposing facade. The Mosque stands in extensive grounds, which are being used as a forum for religious and cultural activities. The magnificent grey granite structure is built without steel and wood. This architectural marvel is one of the important mosques in Chennai. The Nawabs descendants are still living in a mansion known as Amir Mahal . One distinctive feature of this mosque is that the chronogram engraved in stone and fixed on the inside of the western wall of the mosque is by a non-Muslim, Rajah Makkan Lal Khirad, a Persian and Arabic scholar of repute, who was the private secretary to the Nawab. It may be mentioned in this regard that, as far as is known, no other mosque in the world has a chronogram composed by a non-Muslim. The Mosque has two minarets at the front. Medieval architecture is clearly visible in the construction of this great mosque. The Eid Prayer timing remains the same, 10AM, since 1749 A. D. This historic mosque is under the management of H. H. Adjoining the Wallajah Mosque is the tomb of the great Islamic saint Maulana Abdul Ali Bahrul Uloom, a divine scholar of the days of the Nawab Wallajah. In this enclosure also are the tombs of the late Nawabs of the Carnatic, the Princess of Arcot and other eminent Muslim scholars and theologians. Wallajah Mosque can be reached either from Ellis Rd (backside) or the Triplicane High Rd. Temples Gopurams of Kapaleeshwarar Temple Anjaneyaswami Temple ( Luz Anjaneya Temple ), Nanganallur, Chennai-61. - - This temple is very famous because of the deep veneration shown for Lord Hanuman. One amazing fact about this temple is the 32 feet idol of Anjaneyar that is moulded out of a single rock. Ayyappan Temple ( R. A. Puram Ayyappan Koil ), Madhavan Nair Street, Mahalingapuram, Nungambakkam, Chennai-34. This is the first temple dedicated to lord Ayyappan in Chennai city. The temple also houses Lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanian with his consorts Valli and Devayani constituted the Parivarams. Arulmigu Bala Subramanya Swamy Temple . Eldams Road . Adeeswar Temple ( Vada Sabari ), Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai-28. This temple is the exact replica of Sabari Malai, Kerala where Lord Iyyappa is worshiped. Anantha Padmanabhaswami Temple Royapuram Angala Parameswari Temple Alamelumangapuram Anjaneya Temple Nanganallur Anjaneya Temple Bhaktavatsala Perumal Temple Apparswami Temple Ashtalakshmi Temple ( Ashtalakshmi Kovil ), Elliots Beach, Besant Nagar, Chennai. Morning: 9.30-12.30. Evening: 16.00-20.30. The temple is dedicated to Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. Astha signifies the number eight and eight forms of Lakshmi are worshipped in the Ashtalalakshmi temple. Choolaimedu Angalamman Temple Anna Nagar Ayyappan Koil Muthialpet Bairagimadam Temple Chennakesava Perumal Temple Chennai Om Sri Skandhashramam Chintadri Pillaiyar Kovil Ekambareswarar Temple Ettampadai Temple ISKCON Temple, Chennai ( ISKCON Temple Puri ). Injambakkam. Buil in 2012. Krishna temple Jagannath Temple, Chennai . Kachchaleswarar Temple . Shiva temple Kaligambal Temple ( Kamakshi Temple ), Thambu Chetty Street, Chennai-1. Morning: 6.00-13.00. Evening:15.00-20.00. Dedicated to Kalikambal and Kamateswarar, this temple was originally located close to sea shore but was relocated in 1640 AD. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji came in the temple to worship on 3rd October, 1667. Saidapet Kamakshi Amman Temple Kamaleswarar Temple Kamakshiamman Temple of Mangadu . Mangadu, Chennai. Morning 6.00-13.00, Evening:15.00-20.00. This temple is dedicated to The Divine Mother Shakti as Kamakshi Amman. Kandaswamy Temple . Cheyyur village ( About 29 kilometres far from Madurantakam. ). The temple was built in eleventh century AD and is home to some unique, rich inscriptions of that century, giving an insight into the architectural characteristics of the style adopted by Chola Kings, who dominated those times. Veera Rajendra Chola and Kulothungan-III built the Kandaswamy Temple. More two temples built here,-at same time,-are dedicated to Vanmikhanathar i. e. Lord Siva, and to Perumal or Lord Vishnu. The Kandaswamy Temple is situated between the Shiva and Vishnu temples and Lord Kandaswamy or Shiva is the principal deity of the temple. The temple has number of shrines of other demigods like Lord Someswara, Goddess Meenakshi, Vinayaka, Dakshinamurthy, Chandikeswara and Muthukumaraswamy, also called as Samharamurthy. The temple has an idol of Muruga, son of the Lord Shiva, standing on five different positions, called by distinct names like: Nrutta Skandar (dancing Muruga), Brahma Sastha (created from Brahma), Balaskandar (child Shanmuga), Sivagurunathar (as teacher to Siva) and Pulinthar (vedan hunter). - This Kandaswamy temple of Chennai is the most distinctive one. Other than the deities of utmost belief and the tranquil environment, the temple has an image of Kazhukundran, who had made an artful creation of a temple car in 1521 A. D, which is used during the Skanda Sashti festival. Kandhazheeswarar temple . Shiva temple Kapaleeswarar Temple ( Kapaleeshwara ), 12, North Mada Street, Mylapore ( Thirumayilai MRTS ). Morning 6.00-13.00, Evening:16.00-20.00. One of Chennais oldest and best-known temples, said to date to the 8th century, although the present structure dates to the 1600s. Notable above all for its soaring, incredibly detailed 37m gopuram (entrance gate). There is a large water tank behind the temple, used for the Thaipusam festival (Jan-Feb), and plenty of flower shops all around. Within easy striking distance of the city centre. - This temple is for Goddess Karpagambal or Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree. The goddess is one of the forms of Parvati, Lord Shivas wife. Mylapore Karaneeswarar Temple Saidapet Karaneeswarar Temple Ayanavaram Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kasi Viswanatha Temple Mambalam Kothandaramar Temple Nandambakkam Kothandaramaswami Temple Muthialpet Krishnaswami Temple Kundrathur Shiva temple ( Vada Thirunageshvaram ), Kundrathur ( kndrathur bus depot ). Sekkizhar built this temple, a 1000 year old Kumaran Kundram ( The Deity of Lord Murugan in Kumaran Kundram is considered to be equivalent to the one in Swamimalai ) ( Very near MIT Fly over ). small hillock at Kumaran Kundram near by Madras Institute of Technology Kurungaleeswarar Temple Madhya Kailash Madras Kali Bari Mallikesvarar Temple Marundeeswarar Temple ( Marutheeswarar Temple, Tamil: ), Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai-41. ( Located in Thiruvanmiyur ). Shaiva sidhantha lectures every day between 19.00 and 20.30. - Morning 6.00-13.00, Evening:15.00-20.00. This temple is believed to have been built in 11th century and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is believed that the temple was also visited by Saint Valmiki, who authored the Hindu epic Ramayana. The temple has two entrances, one from East Coast Road and the other from West Tank Street both adorned by 5-tiered gopuram (gateway tower). The Entrance from the West Tank Street has got three gates whereas the entrance from the East Coast Road has only one gate. The temple occupies an area of about 1 acre - numerous images adorn the pillars of the temple, while stucco figures adorn the gopurams. The mandapam (hall) housing the Somaskanda form of Shiva has 36 massive pillars adorned with carvings. Mathyakailash Temple ( Nadukailai ), Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai-20. Morning 5.30-12.00, Evening:16.00-20.00. Very popular for locals. Lord Ganesha sits right in the centre of Parameshwar, Ambikai and Thirumal. Melatirupati Mylapore Mundaka Kanni Amman Temple Nandeeswarar Temple Neelagandeeswarar Temple Parasuramalingeswarar Temple The Parthasarathy Temple . Tiruvallikkeni (Triplicane). Morning 6.30-13.00, Evening:15.00-20.00. Parthasarathy means charioteer of Arjuna. At Tiruvallikkeni (Triplicane) as the Britishers called it, is considered be the oldest temple in the Chennai and origins date back to the 8th century AD, the reference of which has been made in the Vaishnavite works of the Alwar saints. The existence of the Tiruvallikkeni village in referred in the Pallava records and before. The temple derived its name from the pond in front of the temple. It was originally built by the Pallavas. The temple was renovated by later dynasties, the Chola and the Vijayanagar kingdom. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The name Parthasarathy has been derived from two Sanskrit words Partha and Sarathy. The former word refers to Arjuna and the later means Charioteer. Its architecture is a combination of several temple building styles. There are inscriptions of the Pallavas, Cholas and the Vijayanagar kingdom on the temple structure. The temple besides being dedicated to Parthasarathy is also revered for Venkatakrishnaswami and to Ranganathar. The temple, when it was built, housed five avataras of the deity Vishnu. The structure, as it stands today, houses the shrines of popular deities like Venkatakrishnan with Rukmani, Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha, Pradyumna, Rama, Lakshmana, Barata, Sita, Shatrugna, Varadaraja and Hanuman. Thiruvallikeni Parthasarathy Temple Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple Ramapuram . Ravishwarar Temple Sethu Kshetram Mylapore Shirdi Sai Baba Temple . Venkatesa Agraharam, Mylapore, Chennai-4. Morning 6.30-13.00, Evening:15.00-20.00. Built in the memory of the revered saint Sai Baba of Shirdi, this temple is among the two shrines dedicated in Sai Babas name in the city. Universal Temple, Sree Ramakrishna Madh, Mylapore, Chennai Sri RamakrishnaMath - Universal Temple . 31 Ramakrishna Math Rd. 91 44 2462110. e-mail: mailchennaimath. org. 5AM-11:45AM and 3PM-9PM. Mylapore. Swami Vivekananda on his return from the west was requested by the devotees in Madras (now Chennai) to start a Math here. To fulfill their desire Swamiji sent his brother-disciple Swami Ramakrishnananda to Madras in March 1897. After reaching Madras, the first thing Swami Ramakrishnananda did was to set up a small shrine for Sri Ramakrishna at a rented house. He lived there and led a life of renunciation, service and austerities. Slowly he built up the institution as the present Sri Ramakrishna Math and thus Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, came into existence. This is the oldest centre of the Ramakrishna Order in the South. Srimat Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj, the 12th President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, laid the foundation-stone for this Universal Temple on 1 December 1994 in a grand function. It took five years for the project to take shape as the present grand Universal Temple. On 7 Feb 2000 the temple was dedicated by Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj . the 13th President of the Ramakrishna Order. Sri Ramakrishna Math completed hundred years of its service in 1997. The Math is regarded for its spiritual traditions, modern outlook, acceptance of all religions, service as the way of life. With its lushy green surroundings, the Universal Temple is the ideal spot for contemplation and meditation. T. Nagar Sri Balaji Temple Thiruneermalai Vishnu Temple ( Thiruneermalai Kaalabairavar Temple ), Thiruneermalai, Chennai. This temple is one of the 108 places considered sacred by Vaishnatives. Legend has it that sage Valmiki prayed in the temple and saw the divine darshan of Lord Vishnu in three forms. Thirumalai Thirupathi Devasthanam Temple . Venkata Narayana Road, T. Nagar, Chennai-17. ( Located on the seventh peak of Venkata Hill called Venkatachala of the Tirumala Hillocks, the temple lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkaarini. ). Morning: 6.00-13.00. Evening:15.00-20.00. Millions of devotees throng this world renowned temple of Lord Venkatachalapathi. Thiruvalluvar Temple Thyagaraswamy Temple, Thiruvottiyur ( Thyagaraja Temple ) ( north of Chennai. ). Vadapalani Murugan Temple ( Sri Vadapalani Andavar Temple, Tiruvalithayam Vadapalani Andavar Temple ), Near the Andavar Koil Street, Vadapalani, Chennai. Morning: 6.00-13.00. Evening:15.00-20.30. This ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. Renovated in 1920s, the temple has grown into popularity due to the visits by many cinema stars. Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple Velleeswarar Temple Velveeswarar Temple . Vedagiriswarar Temple ( Kazhugu Koil or the eagle temple, Vengeeswarar Temple ), Thirukkalukundram, Chennai. The main attraction here is the large temple located atop the mountain which houses the deity of Vedagiriswarar, Lord Shiva. Other holy places Memorials Valluvar Kottam . Valluvar Kottam High Rd, Nungambakkam, Chennai. Valluvar Kottam marks the memorial of one of the renowned poet and saint of the region, Tiruvalluvar. The memorial is shaped like a temple chariot and is, in fact, the replica of the temple chariot in Thiruvarur. There is a 101-feet high temple chariot structure with a life-size image of the poet in it. This chariot is a replica of the temple car of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu. The monument stands as a massive auditorium and was open to public in the year 1976. Over 3,000 blocks of stone were used to create this memorial to Tamil culture. Valluvar Kottam has quite an extensive space. The auditorium at Valluvar Kottam is said to be the largest in Asia and can accommodate about 4000 people. It is a revered place in the city as it is considered to bear the impressions of the Tamil culture. The auditorium is surrounded by granite pillars that have the inscriptions taken from the famous work of the poet. The epic Tiruvalluvar, written by the poet consists of 1330 verses, all of which are inscribed on the granite pillar. The 133 chapters of his famous work Thirukkural have been depicted in bas-relief in the front hall corridors of the chariot. It stands as a modern memorial to the great poet who represents the glorious culture of the Tamils. Monuments Fort St. George . is located on the banks of Bay of Bengal. It was (formerly known as White Town) was established as the East India Companys fortified foothold in Madras and it was from this small trading post (or factory as it was then known) that British influence spread throughout India. The establishment of Fort St. George marked the birth of the new city that is Madras, in the year 1640. The fort was named after St George who is believed to have preached in the region. The British East India Company, after buying the land from the Nayak of Vandavasi in 1639 . led the establishment of what was called the Madrasemen . the permanent settlement of the company. One year later they built the fort as a commanding post in the region. With the increased trade activities of East India Company the region soon developed into a popular trade and commerce centre. The British enjoyed the supremacy in the region till 1746, when the French attacked the fort and captured it. After three years, in 1749 the British regained the ruling power by signing a treaty with the French. In the meantime they fortified the base in order to sustain the invasion of Hyder Ali and the French. The fort is believed to be the first establishment of the British in India. It is a military architecture marvel, which was started as a trading post and later evolved to be the origin of modern Indian Army. St. George Fort holds great historical importance and is looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has a number of other monuments within its boundaries. Inside the Fort is the Fort Museum is decorated with cannons of Tipu Sultan. There are a lot of interesting artifacts showcased in the museum like coins, artifacts and so on. Apart from the museum, the southern division of the Archaeological Survey of India is located here. The place is famous for its exotic collection of books in the library. Today, Fort St George is famous for housing the legislative assembly and is known as the secretariat building. The fort in its present form looks more like a mansion, rather any fort. Various Government offices function inside this building, including the structure which used to be the residence of Robert Clive called the Clive House. St. Marys Church, situated in the fort, is one of the oldest surviving churches built by the British in India. The tallest flag pole in the country can be seen here, its height is 150 feet. The Pole is now made of metal was originally made entirely of teak wood. 10AM-5PM daily except closed on F. Fort Museum: For children below 15 years free. For Indians: 5/- For foreigners: 20. Museums and Art Galleries Birla Planetarium . Gandhi Mandapam Road ( close to Guindy National Park and Anna University ), 044-24410025 NOCC. 24416751 NOCC. 24915250 NOCC. 24918787 NOCC. Built in memory of B. M. Birla, the well known industrialist and visionary. Adjoining the planetarium is a Periyar Science and Technology Museum which will be of interest to students and other science scholars. The Science and Technology Centre is open on all days except on national holidays. Program Timing 10:45AM1:45PM and 3:45PM. English Noon, Tamil 2:30PM. Package cost 45, 20 for children Government Museum . Pantheon Rd, Egmore. Established in 1857, the Government Museum of Chennai is one of the popular tourist destinations in the city. It is a multi-purpose State Government Museum located in Egmore, which is in the heart of the city, spreading over an area of 16.25 acres of land. Six independent buildings in this Museum campus has 46 galleries. There is an Archaeology Section, Zoology Section, Botany Section, Geology Section, Numismatics Section, Bronze Gallery, Childrens museum, Art gallery and various other interesting sections and galleries. It is considered to be one of the oldest museums of India, since its inception dates back to the Colonial rule. There is history behind the origin of this Museum. In 1846 AD, the Madras Literary Society debated the proposal of establishing a museum in the then Madras. The proposal was approved by the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London. Chennai Government Museum was handed down with a sprawling complex and the presently maintained by the State Government. There are six independent buildings in the Museum campus, which compose of 46 galleries. The Museum was formally inaugurated on December 5, 1896 by the Sir Arthur Eli bank Havelock, the then Governor. He named it after the former Governor, Lord Connenmara. The museum was designed by H. Irvin, the consulting architect of the Government of Madras. The Government Museum has a splendid hall, marvelous reading room and striking Teak wood shelf and stands divided into a number of sections. Note that parts of the museum are often closed. Phone: 91 44 28193238, 9:30AM-5PM except holidays. A free guide service is available at 11AM and 3PM. National Art Gallery . 91 44 28193238. The top floor, closed in May 2011, offers additional galleries. 9:30AM-5PM daily except F and national holidays. The building of National Arts Gallery was built in the year 1907. This magnificent red sandstone building was designed by Henry Irwin and built by T. Namberumal Chetty. The building represents a typical Indo-Saracenic structure and was initially famous as Victoria Memorial Hall. Built with sandstone and adorned with motifs, the building bears impressions of Mughal architecture. The structure as well as the gallery collections are key factors responsible for the much credited tourist place. The gallery exhibits medieval handicrafts, sculptures, metal ware and paintings belonging to various schools of art, all from the past. The gallery displays paintings belonging to different schools and eras. The gallerys collections are displayed in four different sections that are: Tanjore Painting Gallery, Decorative Art Gallery, Indian Traditional Art Gallery and Ravi Varma Painting Gallery. The Tanjore paintings on glass are wonderful. The miniature paintings from Rajput and Mughal eras are fascinating too. The handicrafts that are displayed in National Arts Gallery belong to the 11th and 12th century, Indian handicrafts, period. Vivekananda House ( Vivekanandar Illam ), Triplicane ( Located on Marina beach road ), 91-44-28446188 NOCC. e-mail: vivekanandar. illamchennaimath. org. 10.00 AM to 12.15 PM and from 3.00 PM to 7.15 PM except Wednesdays. A colonial house where Swami Vivekananda stayed after his return from Chicago. It was also the location of the Ramakrishna Math for a decade before the Math was moved to its present location in Mylapore. The house now features a museum, painting gallery, photo gallery, book shop and video show on the life and teaching of Vivekananda. It is maintained by the Ramakrishna Math. Meditation and spirituality classes are arranged regularly at a nominal cost. Entry 10, classes charged extra . Miscellaneous Integral Coach Factory The Railway Coach manufacturing unit of Indian Railways, which has a Rail Museum. Check the website for directions as the auto-rickshaw drivers have never heard of it. Do Beaches Chennai has several well known beaches: Edward Elliots beach Breezy Beach . Water Land Drive Rd, Lakshmana Perumal Nagar, Valmiki Nagar ( Located in the quiet neighborhood of Valmiki Nagar (Thiruvanmiyur) ). 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. Evenings are very pleasant and with gentle breezy here, Lots of tourists are attracted towards this beach. Since the residential area around this beach is occupied predominantly by young professionals working in the IT/ITES industries (that thrive in the area), this beach has turned into a hot-spot for them. It is less polluted and environment friendly. Those who look for a calm, cool and breezy place to relax, this beach is the best place in Chennai. Covelong . Kancheepuram ( Located south 40 km (on the way to Mahabalipuram) from Chennai ). It was known earlier is a small fishing vill. Now it is a luxury beach resort. There was a fort built by the Nawab of Carnatic, Saadat Ali. Now a luxury beach resort. It was here that the French General Labourdonnais landed his troops in 1746. Later it was taken by Robert Clive in 1752 and destroyed. The Beach is separated from the mainland by the canal running from Chennai to Mahabalipuram. Taj Group of Hotels runs the Fishermans Cove Resort with rooms in the main buildings and cottages and the sandy beach here. A small public beach can also be accessed through a narrow drivable road. This beach is still mostly used by the fishermen, but gets crowded on weekend. Edward Elliots beach . Elliots Promenade, Urrur Kuppam, Besant Nagar Chennai, ( Located near Besant Nagar. TTake bus to stop Annai Velankanni Church Bus Stop - From Indira Nagar Railway Station take 2nd Ave and walk ten mins. ). This is spread along the coast down south from Marina. It is also the night beach for Chennai youth. This beach is comparatively quieter. At the end of this beach are the Velankanni church and the Ashtalakshmi temple. Good roads, pavements, walking track illuminated sands, makes a visit to this beach a real pleasure. Marina Beach . Water Land Drive Rd, Valmiki Nagar, Netaji Nagar, ( The South Beach Road runs past the Madras University, the Senate House, the Chepauk Palace (Nawabs of Carnatica once held their court here). - Take a train to Chepauk or Thiruvallikeni MRTS Railway Station ). This is 12 km long and offers excellent opportunities for walks and has a very wide sandy foreshore. Its width is up to 300 m (985 ft). The Marina of Madras is the second longest beach in the world. it is an elegant promenade with flower beds along its lanes. Along the shore, there are many buildings built during the British colonial rule. - It is the most popular gathering place for locals, especially in the evenings and on weekends. It can also get very crowded at those times. The beach is relatively less crowded in the early mornings and more pleasant. Walk along the Marina in the evening to cool off and eat crispy sundal and murukku. Watching sunset and sunrise from the beach is an experience by itself. Its not a swimming beach, though you will see people fully clothed taking partial dips. Other lesser known places in the Marina: Anna Square: Dr. C. N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was a very respectable personality among the people of Tamil Nadu. The mortal remains of Dr. C. N. Annadurai were buried at Anna Square, which is situated at the northern end of the Marina Beach. People from different parts of the state come here to pay their tribute to the great leader. It is located in the center of a park and the entrance is attractive. The beautiful arch is in the shape of twin converging elephant tusks. The tomb of Dr. C. N. Annadurai is flanked by imposing memorial pillar and eternal flame. People of Tamil Nadu affectionately called him Anna meaning the elder brother. Though listed here Anna Square is not a must see place. There is nothing much to see, unless you have lots of time to spare. Parks Arignar Anna Zoological Park ( The Vandalur Zoo ), 91 44 22751089. fax. 91 44 22750741. e-mail: aazpyahoo. 9AM-6PM daily except Tu. This zoological park is situated in the outskirts of the Chennai metropolitan (nearly 40KM from the city center). Chennai has the distinction of having the first zoo in India, which was started in 1855. This park is said to be one of the biggest in South East Asia. The wildlife population is exhibited in a large open moated island enclosure with a simulated natural environment. More than 170 species of mammals, birds and reptiles are housed in this park. Lion safari vehicles, elephant rides, battery operated vehicles are some of the facilities available. The peak time is during Pongal and weekend holidays. Rs 30, Free below 5 years, 5 to 12 Rs 10, still camera Rs 25, video camera Rs 150 . Guindy National Park ( Childrens Park ), Sardar Vallabhai Patel Rd, Adyar, Guindy. M-F 9AM-5:30PM except Tu. The current park area stands close to 280 hectares. Guindy Park happens to be almost certainly the smallest national park in the country and the only park within the city suburbs of India. The park is inhabited by more than 20 species of trees, about 14 varieties of shrubs and more than 14 species of woodland mammals. The place also houses many species of rare birds and amphibians. The dry deciduous forests of Guindy are lined with tree species like Amona Squamosa, Atlanta Monophylla, Feronia Limonia and Azadirachta India. The popular park animals include species like Indian Antelope (Black Buck), Elephant, Spotted Deer, Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Hedgehog, Pangolin and Jackal. Some rare bird species found in the park include Black Winged Kite, Honey Buzzard, and Pariah Kite. The park is also home to many reptile and amphibian species. Rs 15, Free below 10 years, 11 to above Rs 5, School Children age 5-12 from government and aided schools Rs 2, children from private schools age 5-12 Rs 10, still camera Rs 10, video camera Rs 75 . Guindy Snake Park ( next to Guindy National Park ). M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM except Tu. Founded by one of the prominent wildlife conservationist Romulus Whitaker. The park houses a number of snake species, lizards, crocodiles and turtles. The park breeds more than 30 species of Indian snakes. Some of the most sought after species include King Cobra, Indian Rock Python, Reticulated Python, Adders and Vipers. In addition to the snakes the park also breeds species of lizards, crocodiles and turtles. The museum in the park premises contains preserved specimens of many reptiles and amphibians. They have a snake display show 4 times daily, and live snakes of different species are shown to the audience with a voice over in 3 languages (English, Tamil and Hindi). 15, 5 for children below 12 . Semmozhi Poonga is a botanical garden situated opposite to the American consulate in cathedral road, it has wide variety of Bonsai plants and has a very nominal entry fee. Others During summers it becomes too hot and humid to venture out during the day. So go out for a stroll during the night (7-9 PM) on the Marina beach and Elliots Beach (Besant Nagar). Its 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 10 PM, 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 9 PM. However, if you are an early riser, you might consider visiting the beaches early morning around 6 to 8 A. M. The sunrise is wonderful and there is a slight breeze as well. However, be warned that there are dogs lying all over the place and you have a high chance of getting hit by a cricket ball if you arent looking. Stroll along the over crowded Pondy Bazaar and Ranganathan Street and try your skills in bargaining for knick-knacks. Be warned that it is an intensely crowded place, where you have to elbow your way through. Take a bus or an auto to Mylapore Tank and take a walk around Mylapore especially in and around the Kapaleeshwarar Temple . The crowds, sounds, fragrances of temple incense and flowers and the tiny shops are to be definitely experienced though keep away on Fridays. It gets too hectic even for experienced Mylaporeans. Chennai is also home to one of the best preserved Art Deco architectural areas in India, Parrys Corner . Its also Chennais oldest Central Business District though it has long since given way to Nungambakkam and T Nagar. If youre particularly interested in architecture or photography, this is a must visit place. Dont forget the nooks and crannies. Music and Dance Chennai is famous for its concerts and performances that take place in various auditoriums and temples throughout the year, which are announced in the Hindu and other local newspapers. During the Tamil month of Maargazhi (December - January) there is a series of classical Carnatic music concerts and classical dance performances in various parts of the city, but the best are organized in various Sabhas (loosely translates to concert house). You will see mostly older celebrities, although occasionally there will be some world-class young virtuosos. Free entry passes are usually given out for debutante performances (called Arangetram in Tamil) and for performances held on weekdays (before 4pm when the crowd starts filling up). Brahma Gana Sabha . 91 92821 06425. 91 98412 96684. Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, M. Ct. M School, 179, Luz Church Road. GK Parigi . e-mail: parigeyahoo. co. in. In Cine Abinayam star night programme. Indian Institute of Music and Arts . R. K Swamy Auditorium, Sir Sivaswamy Kalalaya, 5, Sundareswarar Street, Mylapore. Kalalayaa Art Academy . 2nd Floor, 100 ft Bye Pass Road, Velachery ( Opposite Bharat Petroleum Petrol Bunk, Above Nuts amp Spices ), 91 98408 77546 . Kartik Fine Arts . 91 44 2499 7788. 91 44 2495 2695. Narada Gana Sabha Hall, TTk Road. ( 30th Year Art Festival ). The Music Academy . 91 44-2811 2231. 91 44-2811 5162. e-mail: musicmusicacademymadras. No. 168, T. T.K. Road, Chennai - 600 014. Nungambakkam Cultural Academy Trust Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall . 91 44 43561198. 91 42146632. e-mail: infosirmuthamemorial. Madras Seva Sadan, No 7, Harrington Road, Chetpet. Sri Krishna Gana Sabha . Dr. Nalli Gana Vihar, 20. Maharajapuram Santhanam Road, T. Nagar, 91 44 2814 0806 ( The 49th Art and Dance Festival amp Pongal Nagaswara Isai Vizha And the 24th Natya Kala Conference ), 50 to 500 ( daily rates ) Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha . 91 44 2815 2166. Vani Mahal, 103, GN Chetty Road, ( The 25th Isai Iyal Nataka Vizha ) VDS Arts Academy . MOP Vaishnava College for Women, Nungambakkam. Music and Bharatanatyam dance concerts throughout the year at 6:30 PM. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday by young artists. Admission: free. Chennai is a major centre of Bharata Natyam with over 1000 dance performances a year. More dance forms are now encouraged and taught like Kuchipudi (Traditional dance form from Andhra Pradesh ), Mohini Attam . etc. Some other dances like Odissi Manipuri can be found, but are rarer. Cinema When in Chennai, do not miss a chance to watch a movie. There are several new Tamil movie releases every Friday or to coincide with holidays. Apart from Tamil, movies in other Indian languages like Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam also get wide releases in Chennai. Many of the Hollywood franchise movies enjoy a huge fan following and are screened at some theaters (dubbed) in Tamil. Make sure to book your tickets in advance especially for the weekend, because most of the cinemas will be sold out. Chennai also provides best cinematic experience at lowest cost Rs. 120/- and lesser, which is very less compared to other metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Check out any local newspaper or websites to get to know the movies running in and around Chennai. Some of the cinema halls are Abhirami Cine Complex . Purasawalkam. Located in the Abirami Mega mall. AGS Cinemas OMR . Navalur. AGS Royal . Villivakkam. Devi Cineplex . 8. In the heart of Chennai on Anna Salai. The Cineplex is a huge complex and a great architectural beauty. Ega Theatres . P. H Rd, Kilpauk. Features Hindi movies. Escape Cinemas . 91 44 4224 4224. Express Avenue, Royapettah. 8 premier quality screens with 3D, Dolby Atmos and RDX technology. Each of the 8 screens has a different decor which adds to the style quotient of the place. Ganga Theatre Complex . Kolathur. Inox . Chennai Citi Centre, R. K.Salai Kamala Cinemas . Vadapalani. Located opposite the Green Park hotel. Mayajaal Cine Complex . ECR. 14 Screen Multiplex. Located far away from the bustle of the city. Except in rare cases, reservation is not a must and seats can be booked at the counter. PVR . AMPA SkyWalk Mall, Nelson Manickam Rd. Rakki Theatre . Ambattur. Rohini Cinema Complex . Koyambedu. Sangam Cine Complex in kilpauk. For tickets check 9 . Sathyam Cine Complex . 044-42244224 NOCC. Thiru-vi-ka Rd. One of the best theaters. Provides quality food and the main screen is one of the biggest in India. Celebrities and cine stars frequent this complex. Shanti Cine Complex . Anna Salai S2 Thiagaraya Cinemas Udhayam Theatre . Ashok Pillar. Vetri Theatre . Chromepet. Sports Chennai has been one of the prominent sporting location in India, with wide variety of sports played almost everywhere right from every street corners to big stadium matches. M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (Famously known as Chepauk Stadium) Cricket by itself is a festival in India, every TV in the Mall is tuned to cricket during the match season and the whole city would be tuned in to the sport some way or another. Chennai is an international venue for cricket and is also a home ground for the Chennai super Kings cricket team. While in Chennai it might be interesting to catch a game and enjoy the electric spirit of Indian cricket. Close to Chepauk there are several sporting goods stores where you can buy good quality cricket equipment at low prices. Chennai Open . A prominent ATP250 tennis tournament that happens around January every year, the event has attracted lot of high ranked players such as Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moy, Stanislas Wawrinka and Leader Paes. The SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam (a short walk from Valluvar Kottam) is the venue for the event since 1997. The event is well organized with details including ticket sales published online. Learn Chennai has dozens of different institutes of higher learning from arts to engineering. The city also offers plenty of opportunities to learn Yoga, Bhartanatyam, Carnatic music and the Bhagavad Gita. Buy Chennai jasmine vendor at Pondy Bazaar Ampa Mall . A new shopping mall in Chennai with both western and Indian brands featuring in the shops. Most popular for its PVR Cinemas multiplex, Star Bazaar grocery store and one of the few McDonalds in the city. It also has a food court and a boutique hotel. Chennai Citi Center . 10, Radhakrishnan Salai. Opened in March of 2006, it houses mostly mens western-wear brands like Adidas, Louis Philippe, Parx and Zodiac. Has a good food court, an Indian restaurant, INOX cinema and a supermarket. Express Avenue . Royapettah High Rd. It is the second largest shopping mall in South India and features unique stores like Hamleys, Global Desi and Peekaboo, designer wear like Guess and Diesel and high-street chains like Body Shop, Tie Rack, Esprit and Lush. It has a few fine-dining restaurants and also one of the largest food courts in India. Escape Cinemas, a 40000 sqft, 8 screen multiplex is located on the 3rd floor. Local youth usually abbreviate the name to EA, from the huge sign on the building entrance. Ispahani Center . Nungambakkam Road. An early shopping centre - has a cafe, bar amp shops. Phoenix Market city . At Velachery with approximately 2.40 million square foot (including 0.45 million square foot of parking) of developable area. In addition to the usual Market City components, Market City Chennai is expected to include an IT park. Prince Plaza . Pantheon Road, Egmore. It has been featured in many movies. Shoppers Stop . 2, Harrington Rd, Chetpet. This is one of the largest department stores in Chennai, and you can buy everything from clothes to shoes to books here. Spencer Plaza . 769, Anna Salai. Spencer is a Chennai landmark that dates back to colonial times. The original was destroyed in a fire, and the current building dates back to 1983. The new Phase III section even has a mock Indo-Saracenic atrium in the style of the original. One of the earliest shopping malls in India, it has slightly lost its charm with the arrival of swanky new malls, but it is still an excellent place to buy handicrafts, ethnic wear, Indian jewellery and books (it houses the largest Landmark bookstore in Chennai). There is a reasonably good food court on the 2nd level of Phase I and Phase III. Stores on Doors . 91 44 65158534. Online shopping service. Good quality grocery and farm-fresh vegetables and fruits with free same day delivery. Books Chennai has a wide selection of rare books and maps in the many second-hand book stalls. Alwars Roadside bookshop opposite Kamadhenu theatre in Mylapore. Bookfield . ( opposite the LIC building on Anna Salai, Mount Road ). Vendors near the Central Station Vendors on Mount Rd outside Devi Theatre and the GPO (General Post Office) Higginbothams . Anna Salai. Kennedys Book House . Anna Salai. For more current publications Landmark . Spencers Plaza, Anna Salai (Mount Rd) - Books, Toys, CDs, 4 locations: Spencer Plaza, Anna Salai (Mount Road) - 37,000 sq. ft. Apex Plaza, Nungambakkam High Road - 12,000 sq. ft. - The original store. Chennai Citi Centre, Radhakrishnan Salai. Ampa Mall, Injambakkam - newest location. Odyssey . Behind Gandhi Nagar Bus Stand, Adyar and Express Avenue, Royapettah Giggles . Connemara Hotel Binny Rd. General books from a friendly shop keeper. Chennai Book Fair (annual) 10th Jan to 22nd Jan 2014, YMCA Grounds, Anna Salai, Nandanam. Location and dates may vary annually. If you happen to be in Chennai in January, Chennai Book Fair is an event not to miss. Plan to visit on a weekday as they attract lesser crowds and you can browse through the collections peacefully. If you pick a weekend or holiday, try to visit in the morning instead of the evening. Look through all the shops but it is usually better to skip the marquee stalls and visit the smaller ones which have books stacked all around. You will be rewarded with some great finds as these shops have lesser known but excellent titles from all around the world. Carry cash as many of the smaller shops do not accept credit/debit cards and cash also helps to bargain down the price of the books to some extent. On average, paperback novels in bargain shops cost 100 to 200. A budget of 3000 (around 50) should be enough to purchase a good collection of books. Clothes Brass Tacks . 91 44 4208 1767. 77/13, Corporation Shopping Complex, C. P. Ramaswamy Rd, Alwarpet. Contemporary clothing from natural fibres for women. FabIndia . 3 Woods Rd. The Ilford House location at is probably the best in terms of choices and selections. This is the place to go for all your natural-dyed, hand loomed and hand made textiles. The prices have been going up the last few years, but FabIndia is the only source for this sort of textile in Chennai at any retail outlet. Handloom Exhibitions . Year-round there is always a handloom exhibition profiling the work of one state or the other. These temporary installations (youll have to check the local papers to find out where they set up) generally have a good selection of interesting fabrics and textile products. And there is always the option to bargain, which makes it a better bet than oft-overpriced retail stores. The Royapettah YMCA (across from Royapettah Hospital) has a regular handloom exhibition. Just Casuals . 91 44 28273882. Nungambakkam, 1, Sterling Rd. A good place to head if youre in the mood for the Banana Republic/Abercrombie/Old Navy/Gap type stuff. They seem to get all the export rejects or overstocks. Youll find that all the brand tags are cut out due to some agreement with the manufacturer. The quality and prices are good, but unfortunately theres no bargaining possible. Raymond shop . 162 Anna Salai ( Opposite to Spencers ). There are several outlets of Raymond shop around Chennai. Custom tailored shirts, suits and other wardrobe accessories for men. Shanti Colony . Annanagar is a hub for seconds clothing as in the above description for Just Casuals. Crafts Amethyst . Sundar Mahal, Padmavathi Rd, Jeypore Colony, Gopalapuram. 91 44 2820 3582. They sell handicrafts. Ashvita - Arts and Artifacts . 11 2nd St Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore. 91 44 2847 6063. Art, jewellery, photo prints. Crafts and Weaves . 1, 1st Main Road, CIT Colony, Mylapore. 91 44 2466 0232. Handicrafts. Giri Stores . Adjacent to Kabaleeswarar Temple, ( opposite the Radha Silk Emporium, Mylapore Tank ). Hindu spiritual items like Rudraksha garlands, books, CDs amp tapes for chanting, incense sticks, camphor and lamps. Hidesign . Ispahani Centre, Nungambakkam High Rd amp Phase 3, Spencers Plaza. Leather goods. Jidoka Store . 1st Lane, Nungambakkam High Rd. 91 44 2822 3516. 91 44 2822 3317. Handicrafts. Manasthala . 12 Cenotaph Rd. 91 44 2433 2842. Terracotta ceramics. Poombukar . 108 Anna Salai, Plandmark. ( opposite the LIC building in Annasalai and next to Higgingbothams book store ). They sell handicrafts. Poppat Jamals . Mount Rd Anna Salai, ( opp. Spencers Plaza ). Crockery. Victoria Technical Institute . 180, (old No.765) Anna Salai ( Close to Spencer Plaza ), 91-44-2852 3141 NOCC. 10am to 7.30pm. They have a huge display of handicraft items, paintings, wood carvings and metal work statues. rupees 20 to any amount . Vimonisha Art Gallery . 12 Khadar Nawaz Khan Rd. Handicrafts. Art galleries Sarees Aavaranaa . 15, Ashoka Street, Alwarpet. 91 44 24988292 . Co-Optex . No.350, Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai - 600008. ( Close by Govt Museum and Connemara library ), 91 44 28193175. State government operated store. Good place to buy authentic silk sarees and dhotis. They also sell other items like salwar sets, curtains, bedsheets, pillow covers etc. Radha Silk Emporium (Rasi) . Silk sarees, ethnic wear, arts amp crafts in multiple locations. 1 Sannadhi St, Mylapore, 91 44 2494 1906 827, Dhun Building, Mount Rd, 91 44 2852 0251 23 1st Main Rd, Nanganallur, 91 44 2232 4176 Revathy Stores . 91 44 24934328. No. 7/8, RK Mutt Rd, ( Luz Bazaar Building ). Small store with a wide variety of Kalyani and Indian hand-loomed sarees. Shilpi . 29 C. P. Ramaswamy Rd, Alwarpet. Vardhrams and Sons Silks . Harington Rd, Chetpat. Jewellery Aarthi Thanga Maligai . 60 East Kalamandapam Road. Royapuram. Gold for reasonable prices. Aishwarya Jewellery . Mylapore Tank. Gold and silverware. B. B Jewellery . 6/127 Arcot Road. Porur. Specializing in gold. Bapalal Jewellers . Kakani Towers, Cathedral Road. Diamond merchants. Jaipur Gems . 50 Cathedral Road. Exclusive designer StarFire Diamond jewellery, authentic Jadau jewellery. Joyalukkas . 39 North Usman Road. TNagar. Indias largest exclusive jewellery mall, housing the worlds largest jewellery showroom of international retailer Joyalukkas amongst other world renowned retailers. Jugalkishore Jewellers . CP Ramaswaamy Road, Alwarpet. Traditional and antique jewellery. Kanishk . Usman Road, TNagar. Great value for money amp wide range. N. Gopaldas - Jewellers since 1929, New No. 59, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore. For exclusive diamond jewellery. Narayana Pearls Good collection. Kasi Arcade, T. Nagar. Rasvihar . 17a, Sterling Avenue, Nungambakkam. For exclusive contemporary jewellery. Tanishq . 100 Ft Bypass Road, Near Velachery Lake, Velachery ( close to Phoenix Market City mall ). From the house of Titan. Gold, Diamond and Platinum jewelery. Trendy collections, transparent pricing and clear billing. Tanishq also operates other outlets in Adyar, Anna Nagar and T. Nagar Vummidi Bangaru Jewellery . Nungambakkam, Features diamonds and gold. There is also a location TNagar. Musical instruments Lakshman shruthi . Vadapalani Signal, Vadapalani. Musical instruments, CDs. Sapthaswara Musicals . Features Western and Indian musical instruments. Shruthi Musicals . 10 Harleys Rd. 91 44 2660 3630. Kilpauk. Sruthilayais . 93 Royapettah High Rd. Mylapore, 91 44 2499 4045,91 44 2498 2625. Musical instruments. In addition to these there are several exhibitions at Das Community Hall (Cathedral Rd), Shankara Hall (TTK Rd) where artisans display their work. Check the local newspapers for details and timings. Eat Chennai has numerous restaurants, offering an assortment of cuisine. The beach restaurants are well maintained and serve great food during the evenings. The eat outs in Chennai range from budget, midrange and to up-market. There are swanky star quality restaurants, plain open traditional vegetarian or non vegetarian restaurants - where you share a table with strangers, street stalls, tea kadais, fast food centers, western fast food centers, food courts, coffee shops, bakeries to exclusive specialty establishments. Vegetarian restaurants serve tiffin and vegetarian meals. There are also a number of restaurants that serve a variety of Tamil, Andhra and Kerala vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare. Many of these restaurants have nowadays diversified and offer other Indian and Indianized Chinese dishes as well. Usually the check includes a service charge, written next to S. C. If no service charge is added, it is customary to leave a moderate tip. Budget Hot soup stand outside Santhome, Chennai All these budget eateries serve only vegetarian food and are very cheap. Cholayil Sanjeevanam . New No. 97, Old No.45, Nungambakkam High Road in Nungambakkam. 91 44 4549 0324. A popular vegetarian health restaurant that cooks its foods using ayurvedic principles. The food is truly delicious, and the concept is that they are cooked with low amounts of oil, using healthy ingredients. The chain also features ayurvedic and yogic classes. Eat N Drink . 570-N, Anna Salai, Teynampet ( next to Courtyard Marriott ). South Indian fast food, from masala dosas to uttapam and pongal. Rápido, barato, saboroso e higiênico. Rs 20-40 . Geetha Caf, Pondy Bazaar. South Indian tiffin. Hot Chips . T. Nagar and Anna Nagar for budget priced South Indian tiffin, including North Indian chat (snack) items. Hotel Saravana Bhavan . Probably Chennais best known restaurant chain, with 25 branches in Chennai itself (incl. one next to Kapaleeswarar Temple). Puro vegetariano comida indiana com elevados padrões de higiene. Karpagambal Mess . Mylapore, ( opposite the Kapaleeswarar temple ). Cheap and authentic South Indian Food. Kebab Junction . Royapettah, NV, opp. Express Ave, ( near Melody theatre ). Komalas . Kodambakkam High Rd. South Indian fast food. Mansuks . T. Nagar. Best for Bombay Chat, Lassi and an unlimited Gujarati Thali. Palimar . Parsn Complex, Mount Rd, Anna Salai. South Indian cuisine. Rathna Cafe . Triplicane. also Thiruvanmiyur, ( opposite the RTO ). For fluffy hot idlis, hot vadai, delicious pongal dripping in ghee and accompanied by sambhar. Quality maintained for more than 100 years. More expensive than Murugan Idli shop. Sangeetha . at intersection of Valluvar Kottam High Rd and Nungambakkam High Rd in Nungambakkam Chain of vegetarian restaurants. A mix of good-quality and tasty South Indian, North Indian, and Indo-Chinese cuisine at very reasonable prices. It is a chain restaurant. The Spice Box . 91 44 4304 2365. Thiruvanmyur. Lunch deliveries and gourmet outdoor catering. Wholesome, innovative lunch-dinner in 6 options is great to try out. Sri Krishna Sweets . Mount Rd, Spencers Plaza, Adayar, Anna Salai, also at MG Rd, Shastri Nagar. Indian sweets amp salad bar. North Indian chat (snack) items. Vasantha Bhavan . ( near Vadapalani Bus stand ). Chain of vegetarian restaurants. Mid-range Amethyst cafe and restaurant . Sundar Mahal, Padmavathi Road, Jeypore Colony, Gopalapuram. 91 44 2820 3582. resv 91 44 28353581. FORMAT NOCC. Vegetarian. Multi-cuisine . Garden and patio cafe and restaurant with a mix of western (pastas, burgers) and Indian fare. Cuisines served by Amethyst are Coffee and International. It is a nice, cozy, romantic place to chill out on weekends. Their cuisine is nice and so is their interiors. Its a colonial house turned into a restaurant. Table reservations available. Aiwo ( Vegetarian ), 7 Rosy Towers, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. 91 44 66514241. Fusion and health foods. A 14-course meal served on a conveyer belt that moves around the room. Various dishes served are supposed to be cooked in olive oil. Healthy tasty food for the health conscious. Table reservations. South Indian Rs 199 per meal inclusive of taxes. Amaravathi ( non-vegetarian ), 1 Cathedral Road Gopalpuram. 91 44 28116416. 91 44 28110305. FORMAT. Open: 7 days a week. 11:00-23:00. South Indian sea food cuisines and is known for its spicy Andhra food . Their famous Andhra meals, chicken and mutton biryani. Vazahapoo and keerai vadi are a must try. Chilly chicken, chili paneer, momos, soups, burgers, rolls, etc. Punjabi dishes like kadhai chicken, butter chicken, daal makhni, roti, butter naan, paneer butter masala, allu matar etc. Special fish prawns and Amaravathi chicken are the main dishs of the restaurant. Price: Avrg. for 2 persons Rs 500. Seating: 135 covers. Valet parking and take away. Table reservations. South Indian Amma . ( non-vegetarian South Indian ), No 1 Dr. Giri Rd, (near Bharathi Raja Hospital), T Nagar, 91 44 28340242, 91 44 242122176. Known for authentic Chettinadu cuisine. Price range: Meals for 2 around non-vegetarian ), Anjappar . ( non-vegetarian South Indian ), J. P. Tower, 7/2, Nungambakkam High Rd. Speciality: Anjappar Popular Meals: White Rice, Chettinad Chicken, Mutton Gravy, Fish Gravy, Sambar, Rasam, Kootu, Porial, Keerai, Curd, Buttermilk, Appalam. Also famous for Spl. Mutton Dum Biriyani, Nattu Koli Biriyani and Chettinaad Fish Masala. Price range: Meals for two 500. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28217200, 2825666, 42144573. - They have other outlets in Chennai: - Anna Nagar: 91 44 26264111 - Chennai Airport-Food Court - Anna International Airport: 91 44 22561793, 2256194 - Near Central Station: 91 44 25382666, 25383334 - Egmore: (91 44 42134111, 42179222) - Purasaiwalkam: (91 44 42089188, 26400200) - TNagar 91 44 224328444, 91 44 224328555) - Mylapore. 91 44 224982883, 91 44 224981226) - R. K.Salai: 91 44 228114555, 28114666. Annalakshmi: (vegetarian) 18/3, Rukmani Lakshmipathy Rd (Marshall Rd), Sigapi Achi Building I Floor, Adjacent to Raja Muthaiah amp Rani Meyyammai Hall, Egmore. 91 44 228525109, 91 44 242141210. This is a must try expensive South Indian food restaurant. Elegant ambience, friendly service and good food. Filling portions served. Best selling dishes - Elumichai Sevai, Badam-saffron milkshake. Elite crowd. Pricy at 1000 for 2 meals. Open: Tuesday to Sunday (Monday weekly holiday) Lunch: 12:00-14:30 PM. Dinner:19.3021:45. Table reservations South Indian Anupama Southern Spice . (Non-Vegetarian) 25, 1st Floor, G. N. Chetty Road, Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai 600017. Specialty Andhra Cuisine. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 31000733 South Indian The Cascade . 91 44 2834 3030. Quality Inn Sabari, 1. floor, 29 Thirumalai Pillai Rd, T. Nagar, Chinese food The Chimney ( non-vegetarian ), 91 44 2472 5950. Liberty Park Hotel 9, 1st Main Road, U. I. Colony, Kodambakkam. Predominantly North-Indian kebabs amp Chinese cuisines served. A very pleasant place on the cooler evenings when theres always a gentle breeze. Table reservations. Rooftop Dining Hotel Coronet . ( non-vegetarian ) 128, Lattice Bdge Rd, Adyar, 91 44 224413446, 91 44 24411915. This is one of the oldest restaurants in the area. Very reasonably priced, Coronet is known for its great Mughalai food. Their specialties are the mutton korma with parotha, Ceylon egg parotha, and kheema masala. They also serve Kerala Malabar dishes. Modest ambience. Open: 9 AM to Past midnight. Curry House . 2, Block AB, 11th Ave, Anna Nagar. 91 44 42611167. 91 44 42611168. Open: 12:00-15:00 and 19:00-23:00. Non-Vegetarian. Multi-cuisine . Chettinad, and Kerala delicacies. Good tandoori fare of the non-veg variety popular among the Punjabis and found all over Delhi. Table reservations. Meals for two around Rs 350. Dynasty . Harrisons Hotel, (Non-Vegetarian) 315, Valluvarkottam High Rd, Nungambakkam, 91 44 2222777. Good quality Chinese-Indian cuisine. Reservations available. Chinese food Madurai Appu . 40, Sarojini Street, TNagar. 91 44 224490077. 91 44 224491515 FORMAT NOCC. South Indian Non-vegetarian Restaurant Chain. Authentic Chettinad cuisine: Known for its Chettinad chicken masala, Chicken and mutton biryani. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 2432 8484. - Outlets in Chennai: Valasaravakkam: . (91 44 24861166/24860022) Mugappair: 91 44 226567676, 91 44 226567393) Triplicane . ( 91 44 228580786, 91 44 228591515, 91 44 228592929) East Coast Road (ECR - Vettuvankani) . Meals for two 500. Shanghai Annaachi . 9B, 1st Floor, Kakani Tower, New No. 34, Old No. 15, Khader Nawaz Khan Road. 91 93 2357063. Chinese food Texas Fiesta . 17/2, Shaffee Mohammed Rd ( off Khader Nawaz Khan Rd ), 91 44 43087882. Non-Vegetarian. It is owned and operated by a Tex Mex aficionado who fell in love with this great cuisine while in the USA. Favorite dishes include chicken wings, cream of leeks and potato soup, chicken fajita and grilled tenderloin steak apart from burritos, quesadillas and tortillas. Meal for two would cost about 500. Table reservations available. Mexican Dhaba Express ( non-vegetarian ), 9 Cenotaph Rd. 91 44 2432 8213. Teynampet, and Nungambakkam High Rd. Cuisines served by Dhaba Express are North Indian. They serve Chicken Tikka Masala, Mutton Rogan Josh, Tandoori Aloo (starter), Naans and Roomali Rotis. Valet Parking. Open: 11:30-15:30, 18:3001:30. Meals for two Rs 500. Table reservations. ECR Dhaba . ( non-vegetarian ), 9/76, Kunnukadu, East Coast Rd, Near Muttukadu Boat House, 91 44 44 27472943, 91 98 407 04050. Punjabi food. Table reservations. Open: 11:00-23:45. Coastline ( non-vegetarian ), 91 44 28251128. 118, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore. South Indian seafood. Freshly done interiors, slow service but delicious food. Crab rasam, prawn or fish biryani. Vide variety of sea food offerings. Must try place. Price range: Meals for two Rs 600. Table reservations Barbeque Nation (BBQ Nation) . Sri Devi Park hotel, T. Nagar and Hotel Bhimaas, Vadapalani. 10. Buffet costs 800 per person, advance reservation is strongly recommended. Edens . Harrisons Hotel, 315, Valluvarkottam High Road, Nungambakkam. Wonderful Continental cuisine, fully vegetarian. Gallopin Gooseberries . Burgers, Sandwiches and Entres. Has two outlets: 4/359,Gatsby Village, Mgr Road, 91 44 24493924 11, Shop 2, 2nd Floor, Greams Road, Landmark: Near Thousand Lights Police Station Phone: 91 44 28291077, 28292190 Gyan Vaishnav . Mount Road, Near Anand Theatre. North Indian Kadalivanam . Mogappair. 100 natural, fully vegetarian restaurant Karaikudi . VeeraRaghava Road, T. Nagar, 91 44 2815 1021. (also at Anna Nagar, Besant Nagar, Mylapore, Thiruvanmiyur) Chettinadu cuisine. Mughals Zaika . Rajaratnam St, Chetpet, Behind Ega Theatre. This is the best place in Chennai for any Kebabs esp their Juicy Irani Kebabs They also serve the best amp authentic Mughlai Biryani. Great value for money. One drawback (or advantage) is its non-a/c, its an Open air restaurant. The price for one meal is around 80 rupees, or around 2. Mughlai/Persian/Afghani/Irani. Murugans Idli Shop . 2 locations: GN Chetty Road T. Nagar and Besant Nagar. Murugan Idli Shop is a chain restaurant, and the GN Chetty Road shop in particular is a well-kept secret among locals as a purveyor of high-quality food on weekends, there is a long line for entry. The price for one meal is around 20-40 rupees, or around 1. South Indian. Noodle House . A chain restaurant, whoese locations include: 1. Spencers Plaza, Anna Salai (Mount Road) and 2.the Intersection of Sterling Road and Nungambakkam High Road in Nungambakkam. Chinês. Once Upon A Pirate. . A Pirate Theme Restaurant, Besant Nagar Beach Road, Opp Velankanni Church. 91 44 45511980. Indian Tandoor Chinese Cuisines. Pizzaurant . Velachery Road, Little Mount, Saidapet. Cuisine - Pizza amp Pasta.(Without MSG) Home delivery for nearby areas, Very Indian. Poonamallee . Breeze Hotel, 850, Poonamallee High Road. 91 44 2641 3334, 91 44 2643 0596. Multicusine Ponnusamy . Commander-in-Chief Road (opp Ethiraj College), Egmore. Chettinadu cuisine Rangis . Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. Chinês. Swati and Swayam . at Saravana Bhavan, Peters Road. South Indian. Sparkys . located in Egmore, is an American diner operated by an American expatriate settled in Chennai. Mexican, Italian and American food. Prices range from 70-150 rps for a meal.11 Sparkys has been closed since the end of 2012, ever since their head Chef passed on. They are yet to commit on when they will be re-opening the joint. Splurge Peshwari . Sheraton Chola Hotel, Cathedral Road, Chennai 600 086. The award winning Peshawari is the Indian specialty restaurant with the rugged flavours of the North-West Frontier and the art of tandoori cooking. The food is cooked in clay ovens or tandoor in the traditional style which is viewed through the open kitchen. (5 Star Hotel) Rated Expensive. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28110101 Mainland China . Hotel Tulip Aruna, 144/145, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai.( 4 Star Hotel) The restaurant chain serves authentic cuisine from the major provinces of China. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28238345, 91 44 39155261, 91 44 39155256 Shanghai Club . Hotel Chola Sheraton, 13,Cathedral Road, Chennai 600086. Well known for its most authentic Chinese Cuisine. Live three piece band. (5 Star Hotel) Rated Expensive. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28110101 Shansi Chinese amp Tandoori Restaurant . AnnaNagar - Indian and Chinese - 26213109 Cafe Mercara In Chola Sharaton Hotel, 13,Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai - 600086. Coffee Boutique which serves an amazing array of coffees and tea from around the world - Burgers, pizzas, salads and snacks. (5 Star Hotel) Rated Expensive. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 24322640 91 44 28110101 Cilantro . Coffee Shop / Restaurant of Le Royal Mridien,1 GST Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai-600016. The restaurant serves continental, Indian, South Indian, Italian, Arabic Shawarmas, Chinese, Thai and a teppenyaki grill of Japanese Cuisine. Open: 24 hrs. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 22314343, 91 44 43534545 The Residency . Park Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chamiers Road, Alwarpet, Chennai. Lavish buffet and an international a la carte menu. In a gracious setting reminiscent of the Edwardian era. Live music. Open: 12.30 PM to 2.45 PM, 7.30 PM to 11.45 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 2499 4101 Grill and Indian Cuisine Pergola . The Accord Metropolitan Hotel, 35, G N Chetty Road, T Nagar - The highest open to sky restaurant in the city - Featuring Grills/Indian cuisines - Hours of operation 19:00 Hrs - Midnight - Seating capacity 120 covers - Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28161000, 43911000. Bella Ciao - Lounge Beach Garden, 4, Shri Krishna Enclave, Kottivakkam, Chennai - 600041, Italian-owned and run, authentic Italian food. The famous wood fired oven pizza, home made pastas, steaks and salads. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 24511130 Little Italy . Italian Restaurant, Eldorado No 112, Nungambakam High Road, Chennai-600034. Italian classic cuisine with a perfect wine. Chefs favourites: Pizza Mellino, Pasta del Fattore and In Wines - Brunello di Montalcino. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 42601234, 42601230 Prego . Taj Coromandel, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. 91 44 5500 2827. Gourmet Italian dining, replaced Patio Akasaka . Suraj Towers, Ground Floor, 128 L. B. Road, Behind Jayanthi Theatre, Thiruvanmiyur. Japanese Chef, The ambeince is Japanese - low seating and all that. Own fishing boat, excellent sushi and sashimi. Very expensivefigure on over 1000 for a meal here. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 24453424, 24456493 Teppan . 146, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai. Hibachi style, the cook prepares your meal with a show right in front of you. Very entertaining especially for younger diners. Excellent sushi and sashimi. 2000 for a meal for two. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 32216635 Arirang Korean Restaurant - Dr Thirumurthy Nagar 91 Main Road Nungambakkam, Nungambakkam, Chennai-600034. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28233739 Lebanese and Middle Eastern Delicacies Cedars . Wallace Garden Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600085. Dim lit ambience is beautiful with exquisite furnishing in Mediterranean style. They serve the most authentic Lebanese, Middle Eastern delicacies and some interesting Mediterranean cuisines. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 42182397 Don Pepes . 73, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai. Mexican. Located above Hot Breads as an extension, They are best known for their Fajitas (sizzlers) and Enchiladas (a tortilla wrap with some Mexican rice). Rated Expensive. Open: 12:00 to 2:45 PM, 7:00 to 11:45 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28221461 Entree Restaurant . Located in Emall hotel, Express Avenue Mall, Gate No 1, Pattullous Road, Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002. 91 44 28463333. 91 44 28463358. 100 Vegetarian multicuisine restaurant in chennai. Serve a delectable fare from all around the world - Thai soup, maxican main course, Indian spices tadka, French Pastry for deserts. Citrus . Savera Hotels Ltd. 146, Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 600004. Multicuisine - featuring Mediterranean barbeque and Norwegian smoked salmon. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28114700 Cream Centre . 55, 2nd Main Road, Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai - 600028.(Near Kaliappa Hospital)Cream Centre offers a wide range of vegetarian food choices - North Indian and Mexican, to American, Italian and even Lebanese. Nachos, Channa Bhatura, American Corn Cheese Ball, Sizzlers amp Sizzling Brownie. A specialty here is the Mera Thali, where you have a choice of dishes from which you can make your own thali. Open: 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM (11:00 AM to 11:00PM on Weekends). Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 42815777, 91 44 42815776. Seasons . The Accord Metropolitan Hotel, 35, G. N. Chetty Road, T Nagar, Chennai - Extensive Buffets featuring cuisines from all over the world - Oriental to Italian, Continental to Indian, and Global A la Carte - Open: 24 Hrs. Seating capacity 65 covers - Breakfast buffet 07:00 - 10:30 Hrs - Lunch buffet 12:30 - 15:00 Hrs - Dinner buffet 19:30 - 23:00 Hrs - Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28161000, 91 44 43911000 Copper Chimney . 74, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai. (Opposite the Chola Sheraton). Mainly North Indian and Iranian inspired dish. Specialities: Bagani Bahar, Paneer Musselum. Rated expensive. Open: 12:00 to 3:00 PM, 7:00 to 12:00 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 28115770, 28114941 The Great Kabab Factory . Radisson G R T Hotel, G. S.T. Road, St Thomas Mount, Chennai, 600016. Specialities: Galoutti Kabab, Tangri and Murgh Malai Kababs, Fish and Mutton Kababs. They serve alcohol and have velat parking. Pricing: Rated expensive. Open: 12:00PM to 2:45PM, 7:00PM to 11:45PM, Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 22310101 Navaratna . Le Royal Meridien, Le Royal Mridien,1 GST Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai-600016. India Restaurant serving Royal Indian Cuisine. Live Ghazal performances. A Private dining room is available for up to 12 persons and an intimate bar for pre-dinner drinksRated very Expensive. Open: For Lunch from 12.00 Noon to 3.00 PM amp For Dinner from 7.00 to 11.45PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 22314343, 91 44 43534545 Tandoor . Quality Inn Aruna Hotel, 4th Floor, 144 amp 145, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034. Specialties: North Indian, Punjabi, Tandoori and Mongolian Amenities: Outdoor Seating and Valet Parking. Serve alcohol. Table reservations Tele: 91 44 28262626, 91 44 28283636. Kayal . Seafood Restaurant of Le Royal Meridien, 1, G. S.T. Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai 600016. Specialities: Coriander Prawn, Seafood Platter, Kadia Lobster, Prawn Biryani. Nice complimentary garlic bread with butter. Rated very Expensive. Open: 7:00 to 11:30 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 22314343, 91 44 43534545 Dakshin . Park Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 132, T. T.K. Road, Alwarpet, Chennai. South Indian Cuisines - Dakshin offers the rare pleasures of ethnic coastal and regional cuisines. The choicest cuisine of the four Southern states served in a regal setting. Live Carnatic Music. Expensive but excellent food - Starters include traditional, kuli paniyaram. Try the Idi appam or Appam with mutton stew. Desert: Kulfi. Open: 12.30 to 2.45 PM, 7.30 to 11.45 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 24994101. Southern Spice . Taj Coromandel, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. 91 44 55002827. Benjarong . 146, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600018, The authentic flavor of Thailand. Seating capacity 68 covers. Open: 12.15 PM to 2.45 PM and 7.15 PM to 11.45 PM. Table Reservations Tele: 91 44 24322640 Drink Chennai is a difficult place to drink. Government rule states that only establishments with a minimum of 21 rooms can obtain a bar/ liquor license. Hence there are no standalone bars or pubs here. All the bars that are around are part of some hotel or the other and in general overpriced. Government run liquor stores called TASMAC are all over the place but in general not at all a pleasant experience. They usually have rude staff, are filthy and usually never have the brand of your choice. Also they always tend to mark up each bottle by Rs 5 to 10 over the listed price. Go for it if you want a one time war like experience in order to obtain some booze Nightclubs close at 23.00, even on Fridays and Saturdays, according to government rule. Budget Paradise Bar . Aruna Hotel, 20 South Usman Road, T Nagar, Chennai - 600017, Ph - 24346565/0834 The Pub . Liberty Park Hotel, 1st Main Road, UI Colony, Kodambakkam, Ph - 24725950 - Very nice decor and good service for the price. It gets crowded on important cricket match days as the local sports fans gather for a drink here. Mid-range Bike and Barrel . Residency Towers, T. Nagar. nice ambience there are 2 levels lower level for couples and upper level for stags. Nice sitting arrangement but can get crowded. Expect to spend around 1000 for 2 people for drinks and food. Cambridge . Hotel Dee Cee Manor, GN Chetty Road, T. Nagar Champagne amp Cider . Grand Orient, Anna Salai (Mount Road). Crystal . Hotel Ranjit, Nungambakkam High road, Nungambakkam. Diesel . G. N Chetty Road, T. Nagar Grammy . Hotel Sabhari, Thirumala Pillai Road, T. Nagar, Ph - Hudson . Harrisons Hotel, 315, Valluvarkottam High Road, Nungambakkam, Ph - 42222777: Has two levels. Hudson Upper and H2O. Cramped seating providing very little privacy. The Liquor stable is limited to the local brands and a bottle or two of Scotch. Million Dollars . Hotel Ambica Empire, 100 Feet road, Vadapalani Platinum . (Formerly HFO), Hotel Quality inn Aruna, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam Society . Hotel Ambassador Pallava, Montieth road, Egmore, Ph - 28554476: Pretty small. Crowd is predominantly hotel guests. Attire is business casual and drinks are a little pricey. Star Rock . Kodambakkam High Road (Next to Palmgrove hotel), Nungambakkam Zero bar . Quality Inn Sabari, ground floor, 29 Thirumalai Pillai Road, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017 Splurge Distil Bar . Taj Connemara, Binny Road Dublin . Park Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chamiers Road, Alwarpet, Ph - 24994101 Durrants Bar . Chola Sheraton, Cathedral Road, Ph - 28110101 Geoffreys - The Pub, Radha Regent (formerly - Radha Park Inn), 171, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Inner Ring Road, Arumbakkam, Chennai 600106. Dcor is a mix of British and American - very contemporary and trendy look - pool tables, swinging DJs and live shows. An area of 2700 sq ft with 97 covers which makes the largest in its kind in the city. Open: 4 pm to 11 pm on all days. Information and Reservations: Tele: 91 44 66778899 The Havana . Hotel Raintree, St. Marys Road, Alwarpet Leather Bar . The Park, Nungambakkam High Rd. The largest liquor stable in Chennai - includes hard to source Moet amp Chandon, Glenfiddich and a variety of other scotch. Loud Music. OPM - Nightclub . The Accord Metropolitan, 35,G. N.Chetty Road, TNagar, Chennai - Open: 18:00 Hrs Onwards. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but available for private events. Information and Reservations: Tele: 91 44 28161000 / 43911000 The Rain Bar . Hotel Raintree, St. Marys Road, Alwarpet 10 Downing Street Kences Inn Hotel, North Boag Road, T Nagar The Westminister . Park Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chamiers Road, Alwarpet. 91 44 2499 4101. Zara . Cathedral Road. Zodiac - Lounge Bar . The Accord Metropolitan, 35,G. N.Chetty Road, TNagar, Chennai - Popular labels, ingenious cocktails, rare blends of liquor amp a wide selection of hot and cold canaps. Open: Monday to Friday:16:00-23:00 Hrs, Saturday amp Sunday:11.00-23.00 Hrs - Seating capacity 76- Information and Reservations: Tele: 91 44 28161000 / 43911000 Local specialities - soft drinks Fruit Bizz ( Adyar signal ), left corner building from ananda bhavan road to guindy. This is one of the best juice shops very famous in adyar region. Shop open from morning 10 am till 1am. 30-50 . NeerMoar Spicy butter milk, with local seasoning. Available at most South Indian restaurants. Tender Coconut Definitely try a tender coconut on a hot summers day. Available on roadside stalls at 20 a coconut. Sleep Low-budget Broadlands lodging house No 18, Vallabha Agraharam Street, (opp Star Theatre) Triplicane - Very popular with the backpacker crowd, leafy courtyard, a rustic feel to the whole hotel, good rooms are in the back of the hotel and two of the most recommended rooms are room 43 and 44, which are roof cottages. Rooms are 250 for single and 400 for double. email: broadlandshotelyahoo. Cristal Guest House . 34, CNK Road, Triplicane. Phone: 91 44 285 13011. Double room is Rp300 with 10 Hot water bucket. Very clean and friendly place with western toilets. No towels provided bring your own. Near good/inexpensive eateries. From the Central Train station, get out and take a pre-paid Auto Rickshaw for a total of 50 (2 fee 48) to Triplicane. This place is walking distance from the beach and a bus stops to reach various sites. Hotel Chennai Gate . 91 44 2819 4377. Gandhi Irwin Road. Deluxe room is Rp1500 with A/C with internet socket available for Rp100 for 24hours. Hotel Impala Continental . 12 Gandhi Irwin Road. 91 44 2819 1423 . Hotel Karpagam International . Ph: 24613701, South mada street, Mylapore. Hotel Regent . 11 Kennet Lane. 91 44 2825 3347 . Kanchi . C-in-C Road, Egmore Milestone Concepts amp Services - Serviced Apartments . 11, Krishna Kuteera Apartments, Harrington Road, Chetpet, Chennai-600031. 91 9962078282. e-mail: milestoneconceptsandservicesgmail. Check-in: 24 hrs. check-out: 24 hrs. Serviced Apartments at various locations in Chennai including at Harrington Road (Chetpet), Guindy, Ramapuram, T Nagar. Available as single rooms or 3 BHK apartments, with 24 hrs check-in amp check-out, 24 hrs Housekeeping / room service, air conditioned rooms, attached bath with hot water facility, separate lounge and dining areas, each room equipped with TVs with individual DTH connections, wi-fi internet free and a functional kitchen. New Woodlands Hotel . It is sometimes crowded and a tad busy. There is a nice quiet art gallery and cafe nearby. Old Woodlands ( a. k.a Royapettah Woodlands/Woodlands Hotel that is next to Woodlands Theatre ), Royapettah ( Pay no more than 40 rupees to get there from the railway station. ), 91 44 2848 2150. 91 44 2848 2152. Little known, but an excellent place to stay. The hotel building is at least one hundred years old and stands in the middle of sprawling grounds and surrounded by massive trees. The main building was once the palace of Raja of Ramnad. The auto-rickshaws / taxis will not tell you about the place as the hotel does not pay a commission to middlemen. Palace Lodge . new No. 69, old No. 32, Egmore High Road, Egmore ( Walk from Egmore Railway Station ), 91 44 28190687. Reasonably clean, staff okay. Single, bathroom outside: 295 . Sri Krishna Residency . South mada street. 91 44 24643617. Ph: Mylapore. Zam Zam Guest House . 41 Subathral Street, Triplicane. Phone: 91 44 42664508. Newly built with clean spotless rooms and nice staff. It is located about 100m behind Thaj Regency Hotel on the small street. Look for the black marble entrance and sign. All rooms have bath, fan, sat TV and intercom. Squat toilets only. No mosquito nets on the windows though. Prices are 200 for a single person, 250 for two persons and 300 for 3 persons per 24 hours. Predominantly an Indian scene at the time of writing. Close to Broadlands Lodge, Comfort Hotel, and the great Gee Gee Internet and Surya Restaurant (old name Maharaj). The whole spot is about 300m from the T-junction of Triplicane High Rd and Walaja Rd where there is a bus stop of 27B bus to CMBT under the big tree (every 5 minutes). (Feb 2010) Mid-range Alcove Service Apartments Chennai . Anandapuram, Off Dr. Ranga Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600004. 91 9900578231. e-mail: stayalcove. co. in. Single room, Independent 3 or 4 BHK Apartments, Air-conditioned rooms, Lounge and dining area and independent bathrooms, TV, fully furnished kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, toaster, mixer grinder and gas stove, complimentary Breakfast, free Wi-Fi internet. Aspni Inn . 77 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, 100 Feet Rd, Vadapalani. 91 44 2362 2284. Nearby to Chennai Metropolitan Bus Terminus and Vadapalani Lord Murugan Temple. 51 rooms. Rates start at Rs 1,000 . Best Guest House . 29 amp 31 South Usman Rd, Corner of Damodaran St. ( opposite T Nagar Bus Terminus ), 91 44 24360717. 91 44 24360718. Check-in: 24 hr. check-out: 24 hr. Double and triple A/C and non-A/C rooms with bathrooms and cable TV. Rs 300-1,000 . Comfort Inn Marina Towers . 2A Ponniamman Koiil St Egmore. 91 44 2858 5454 . Dakshin . Venkatnarayana Road, Near Nandanam Signal, T. Nagar. Dee-Cee Manor . GN Chetty Road, T. Nagar. Grand Orient . Anna Salai ( near Anand Theatre ). GRT Grand Days . Harrisons . 91 44 5222 2777. 315, Valluvarkottam High Road, Nungambakkam. Imperial Serviced Apartment . 11 Harrington Rd. 91 98 417 42520. Chetpet. Both long term as well as short term stays. Lemon Tree Hotel, Chennai . Sardal Patel Rd, Guindy. Liberty Park Hotel . 9, 1st Main Rd, UI Colony, Kodambakkam. 91 44 2472-5950. e-mail: reservationslibertyparkhotels. 5 min away from the heart of the shopping district - T. Nagar. Ask for a 15 discount before you make a reservation. They sometimes have a better deal for the multiple night stays listed on their website. Rs 2,000-3,000 . Mowbrays Inn . TTK Road, Alwarpet. New Victoria . Kenneth Lane, Egmore. New Woodlands . Radhakrishna Salai, Mylapore. Oriental Inn . 91 44 28114941. 71 Cathedral Rd, Gopalapuram. 32 rooms in central Chennai. Rs 1,500-2,800 plus taxes. Peninsula . GN Chetty Rd, T. Nagar. President . Radhakrishna Salai, Mylapore. Raj Residency . 22 Kennet Lane, Egmore ( 2 min walk from the Egmore railway station ). US17-147 . Ranjit . Nungambakkam High Rd. Residency . GN Chetty Rd, T. Nagar. Residency Towers . Boag Rd, T. Nagar. (close to Pondy Bazaar) Somerset Greenways Chennai . No 94 Sathyadev Ave, MRC Nagar. 91 44 7100-0001. fax. 91 44 7100-0010. e-mail: enquiry. chennaithe-ascott. The residence is 10 minutes away from the Chennai CBD. Studio through to 3 bedroom apartments. Each apartment features kitchens, separate living rooms complete with home entertainment systems. Rs 6,500 . Westin Park . Montieth Road, Egmore. Splurge The closest hotels to the airport are The Trident . Le Royal Meridian . Hilton and Radisson GRT Hotel all five star properties. Stay safe Chennai is generally a safer area of India in terms of crime, although pickpocketing, muggings, and robberies sporadically occur. Keep your doors and windows shut and locked at night and do not carry or display large amounts of cash if possible. It is advisable for women, especially unaccompanied ones, to dress modestly and limit their interaction with unfamiliar local men. Foreigners are generally overcharged by autorickshaws simply because they are ignorant of the prevailing fares. It is necessary to confirm whether the driver knows the exact destination and to fix the fare before boarding. Autos, as autorickshaws are known in Chennai, are notorious for fleecing customers, tourists and locals alike. Be alert to your surroundings and watch where you step, especially if you get caught in a large crowd where it is difficult to look at what is in front of you. Cross streets extremely carefully as traffic is generally heavy. On major roads, use the underground crossings (locally called subways). Avoid using underground road-crossing/ subways in the night or if you notice them to be empty. Traffic signals are frequently ignored by drivers and pedestrians alike, and it is not at all advisable for tourists to try driving in Chennai. Stay healthy While in Chennai it is advisable to drink bottled water keep a bottle handy as it is EXTREMELY HOT. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits that have sat outside in the presence of insects can also be unhealthy, although bananas and coconuts are usually safe because they are opened only immediately before eating. Hot drinks in restaurants such as tea, coffee, and other local specialties are safe, as are packaged/bottled drinks such as Aquafina water, Frooti (a popular local mango drink) and others. If you have access to a stove, boiling tap water before drinking is also an option. Chennai summers are humid and sultry its better to step out with an umbrella . bottled water and some oral rehydration salts (available from pharmacies, the brand name is Electral). These come in handy if you happen to get dehydrated. Chennai is the medical capital of South East Asia. Hospitals Apollo Hospitals . Greams Lane, Off Greams Road, Nungambakkam Tel - 28293333 Aysha Hospital . 91A Millers Rd. Tel: 26426930. Balaji Hospital G. S.T Road, Guindy, Tel - 22345282 New Hope Medical Centre . Kilpauk, Tel - 25321532, 12 CSI Rainy Hospital . Royapuram, Tel - 25951329 Hindu Mission Hospital . 103, G. S.T. Road, Tambaram West, Tel: 22262244, 13 . Madras Medical Mission . Moggapair 37 -26565961 /91, 14 . Ramachandra Hospital . Porur Tel:91 44 2476 8403 Dr. Kamakshi memorial Hospital . No1, Radial Road, pallikaranai, Chennai 600 100 15 Dr. Mehtas Hospital, No2,McNichols Road,3rd Lane, Chetpet, Chennai 31-Tel:42271000/42271004 Devaki Hospitals . Opposite to Rangachari cloth store mylapore Pharmacies Apollo Pharmacy . All Over the City Health amp Glow . Spencers Plaza (Phase 3), Mount Road Nungambakkam High Road Madras Medical Mission . 24 Hr. Pharmacy, Mogappiar The Psychotherapy Clinic ,26/1, Arcot Street, T.nagar My Mother Pharmacy, E.B. Colony Parasu Dental Pharmacy 11, 3rd cross st kasthurbha nagar adyar chennai - 20 ph 4211 5000 Connect Landlines BSNL and Airtel Reliance, Tata, are main providers of terrestrial telephone lines in Chennai. You can make long distance calls from one of the many booths that display NSD/ISD i. e. National Subscriber Dialling (National Long Distance) and International Subscriber Dialling (International Long Distance). Calling cards are also available with these providers which are considerably cheap. Mobile Phones Cell phone rates are one of the cheapest in the world. There are Ten GSM service providers: BSNL 16 GSM Triband with 3G services AirTel 17 GSM Triband with 3G services Vodafone 18 GSM Triband with 3G services AirCel GSM Triband Reliance GSM launced in 2009 Tata DOCOMO GSM launched in 2009 Idea GSM launched in 2009 Uninor GSM launched in 2009 MTS CDMA launched in 2009 mtsindia. in Virgin GSM Videocon GSM launching 2010 You can buy a sim card with a photo and a copy of your passport. For making long distance calls Aircel is cheaper with 49 card calls to US and Canada will be 1.50/Min. this will work only in home network. For other destinations Please check with operator. CDMA service providers are Reliance 19 , TATA Indicom 20. Virgin Mobile and MTS . Starter packs and top-up cards can be picked up from numerous outlets. Seemles roaming across the country is provided by all providers. Internet There are several internet cafes from where you can access the internet for sending email or uploading your digital photos. Reliance WebWorld . incorporating JavaGreen coffee shops, Spencers Plaza, Anna Salai (Mount Road) TTK Road, Alwarpet, Besant Nagar, L. B.Road, Adyar. The TTK Road branch has free wifi if you use the coffee shop. Sify iway . 21 Several of them in the city MTS MBLAZE High Speed Broadband Internet Through USB Modems. Call 9150-955-955 Apart from that you can access Internet provided in your hotel or if you are staying long you can buy Internet packs from all mobile providers. Cope ATMs ABN Amro . Harrington Road, Opp Residency Hotel on GN Chetty Road, Adyar - Sardar Patel Road, TTK Road, next to Citibank branch ANDHRA BANK . All over Chennai HSBC . Adyar, Mylapore, Pondy Bazzar, Tidel Park, Kadar Nawaz Khan Road, Annanagar, Rajaji Salai, Kathipara Junction American Express . Near Anand Theatre, Anna Salai (Mount Road) Citibank . Opp Spencers Plaza, Anna Salai (Mount Road) Opp Hotel Parthan, GN Chetty Road, Opposite Citi Centre, Velachery Highway, near Vijaya Nagar Bus terminus, Nanganallur. HDFC Bank . ITC Centre, Anna Salai (Mount Road),Anna Nagar(West) All over Chennai ICICI Bank . All over Chennai Axis Bank . All over Chennai Standard Chartered Bank . Haddows Road State Bank of India . All over Chennai. They have an ATM locator online 22 Indian Overseas Bank . All over Chennai, they have InstaCash ATMs. Indian bank . All over chennai Oriental Bank of Commerce . Adyar LB Road, Mylapore, G N Chetty Road T nagar. ATM cards issued by any bank will work with ATM of any other bank, but they may impose restrictions on number of transactions, amount per transaction and may also charge a small transaction fee of 20. Money changers Many hotels will change money for you at the front desk. However, they may not have the best rates. It is best to change money at the city based money changers than the ones located at the airports. The ones at the airport offer much less for exchanging forex into Indian Rupees and sell forex for a much higher rate than the market rate. American Express . Spencers Plaza, Anna salai Thomas Cook . Spencers Plaza, Anna salai Beauty parlors amp hair salons Ayush . Anna Nagar (Ph - 26223102/26223446/26203862), Kilpauk (Ph - 52179635/26472298), Mylapore (Ph - 52067071/30907691) - Therapy includes Abhyangam . Abhyangam with Pichu . Abhyangam with local Pizhichil . Abhyangam with Thalam . Udvartanam . Abhyangam with Nasyam . Abhyangam with local Navarakizhi . Muka Lepam Anushka ,6,Thyagaraya Road, Pondy Bazaar, T. Nagar, Ph - 52179197 Celeste Beauty Salon . Spencer Plaza,(Mobile -9941130508) F-26, Phase 1, First floor, Chennai 600002 Dollys beauty parlour . Elcanso Plaza, Egmore, ph: 9840118882 Green Trends . 1576, 13th Main Road, Anna Nagar (ph - 26161534) Ashok Nagar (Ph - 52193636) Adyar (Ph - 24451759) Purusawakkam (Ph - 52174414) Taylors Road, Kilpauk (Ph - 26453331) T. Nagar (Ph - 28143886) Velachery (Ph - 22445590) Virugambakkam (Ph - 55511973) - Exotic natural treatments like Strawberry facial, Avocado Butter Massage Facial, Red Banana Facial, Baby-Corn under eye treatment etc. Jazzy . North Boag Road, T. Nagar Lakme . Adayar (Ph - 24469730), Alwarpet (Ph - 24662481), Anna Nagar (Ph - 26268841), Ashok Nagar (Ph - 23750207), Kilpauk (Ph - 52179634), Nungambakkam (Ph - 28333050), T. Nagar (Ph - 28155577) Naturals . Unisex beauty salon with more than 100 salons located around Chennai. Salon Nayana . GN Chetty Road, T. Nagar, Ph - 28256064 Style Mantra - Makeover Concepts . Nungambakkam (Ph - 28280066), R. K. Salai (Ph - 28110707) Gyms Blue Boutique Gym -329, TTK Road, Alwarpet.24996045,24996064. Body Sports Gym - Govindan Road, Saidapet. 9841151091 Golds Gym 17, Kasturi Rangan Road Alwarpet, Chennai - 600018, Phone:044 42088201 Mind N Body 360 degree Fitness Studio - Ramapuram amp Mugalivakkam. 9600030058, 8754409900, 044-42014949 O2 Gym . Kader Nawaz Road, Nungambakkam, Velachery Soldiers Gym . Triplicane High Road, Triplicane (and on Anna Salai) Talwalkars . Near Khader Nawaz Road, Nungambakkam Talwalkars . 23rd Cross Street, Indira Nagar, Adyar Post amp telegraphs The telegraph office on Anna Salai (Mount Rd), near Higgin Bothoms accepts letters and parcels up to 8PM with a small late fee. Snail Mail in India is by a Post Card (25Ps), Inland Letter Rs 5, or envelope Rs 5. Speed Post facility allows you to send mail more conveniently than a courier service. They have a pan India coverage and also provide international service. International delivery is considerably slower than private competitors like FedEX or UPS but it is also much cheaper. Telegraph services have been discontinued from July 2013 citing very poor response. Due to proliferation of mobile phones and VOIP, the public telephones are fast disappearing. Telephone Booths or public telephones in India can still be found near travel hotspots like the airport, railway station or CMBT and usually painted with the letters PCO (Public Call office, local calls), STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling) and ISD (International Subscriber Dialling). All booths have electronic metering and you pay whats displayed on the meter (included in the metering is a nominal Rs 2 as service charges). Youll also get a receipt if you insist on one. Coin operated phones 1 are located in many busy junctions (easily identified by bright yellow or red colour) but support only local calls. Libraries amp Cultural Centres American Information Resource Center Library (located within the American Consulate - see list of consulates) Anna Centenary Library - Kotturpuram, Phone - 65515031 British Council - Anna Salai, Phone - 52050600 Ext 350/351. Connemara Library - Pantheon Road, Egmore, Phone 28193751. Max Mueller Bhavan (German) - Khadar Nawaz Khan Rd. Nungambakkam. High Commissions Go next Even as recently as about ten years ago, the ECR, which was then known as the New Mahabalipuram Road, had nothing much to offer by way of entertainment, except for VGP Golden Beach and Romulus Whittakers crocodile bank. Further down, the road led you to Mahabalipuram, and that was that. The scenario that meets a traveller today is entirely different. The East Coast Road could very well be termed the entertainment highway of Chennai. The road is brand new, flanked by the sea on the left and dotted with amusement spots through the entire stretch. Driving down ECR is an experience. Really You can pick and choose from Amusement Parks, Water Sports Centres, Beaches, Eco Conservation, Cultural and Religious Centres, Restaurants or Resorts to spend your day in. The road caters to practically every type of pastime that one could think about. Ahaa Water Park: A spot for frolicking in water, the Ahaa Water Park offers a variety of water sports and fun activities. It has a wave generator, which can generate waves of up to 3.5 ft. Beach Resorts: Another convenience that is found in plenty on the East Coast Road is the presence of several comfortable, pleasing, beach resorts, which enable you to take a break, and enjoy a seaside environment. Take your pick from those mentioned below: - Buena Vista - Blue Lagoon - Green Country Resort - Fishermans Cove - Casuarina Bay - Cholamandalam Artists Village: Set up by a group of artists to serve as a recluse for artists of all genres. This village offers the ambience needed for creativity to flow and is inhabited only by artists. The village offers guesthouse facilities exclusively for artists from elsewhere so that they could also benefit from the environment provided by the place. A must visit for those who appreciate the finer things of life. Crocodile Park: 25 Kms. The brainchild of Romulus Whittaker, the acknowledged specialist on reptiles, this center has gained fame as an endeavor for the preservation and propagation of endangered species of crocodiles. The center also houses a large variety of snakes. To get to Crocodile Bank from Chennai (Triplicane), you need to get on the PP19/B/X bus (runs along the beach) to Kovalum, which is the last stop for 14 (75mins/30 km). Then at this same intersection, get on 588/C/X bus to Mamallapurum (7 km/7mins) for 14/18AC. The entry fee is 35locals/60foreigners w/ a 20 still camera/ 40 video camera fee. Some people know it as a farm/park rather than a bank if you are asking for directions. 23 Dakshinachitra: A venture of Deborah Thiagarajan and her associates from the Madras Craft Foundation. Dakshinachitra is an amazing place to visit, as various kinds of traditional houses have been transported to Chennai from interior parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and rebuilt here piece by piece. Drive your way to fun and thrill . But be prepared to pay a small toll fee on the East Coast Road. Eco Conservation, Cultural and Religious Centres: Golden Beach: The first amusement park in Chennai, just about 11 km away from Adyar. Still a landmark of Chennai, this park offers over 40 odd rides for the fun seeker. The only park with an access to the beach Hill stations of Tamil Nadu. including Yercaud. Yelagiri. Ooty and Kodaikanal Hotels and Restaurants in ECR: The ECR road abounds with restaurants and eating spots, which offer a wide range of cuisines and tasteful ambience. And you can plan your dinner or lunch in one of these hotels. A few of the food outlets are listed below: - Basera - Blue Lagoon - Thanjavur Restaurant - Food Village - Coastal Kitchen - Hot Kitchen - Jagannathan Temple: An exact replica of the Puri Jagannath Temple. Those who have not been to Puri can take a look at this temple. Kanyakumari Site of the famous Vivekananda memorial. Kart Attack: A centre dedicated to fulfilling the speed maniacs desire for thrill in a safe and secure environment. The first go karting centre of Chennai, this has placed Chennai on the go karting map of India, and has been instrumental in creating a few go karting champions also. Little Folks amp Dolphin City: Specifically aimed at providing entertainment for the children, this park has a longer history than MGM. Dolphin city was closed 24 after all of its dolphins and sea lions had died. It is no longer operational now. Mahabalipuram: (58 Kms. Take a bus) - The internationally recognized heritage monument of our country, personifying the art and culture of the Pallava kings. One of the most famous temples here is the Shore Temple and is next to the beach. If coming from Chennai ensure you reach this temple between 6AM to 6PM, as it is shut down after 6PM. Also, keep in mind that it takes roughly an hour to reach Mahabalipuram from Chennai. Marina Beach (17 Kms. Take a bus or a train) Krishnas Butter Ball - Mamallapuram Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) There are several things to see on the way and in Mamallapuram 60 km south of Chennai. Marundeswarar Temple is the first temple that one comes across on the route. A Shiva temple having a rich sthala purana or location history. Mayajaal: 100,000 sq. ft of air-conditioned space. A multitude of activities and entertainment avenues, including movie theatres, bowling alleys, video games parlours, multicuisine food courts, and much more. This is Mayajaal, a multidimensional entertainment centre, on par with any entertainment zone found abroad. Open from 11AM to 11PM you can easily spend the entire day here. It offers that much and more. MGM Dizzee World: Spread over 27 acres, this theme park offers joy rides, food stalls and other games. It features one of the first roller coaster rides of Chennai, and many of the rides offered could make your hair stand on edge. On the softer side, you have the dashing car drives, and the swimming pool with its water slides. MGM Dizzee World is in Muttukadu next to MGM Beach Resort. Muttukadu Boat House: Located at 23 km from Adayar, this backwater area is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, and offers rowing and speedboat riding. Pondicherry (163 Kms. Take a bus) Go on a spiritual trip or volunteer at Auroville - an experimental township with no religion or politics. The drive down the East Coast Road (ECR) is delightful, with lovely beaches all along the way, and on the way you can stop over at the Botanical Gardens. Prarthana Drive In Theatre: Approximately 10 km out of Adyar, this complex offers both a drive in theatre and a drive in restaurant VGP Rameswaram (569 Kms. Take a bus or a train) Tiruvannamalai (185 Kms. Take a bus) Tirupathi (158 Kms. Take a bus or a train) Vedanthangal (85 Kms. Take a bus) Radio Control Car Racing at ECR RC Track: Chennai has the only active RC Car race track in India. On a weekend, you can find several RC car racers at the ECR RC Track located near Hot Kitchen Resatuarant on the ECR Road. It is very close to Kart Attack track. Visit IRCRA on Facebook for more details. Sai Baba Temple: Approximately 8.5 km from Adyar, the temple is peaceful, clean and breezy. Tiruvidanthai Nithya Kalyana Perumal Koil: As the name denotes, a temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara found on East Coast Road. Vedanthangal: Around 80KM south from Chennai, Vedanthangal is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in India. Built around the Vedanthangal Lake, it is home to thousands of native and migratory birds. Best time to visit between November and March. Temples South India is famous for its temples. Even if you arent on a pilgrimage, these are worth a visit if you are interested in grand buildings and architecture. There are 33, 000 temples in and around Chennai. Some of them are - Chidambaram Approximately 250 km from Chennai. The famous Lord Nataraja temple which has the golden roof for the moolavar which was offered by Parantaka Chola I . Kanchipuram (6 Kms. Take a bus or a train). Kamakshi temple, seat of one of the Shankaracharyas - the closest Hinduism comes to a spiritual head. Madurai Home to the famous Meenakshi temple. Swamithoppe Ayya Vaikundar Pathi, religious head quarters of Ayyavazhi. Thanjavur Brihadeswara temple (Big Temple). Tiruchirapalli Its situated 350 km south of chennai. By NH45 Trichy can be reached in 5-6 hrs and it has lot of attractions including the Srirangam temple (Sri Renganathar), Ucchi Pillayar (Rock Fort temple) and the river Cauvery. Tirunelveli Home to the Tamil Nadus largest Shiva temple, Nellaiappar Temple . Tirupati Approximately 150 km from Chennai, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Tiruvallur Approximately 45 km from Chennai. It is famous for its Vaidhya Veera raghava Swami Temple and Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami Ashram which has a 40 ft tall Murti of Hanuman. Tiruvannamalai Arunachala Temple famous for full moon day girivalam and Deepam Read in another language
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