1. ELLIOT BEACH
The favourite rendezvous for youngsters, it is named after Edward Elliot, who was the Governor of Madras at that time. The beach is home to The Karl Schmidt Memorial which commemorates a Dutch mariner, who died here while saving a man from drowning.
2. THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
This society was established by madame HP Blavatsky and Col HS Olcott to spread various religions and philosophical theories. Initially founded in New York, it was shifted to India with Mumbai as headquarters were relocated to Adyar in Chennai. Having shrines of all faiths, a Garden of Remembrance , a century old library and a research centre on oriental arts, it has an ancient Banyan Tree covering over 40000 sq ft on its campus
3. KALAKSHETRA
The state is well known for its contribution to Bharathanatyam. It has many gurukul and training institutes that create future exponents. One of them is Kalakshetra, the school of famous danseuse Rukmini Devi Arundale who founded it in 1936; it came to be also known as " The Temple of Arts:. The centre provides training to young students and has played a prominent role in keeping role alive the classical heritage.
4. GUINDY NATIONAL PARK
The Guindy National Park , earlier the property of Gilbert Rodericks was used as hunting preserve; it was bought by the then Madras Government in the year 1821. Among the flora and fauna , Guindy houses about 14 types of animals and the avifauna exceeds 37 varieties.
5.CHENNAI SNAKE PARK & CHILDREN'S PARK
Just adjacent to Guindy National Park is the famous Snake Park . It was established in 1972 and houses a variety of snakes such as king cobra, pythons, vibers etc. The Park is quite popular among children and herpetologists.
6. KAPALEESWARAR TEMPLE
The original Kapaleeswarar Temple was built in the 7th century by the Pallava kings but was destroyed by the Portuguese. The present structure was built in the 16th century by the Vijayanagar kings. It has beautiful paintings and bronze sculptures of the 63 Saivaite saints in the courtyard.
7. SANTHOME BASILICA
The Santhome Basilica gets its name from St . Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, who is believed to have come to India sometime in 52 AD. The cathedral was constructed at the site where the remains of St Thomas were entombed. Situated to the south of Marina Beach, the present structure has been several renovations after the foundation stone was laid on 2nd July , 1523. A statue of Virgin Mary, imported from Portugal is also housed here.
8. MARINA BEACH
The 13 kms long Marina Beach is the second longest in the world. The shore houses samadhis or " final resting places" of earlier Chief Ministers of the state like MG Ramachandran , CN Annadurai and many more. While here, one can also marvel at the beautiful edifices which are counted among the best in Chennai. The famous Madras University is also located nearby.
9. SEMMOZHI POONGA
Classical Language Park or Semmozhi Poonga, as it is called in Tamil, is a botanical garden considered among the best in the world. Located near the Anna flyover , the 20 acres garden has been meticulously landscaped by the Chennai Horticulture Department. It has more than 500 species of plants, in addition to the 80 pre existing trees, of which some are more than 100 years old.
10. SHRI PARTHASARATHY TEMPLE
Dating back to the 8th century, the Parthasarathy Temple os believed to be the oldest temple in Chennai. It was previously constructed by the Pallava kings and was further renovated by the Vijayanagar rulers. The temple is a combination from the time of Pallavas, Cholas and Vijayanagar on its walls.
11. VALLUVAR KOTTAM KODAMBAKKAM
The carved temple on a chariot is a memorial of Tiruvalluvar , the renowned Tamil poet-saint; its structure reminds one of the temple chariots of Thiruvarur. It houses his life size figure and all 133 chapters from Thirukkural depicted in bas relief. the auditorium here can accommodate up to 4000 people at a time.
12. FORT ST GEORGE
The mighty fort on the shores of Bay of Bengal was built in 1639. As heard , it marks the formation of Chennai City . Inside is a museum displaying various cannons once used by the brave king Tipu Sultan, along with some age old artefacts. The flag pole at the roof is 150 ft high up in the sky and is said to be one of the tallest.
13. ST MARY CHURCH
Situated within Fort St . George , the tower like church of St Mary is also known as " Westminister Abbey of the east". It is the first Anglican Church in Asia and was built in 1680 ; it witnessed the tying of the nuptial knot of Robert Clive with Governor Elihu Yale, who was the pioneer of Yale Univesity . Today the church is taken care of by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The favourite rendezvous for youngsters, it is named after Edward Elliot, who was the Governor of Madras at that time. The beach is home to The Karl Schmidt Memorial which commemorates a Dutch mariner, who died here while saving a man from drowning.
2. THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
This society was established by madame HP Blavatsky and Col HS Olcott to spread various religions and philosophical theories. Initially founded in New York, it was shifted to India with Mumbai as headquarters were relocated to Adyar in Chennai. Having shrines of all faiths, a Garden of Remembrance , a century old library and a research centre on oriental arts, it has an ancient Banyan Tree covering over 40000 sq ft on its campus
3. KALAKSHETRA
The state is well known for its contribution to Bharathanatyam. It has many gurukul and training institutes that create future exponents. One of them is Kalakshetra, the school of famous danseuse Rukmini Devi Arundale who founded it in 1936; it came to be also known as " The Temple of Arts:. The centre provides training to young students and has played a prominent role in keeping role alive the classical heritage.
4. GUINDY NATIONAL PARK
The Guindy National Park , earlier the property of Gilbert Rodericks was used as hunting preserve; it was bought by the then Madras Government in the year 1821. Among the flora and fauna , Guindy houses about 14 types of animals and the avifauna exceeds 37 varieties.
5.CHENNAI SNAKE PARK & CHILDREN'S PARK
Just adjacent to Guindy National Park is the famous Snake Park . It was established in 1972 and houses a variety of snakes such as king cobra, pythons, vibers etc. The Park is quite popular among children and herpetologists.
6. KAPALEESWARAR TEMPLE
The original Kapaleeswarar Temple was built in the 7th century by the Pallava kings but was destroyed by the Portuguese. The present structure was built in the 16th century by the Vijayanagar kings. It has beautiful paintings and bronze sculptures of the 63 Saivaite saints in the courtyard.
7. SANTHOME BASILICA
The Santhome Basilica gets its name from St . Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, who is believed to have come to India sometime in 52 AD. The cathedral was constructed at the site where the remains of St Thomas were entombed. Situated to the south of Marina Beach, the present structure has been several renovations after the foundation stone was laid on 2nd July , 1523. A statue of Virgin Mary, imported from Portugal is also housed here.
8. MARINA BEACH
The 13 kms long Marina Beach is the second longest in the world. The shore houses samadhis or " final resting places" of earlier Chief Ministers of the state like MG Ramachandran , CN Annadurai and many more. While here, one can also marvel at the beautiful edifices which are counted among the best in Chennai. The famous Madras University is also located nearby.
9. SEMMOZHI POONGA
Classical Language Park or Semmozhi Poonga, as it is called in Tamil, is a botanical garden considered among the best in the world. Located near the Anna flyover , the 20 acres garden has been meticulously landscaped by the Chennai Horticulture Department. It has more than 500 species of plants, in addition to the 80 pre existing trees, of which some are more than 100 years old.
10. SHRI PARTHASARATHY TEMPLE
Dating back to the 8th century, the Parthasarathy Temple os believed to be the oldest temple in Chennai. It was previously constructed by the Pallava kings and was further renovated by the Vijayanagar rulers. The temple is a combination from the time of Pallavas, Cholas and Vijayanagar on its walls.
11. VALLUVAR KOTTAM KODAMBAKKAM
The carved temple on a chariot is a memorial of Tiruvalluvar , the renowned Tamil poet-saint; its structure reminds one of the temple chariots of Thiruvarur. It houses his life size figure and all 133 chapters from Thirukkural depicted in bas relief. the auditorium here can accommodate up to 4000 people at a time.
12. FORT ST GEORGE
The mighty fort on the shores of Bay of Bengal was built in 1639. As heard , it marks the formation of Chennai City . Inside is a museum displaying various cannons once used by the brave king Tipu Sultan, along with some age old artefacts. The flag pole at the roof is 150 ft high up in the sky and is said to be one of the tallest.
13. ST MARY CHURCH
Situated within Fort St . George , the tower like church of St Mary is also known as " Westminister Abbey of the east". It is the first Anglican Church in Asia and was built in 1680 ; it witnessed the tying of the nuptial knot of Robert Clive with Governor Elihu Yale, who was the pioneer of Yale Univesity . Today the church is taken care of by the Archaeological Survey of India.
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