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Guide to Chennai, India
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Chennai
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Chennai The waterfront capital of the Tamil Nadu State, Chennai, is a wonderful destination to visit, rich in history, culture, and color. Chennai, which means small, is an interesting title to give a city with so much to offer. With temples dating back to the BC era, and an influential hand in the Bollywood (film industry in India), Chennai undoubtedly has many spectacles to offer and sights to see. Its a cosmopolitan city with a strong foot in the door of today, with roots and customs dating back centuries, as well as a people that are friendly and lively!
When to go:
Winter is the ideal time to visit Chennai, with the weather being the most moderate, and rainfall is said to be less frequent (although that is hard to judge, considering the rainfall is quite high in this region year round). Also, during the month of January, Chennais trademark festival, Pongal, takes place. Its quite an interesting event to behold. Summer is also a nice time to visit, and the temperatures are consistently nice and mild too.
Getting there and around:
Chennai Airport serves many domestic and international flights by numerous airlines, so youll have no trouble finding your way to the city. At the airport you will find all the information you will ever need to enjoy a comfortable, safe and adventurous stay in Chennai. With consulates, travel agencies, car rental agencies, and much more information and/or services available at the ready. Getting around Chennai can be tricky, and theres no better way than taking taxis. Taxis get you to your destination, quickly, easily, and quite affordably. They may be a bit more expensive than taking one of Chennais buses, but with buses youll easily risk breaking down, getting caught in traffic, or even causing traffic. Stick with the taxis, and youll be fine.
Attractions:
Chennai has lots of attractions. Lots of them. Theres a good chance you wont even have time to visit all the sights that you may even want to visit. But thats ok. The more the better, we say!After youre situated nicely in your hotel (or whatever accommodations you have chosen), we suggest your first place to visit should be the Parthasarathi Temple (dedicated to Lord Krishna). Its magnificent. And its old, very old. The temple was first built in the 8th Century BC by the Pallavas. There are many fascinating incriptions in the stone in various places of the temple, and youll see dates and various names of influentials in Indias past. Its quite an amazing feeling to know youre on the site, and interacting with something with so much history.Another temple with is even older than the previous one mentioned, is Kapaleeswarar Temple. It is the oldest in Chennai (although reconstructed, since the last one was submerged underwater), one of the oldest in all the world, and was dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple sculpture (a Dravidian sculpture) atop the temple stands 37m tall, and the temples courtyard holds a Punnai tree which shades a small shrine.Chennais National Art Gallery is quite an interesting place to visit, which really encompasses much of the regions heritage and culture with exhibits in all areas of interest: geology, archaeology, anthropology, botany, zoology, sculpture, armoury, and more. Its a highly recommended site to visit, and one that will not disappoint.The Government Museum is another noteworthy place, with a strong emphasis on Indian archaeology, with pieces from the Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala, and Chalukya periods. Theres also a great ethnology area here too.There is a Cathedral in Chennai, and a grand one at that. Originally built in 1504, and later razed and rebuilt in 1893, the Santhome Cathedral Basilica is a masterpiece of neo-Gothic architecture. The Cathedral supposedly holds the remains of St. Thomas the Apostle. Its a magnificent structure, both inside and out, and its a highly recommended place to visit.
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