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Theme Parks / In & Around Chennai
| Amusement Parks |
Kishkinta
India's No.1 Theame Park at Tambaram.
Offers among other amusuments hi-tech ones like space
shuttle, wave pool, white water, flume ride, Kiddies
Kingdom.
Little
Folks
46 Kms towards
Mahabalipuram. A great amusement complex for children.
Has a Giant-Piano. Toy Train, Rainbow Fountain,
Slide-into-pool, Cartoon show & Paddle-Pool.
MGM "Dizzle World"
Beach Resort
24 kMS
towards Mahabalipuram,(Near Muttukadu). Has amusement
park, unique water sports.
Prime
Time
Annanagar,
extravagant indoor amusement park, especially for
children packed with bumper carrides, play pens and all
sorts of new games.
Dash 'N
Splash
30 Kms from
Central Station. South India's exclusive water park. Has
wave spiral and free fall slides and flumes from height
of 12ft to 35ft.
VGP Golden
Beach
30 Kms from
Chennai. A popular beach resort and amusement park
filled with children's games, parks and seaside
restaurant.
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| Beaches |
| Marina Beach The city's Marina Beach, bordered by
gardens, lies just to the South of the War Memorial. It
is claimed to be the second largest in the world, about
13 kms.
Covelong
For a balmy holiday, the fishing
village of Covelong has an excellent stretch of beach.
This lies 55 km enroute to Mamallapuram which is 60 km
from Madras and is a breathtaking seaside haven ideal
for a relaxing holiday.
Elliots
Beach
Besantnagar.
Located in a more quiet and sedate ambience, ideal for
sunset strolls.
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| Beyond City |
Madurai
It is one of the oldest towns in South
India. This is the abode of goddess Meenakshi, the
consort of Lord Sundereswarar (Shiva). Legend has it,
that when a Pandya king founded the town of Madurai some
thousands of years ago, Lord Shiva was present. And the
nectar falling off his hair gave the town its name of
Madurai or city of nectar.
Tiruchirapalli
Precariously perched atop a massive
outcrop of rock that rises abruptly out of the flat
surrounding plain is the famous Rock Fort at
Tiruchirapalli. Set in the middle of the town on the
bank of the river Cauvery, is visible for miles around
and it. A citadel of the Chola kings in the Sangam
period (2 BC to 2 AD) the Rock Fort has had a long and
chequered history.
Thanjavur
Just 58 km away lies Thanjavur, once
the capital of the Chola empire which is referred to as
the "Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu". Nearly a thousand years
ago around the 11th century, Thanjavur was the capital
of a powerful dynasty, the imperial Cholas whose empire
extended beyond South India and Sri Lanka to the
kingdoms of South-East Asia. The Chola kings used their
wealth to encourage thearts and built innumerable
temples and shrines to ornament their land.
Mamallapuram
Mamallapuram, 60 km,
south of Madras is a World Heritage centre famed for the
impressive rock-cut temples and a beach that allures fun
seekers by the thousands.
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, 71 km, from Madras is an
impressive temple town. It is famous worlwide for
Kanchipuram hand woven silk and cotton fabrics, woven in
contrasting colours, traditional motifs and gold
threads. Kanchipuram, once known as the city of a
thousand temples, today has around 126 temples. It is
the among the seven most sacred pilgrim centres for the
Hindus.
Palani
Palani, a pilgrim spot atop a hill
dedicated to Lord Subramanium, is easily accessible from
here.
Pondicherry
Lying 162 km south of Madras, this town
has an imminent French influence. It is where the famous
philosopher Sri Aurobindo once lived. For sight seeing,
interesting places include churches, museum, beach, the
Aurobindo ashram, and Auroville. Close by lies
Chidambaram, an ancient Chola temple with a gilded roof,
tall gopurams and a thousand pillared hall. This is the
most venerated shrine of Lord Shiva represented here as
Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. Point Calimere wildlife
sanctuary lies close by. The mangrove forests of
Pichavaram, an ideal spot for boating, fishing and water
sports is also nearby.
Rameswaram
Rameswaram lies 176 km from Madurai.
This conch shaped island in the Gulf of Mannar is a holy
spot for Hindus. The magnificent Ramanathaswamy temple
is noted for its longest corridors in the country,
extending over a length of 1220 m long with its
marvellous carved pillars. Those who visit here bathe in
the sacred waters of Agaitheertam, a stretch of clam sea
near the temple.
Kanyakumari
Proceed to Kanyakumari, the land’s end
of India to view the spectacular sunrise and sunset at
the beach. The temple, Vivekananda Rock and Gandhi
Mandap are among the places of interest.
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| Churches |
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Santhome Cathedral Located at the Southern end of Marina
Beach is the one of Chennai's historic landmarks, the
San Thome Cathedral. It is named after the apostle of
Chirst, St. Thomas. San Thome Cathedras of today is
dominated by a towering neo gothic spire which is 55
metres high.
St.Mary's
Church
The first
Anglianchurch to be built in India in the late 17th
century. It was originally about 60'*90', had outer
walls 4' thick and a bombproof curved roof. Some other
higligts are the altar piece, a huge painting of 'The
Last Supper' done a la Raphael.
St.Thomas
Mount
A place of
pilgrimage, St.Thomas Mount is located near
meenambakkam. St.Thomas was killed here. The paintings
of "The Holy Lady and The Child" in the church and "Our
Lady of Expectations" are widely believed to have been
painted by St.Thomas himself.
Descanso
Mylapore. Built in 17th century, it is
believed that this is the site where St.Thomas, one of
the 12 apostles of jesus Christ used to rest and indulge
in acts of charity.
Velankanni
Church
This church is
in honour of Our Lady of Health,the Madonna of
Velankanni. Smaller in scale than the original one at
Velankanni(near Nagapattinam) the devoted believe in the
miraculous curative powers of the Madonna. Other
churches that would be of great interest are the Little
Mount,the Armenian Church, St.George's Cathedral,
St.Andrew's Church.
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| Gurudwara |
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Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh
Sabha Sri Guru Nanak
Sat Sangh Sabha at T.Nagar is a place of remarkable
serenity and traquility.
T.Nagar. A striking contrast to rock
hewn temples of Tamilnadu is the Jain temple. The
two-tiered, 70' high temple is built of lime-and-
soapstone and marble giving it a dazzling appearance.
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| Memorials |
Anna Square
At the northern end of the Marina, on
Kamarajar Salai is Anna Square. This is the burial place
of a fommer Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. C.N.
Armadurai. It is located in the centre of a beautiful
park, the entrance to which is a
spectacularcontemporary-style arch in the shape of twin
converging elephant tusks.
MGR
Memorial
Beach road.
Located on the Marina Beach adjacent to Anna Square.
Built on the site where M.G.Ramachandran, former Chief
Minister of Tamilnadu was buried.
Rajiv Gandhi
Memorial
Sriperumbudur. Place were Rajiv Gandhi
was assassinated. Also the birth place of Sri Ramanujar,
the Vaishnavite saint.
Victory War
Memorial
Adjacent to
the Fort St. George on the south is the War Memorial,
which housed the coastal battery and was formerly called
'Cupid's Bow the Victory was Memorial honours those who
have laid down their lives for their country since the
First World War.
Rajaji, Gandhi and
Kamaraj Memorials
Close to childrens park are the
memorial buildings, the Rajaji Memorial, the Gandhi
Mandapam Memorial and Kamaraj Memorials. The
Octogonal-shaped building commemorates India's first
Indian bornm Governor Genera, the astute Tamilnadu's
politician and stateman C.Rajagopaichari. Only a short
distance further is the Gandhiji Memorial. Next to
Gandhijis commemorates one of Mahatma Gandhi's most
ardent stalwarts K.Kamaraj, a man revered in Tamilnadu
for his part in the fight for freedom.
Valluvar
Kottam
The
ValluvarKottam, dedicated to the memory of the Tamil
Saint Philosopher and poet Thiruvalluvar, is the largest
auditorium in Asia. It is located at the junction of
Kodampakkam High Road and Valluvar Kottam Road.
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| Museums |
Dev Centre for Musical
Instruments
Mylapore.
An exquisite collection of ancient and modern musical
instruments, both original and prototype can be found
here.
Fort
Museum
Beach road. An
exclusive museum which preserves relics of the British
era including original correspondence of those times.
National Art Gallery
and Museum
Built in
1906, the Chennai National Art Gallery was originally
intended to be a memorial to queen Victoria. An
impressive certal dome flanked a series of smaller domes
supported by pillars on each side. After independence,
it became an art Gallery in 1951. It has bronze exhibits
dating from 10th to 13th centuries and paintings of
Rajasthani and Mughals of the 17th century. Established
in 1857, the museum can justify its claim to being one
of India's best. There are large sectiors devoted to
Archacology, Anthropology, Geology, Numismatics, Zoology
and Botany along with comprehensive collections of arms
and armour.
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| Mosques |
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Big Mosque
Walajah road. Built in 1795, this
mosque is surely one of the most attractive ones in
South. Built of grey granite rather than wood of steel.
Thousand Lights
Mosque
Built in
mid-1800's in the land donated by Nawab Wallajah, this
mosque last rebuilt in 1981, has two 64' tall minarets.
The mosque also houses a library, a urial ground and a
guest houses.
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| Other Places |
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The Theosophical
Society
The
Intemational Headquarters of the Theosophical Society is
in Adyar. It is more than 120 hectares of gardens, the
World Headquarters of the Theosophical Society is a
splendid old building surrounded by shrines to all the
world's great religious faiths.
Madras
University
Just
opposite to Anna Square is Madras University. Its ground
and buildings are examples of the Indo-lslamic style of
architecture which became popular with the British
architects in the second half of the 19th Century. The
'Senate House' across the University is perhaps the best
example of this style.
Fort
St.George
Fort St.
George, on Rajaji Salai, completed by the British in
1640. Fort St. George is presently used as the offices
of the Tamilnadu Secretariat and the Legislative
Assembly. The Fort contains St. Mary's Church, built
around 1680. Its not only India's first Protestant
Church, but also the oldest Anglican church.
MGR Film
City
A recently built
place, specially for the thriving film industry in
Chennai. It has many film studios and a film school.
There is a nominal enterance fee.
Kalakshetra
Thiruvanmiyur. A renowed school for
learning arts and crafts, Kalakshetra was founded in
1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Adhering to the Indian
system of education through the Gurukulam, the students
and their teachers live within the campus so as to have
a truly rewarding experience.
Birla
Planetorium
Kotturpuram Located in the Periyar
Science and Technology Centre, the Birla Planetorium
presents audio visual programmes on astronomy. A must
for students and lovers of astronomy.
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| Parks and Zoo |
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Vedanthangal Bird
Sanctuary
85 Kms south
of madras is the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, which is
one of the major ones in india. Every year during the
rainy season an average of 1,00,000 birds come here.
Bird watching is best early morning or in the evening
Watching tower is available.
Children's
Park
On Sardar Patel
Road, find the entrance to the Children's Park on the
left when coming from Adyar. The main attractions of the
Park are the elephant and pony rides.
Snake
Park
Adjacent
Childrens' park is the city's interesting snake park.
The snake park houses a vast variety of reptiles,
ranging from the dark deadley 'King Cobra' 'Banded'
Krait' to puff adders', vipers, pythons and allegators.
Crocodile
Park
At 42 km point
from Chennai on the way to Mahabalipuram is the
Crocodile Bank, run by Romulve whittaker. This is a farm
where several species of Indian and African Crocodiles
and alligators are bred in' captivity.
Anna Zoological
Park
30 Kms south of
Madras. Large numbers of different species of animals
are kept in large open enclosures. The kids can have
jolly ride on the toy train.
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| Temples |
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Parathasarathy Temple
Located at Triplicane High Road is the
large Sri Prthasarathy Temple. This Hindu Temple,
devoted to Lord Krishna, was built in the 8th Century by
Pallava King and has been ornately renovated since.
Kapaleeswarar
Temple
This Hindue
tmeple is little more that 350 years old, is considered
by Hindus to be one of the most sacred Hindu, sites in
Southern Part of India.
Vaikunthaperumal
Temple
This important
temple was built by the Pallava King Nandivarman
Pallavalmalla in the 7th Century. Lord Vishnu is
depicted in sitting reclining and standing poses.
Kamakshi Amman
Temple
This temple,
built by the Chola Kings in the 14th century, is
remarkable for its omate gold-plated gopuram. Dedicated
to the goddess Parvati, it is one of the three holy
places of her worship in India.
Ekambareswarar
Temple
This ancient
temple of Kancheepuram is surrounded by a huge stone
wall built in the early 16th Century during the days of
the Vijaynagar Empire. Dedicated to Lord Siva, the
temple has hve enclosures and its 1000 pillared hass is
the epitome of the hnal development of Dravidian temple
architecture.
Kailasanathar
Temple
Constructed
from sand stone in the 8th century by King Rajasimha and
compled by his son, Mahendram, this temple is noted for
its intricate and prolific sculptures. The main shrine
is surrouded by 58 smaller shrines.
Varadarajaswamy
Temple
Also known as
the Devarajaswamy Temple, this massive structure is
noted for its shine which tops a rock in the shape of an
elephant. The temple has two high towers, one in the
east and the other in the west. The 1000 pillared hall
has interesting and highly detailed sculptures. Besides
being the Golden Clty of Temples, the city produces
silks that are renowned for their colours, finish and
durability.
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