Chennai
Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is
India’s four largest metropolitan cities and
is located on the Coriander Coast on the Bay of Bengal. It is also the capital
city of the state of Tamil Nadu Home to just
over seven million residents, Chennai is a
commercial and industrial hub – the third
largest in India – and sports several car
manufacturing plants. Situated on the edge
of the Bay of Bengal means the weather
year-round is warm to hot and humid, with
monsoon rains and some severe tropical
storms. Despite the occasionally ferocious
weather, Chennai has access to some splendid
beaches, especially the 13-kilometre-long
Marina Beach, which draws crowds to the warm
water. Chennai, like most of India, is
sports mad and when the cricket comes around
you can be sure to find some action at the
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. There is also an
international tennis tournament – the ATP
Chennai Open – for tennis-lovers.
Shopping
Chennai
is usually abuzz with many forms of shopping
activity: On the street visitors will find
markets and bazaars, while shopping
malls and indoor markets offer a more
relaxed environment. Of interest will be the
knock-off capital in Chennai, the Burma
Bazaar, while the Moore Market is known for
its diverse range of books. Many streets in
the city are dedicated to one particular
type of product, like literature or
electronics. George Town and Parrys Corner
are wholesale markets for produce, books,
clothing and just about anything you could
imagine. Traditional arts and crafts, often
made by hand, can easily be bought at
Cottage Emporium, Poompuhar Emporium and
Victoria Technical Institute, all of which
are at Anna Salai. But what would a trip to
India be without sampling some fine silks?
And the Kanjeevaram silk sarees of Nalli’s
Rasi and Kumaran silks at T Nagar are lovely
examples of these products.
Attractions
In
the neighboring town of Mahabalipuram,
visitors can explore the wondrous ancient
temples and rock carvings made during
the Pallava kingdom in the 7th century.
Nature lovers will surely want to visit the
Guindy National Park, India’s smallest
national park, is completely situated inside
the city itself. It is home to many species
of endangered monkeys, deer, foxes and
reptiles. Inside the park there is another
sectioned-off area – the Guindy Snake Park –
that is sure to impress those who like all
that slithers and bites. Chennai is also
home to three amusement parks and a water
park, which is custom-made for coping with
those hot summer days and will surely find
favour with tourists seeking some local fun
in the sun. Being the centre of the Tamil
State, Chennai is also home of the Tamil
movie industry and there are more than 100
movie theatres at last count that show
features in English, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu
and Malayalam. And if you have never seen a
movie in an Indian theatre you are missing
an interesting experience.
