Archive for the ‘Chennai’ Category

The resort is essentially an amusement park located close to Chennai’s city center. The resort comprises of some lush green parks that are lined up with some wonderful trees. VGP Golden Beach Resort offers a nice place as egress from the techno life. Well paved side walks, parks and the shades of the trees provide a natural climate that is quite refreshing. The resort hosts a number of activities for fun and frolic. The popular rides and games at the resort include go-kart, dashing car, water chute, super trooper, giant wheel, aero-ship, jumping frog, children’s merry go round, super jet, break dance, dragons belly, jungle safari, roller coaster and many other.

The rides like go-kart, dashing car and water chute form the speciality of the resort. One can see the jubilant faces of people of all ages in these rides. For children super trooper and giant wheel is one thing not to be missed.

The resort also provides for various contemporary, cultural and folk shows. The discotheque at the Ecstasy Land, which forms an integrated complex, can be seen rolling and rumbling with youth. Other features of the Ecstasy Land include an open air seating stage, banquet and conference halls, bar and a private beach.

The resort houses a number of food courts. The Rain Forest restaurant is very popular restaurant within the resort premises. The restaurant and other food courts serve a variety of continental and popular food dishes.

History

Chennai (Madras) is the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu. The district is located in the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal and is one of the four largest metropolitan cities in India. The city was originally known as Madras Patnam and was located in the Tondaimandalam Province. We at Toursitplacesinindia.com provide you with all that you want to known about the Indian city of Chennai (Madras).

The city of Chennai covers a total area of about 174 square km with a total population of about 4343645. The city has a large number of tourist destinations which includes temples and other places of interest in and around the city. Important temples in the city include the Kapaleeswarer Temple at Mylapore, Parthasarathy temple at Triplicane, Vadapalini Andavar Temple at Vadapalini, Shrine Velankanni and Shri Devi Astha lakshmi temple. The festivals are mainly based on the agricultural activities and according to the position of the stars and planets. Pongal, celebrated in the month of January, is the most important festival of Chennai. Being a cosmopolitan city, almost all the religious festivals are celebrated here.

Best Season, Climate, and Clothing

The mighty Bay of Bengal borders Chennai has bordering to the east, whereas the state of Andhra Pradesh is on its northwestern part. Since it is located at the tropical zone, Chennai usually has a very hot and humid climate. Winter season would be the best time to visit this city owing to pleasant climatic conditions. Due to the frequent rains, there is no much variation in the temperature all the year round. Cotton clothing is best for a tropical city like Chennai.

Places to Visit

Chennai city is fully loaded with some interesting and amusing places. The metropolitan city houses all sorts of attractions, be it famous South Indian Temples, museums, monuments, parks, beaches or picnic spots. There is no dearth of attractions as such. The accredited mega city does not give any chance for a complaint to a globe trotter. And to add some spice, as is South known for, the place has a number of industrial and commercial hubs.

The popular places of interest in Chennai are the much crafted temples. These famous South Indian temples witness a great number of visitors every year. Next in line are the monuments, most of them built during the British occupancy. The monuments withhold the beauty of the past and some rich memories associated with them. The diverse wildlife of Chennai is featured by several parks and breeding centres. Beaches, likewise, pour in some more life in the city.

Marina Beach

Lining the east of the city is the famous Marina beach, at Kamarajar Road, 3 Km away from Madras. This is supposed to be the second longest beach in the World and runs to a length of 12 Km. On the beach there is the Anna Park, named after the founder of D.M.K (Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam) Anna durai and the tomb of M.G. Ramachandran who was a film star and the charismatic Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Sri Kapaleswarar Temple

Known as a panacea from many troubles, Sri Kapaleswarar Temple is situated near Kutchery Road, Mylapore. Built in the13th century, this ancient Siva temple is a delightful introduction to Dravidian temple sculpture and architecture. The magnificent 37 meter tall gopuram is one of the main attractions of this temple. The crowded cosmogony of Stucco gods, goddesses and saints depict important Puranic legends. The ‘Punnai’ tree in the temple courtyard is one of the oldest trees in Chennai and shades a small shrine depicting the legend that gave Mylapore its name. The goddess Parvati, in the form of a peacock, is shown worshipping Shiva, represented by the traditional Lingam. Parvati is worshipped in this temple as ‘Karpagambal’.

Snake Park

It is located at Sardar Vallabbai Patel Road within the area of the Guindy National Park. Visit : Wednesday to Monday from 0830 to 1730. Tuesday holiday. There are more than 40 species of common snakes of India ranging from the dark deadly ‘King Cobra’, ‘Banded’ Krait’ to Puff adders’, vipers, pythons and alligators. The crocodiles, chameleons, monitor lizards and tortoises can also be seen in their natural setting.

The old port town of Mahabalipuram also known as Mamallapuram on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, has a coastline spanning a distance of over 20 km with beautiful beaches. Located 58km from Chennai on the Mahabalipuram road, the golden sandy beach is a picturesque place bounded by the shimmering sea and rolling hills. Identified as the most pristine beaches of Tamil Nadu, the beach attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. The beach is an idle place for sunbathing and lazing around. The sea is rough and swimming is not recommended.

Mahabalipuram beach also has some ancient historical monuments in its close proximity and this is the main reason of attraction of this beach. There is one of the oldest shore temples in South India built by the Pallava King Rajasimha in the early 8th century and the world’s largest bas-relief, the ‘Penance of Arjuna’, which is 96ft long and 43 ft high, the five rathas and the tiger’s cave along the beach. On the way to Mahabalipuram Beach is Dakshinachitra, 28 km from Chennai, a heritage space with exhibitions and workshops of the arts and crafts including traditional home architecture and performing artists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Other places worth a visit while on a tour to the beach include the crocodile farm where about 5000 crocodiles of 6 different species, alligators and other reptiles are bred in captivity, kept in open, marshy enclosures, snake venom extracting centre and a school of art and sculpture.

To feel the touch of nature, Ooty is a right spot for the lover of nature. It is located at a distance of 105 km away from Coimbatore. It sparkles with fresh vegetation and sceneries. It is “queen of all hill station”. The height of the hills in the Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 meters. It attracts the tourist by its charming flowers. Lofty mountains, dense forest, acres and acres of tea estates are green feast for the eyes of the tourist.

The fast food world man runs his life in this world of tension; and living in the sweltering heat; to while away his short leisure hour he can spend that with nature (ooty).The weather of valley is salubrious. Ooty is a best place to know the culture and tradition of India and tribal people.

Botanical gardens, lamb’s rock and Dobabetta peak, kalhatty fallskandal, cross shrine, mini garden and rose garden; Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park are till more amusing places in Ooty and its surroundings. Ooty lake boating is a remarkable spot which highly entertains the tourist. Udagamandalam otherwise called as Ooty. Its mountain train journey on a ratchet and restrain track which commences from kallar will give a new adventures effect. Finally Nature never betrays the tourist.

marina1.jpgMarina Beach
The Marina Beach is the second largest beach in a city after the Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California, the world’s longest city beach. If you want to escape the heat, hurry to Marina Beach, one of the longest beaches in the world. And also the most crowded all year through. What makes it special is a promenade created by Governor Grant-Duff, who gave Marina its name in 1884. A series of statues line the promenade. Marina beach is a major tourist attraction. People visiting Chennai make it a point to visit the beach. The beach is popular for its shopsand food stalls. The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers’ track, lovers’ spot, aquarium, etc., make it a hangout for people of all ages.The sea is rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at both ends of the beach. Summer brings extra life to the Marina. The waters look appealingly blue and inviting. The kite season, the raw and ripe mango sellers, masala papads- it is a hub of activity. A trip to the beach would be incomplete if you don’t dig into the yummy typical Madrasy Sundal. You do not have to go looking for them. They come searching for you. The street hawkers, usually a young chap, may run up to you and tug at your shirt and say ’saar, sundal’. Indulge, it is a taste that sure will linger in your memory.

electronic_voting_machine_on_beach1.jpgElliot’s Beach
Elliot’s Beach is one of the cleanest beaches in the city of Chennai. It is located towards the south of Marina Beach and is an extremely calm and tranquil place. The beach is known as ‘Bessei’ amongst the locals. Elliot’s Beach is a popular hangout for the young and the old alike. There are rows of trendy casual clothes shops and fast food joints along the shoreline where you can stop for a snack. It is also the favorite destination of foreign tourists for enjoying sun bath. Elliot’s Beach offers very subtle activity, with only few food joints and restaurants. You can relish the mouth watering South Indian snacks and pamper your taste buds, here. Apart from this, there are some religious and historical monuments, to be explored, to add to your adventure. Ashtalakshmi Temple and Velanganni Church are some worth visiting places in the vicinity.

164772166_702ae4832a1.jpgKapaleeshwar Temple
The Kapaleeshwar Temple located in Mylapore in Chennai is a fine example of eight-century Pallavan architecture and is the oldest temple in the city. This ancient Shiva Temple forms a nucleus for the crowded residential area of Mylapore.
You can find fragments of inscriptions dating back to 1250 AD. The 8th century Pallavan architecture and inscriptions dating back to 13th century found on its walls are noteworthy. The streets and shops around the temple sell everything, from flowers and vegetables to silver and gold. This is the main entrance to the temple. Mylapore incidentally is the combination of two words Mayil – that is peacock and oor that is city or town.

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Sri Parthasarathy Temple
Devoted to Lord Krishna, this temple found in Triplicane, is another original Pallavan piece of the 8th century. A king by name Sumathi, showered his love toward the Balaji of Thirumala. But he wished to worship Balaji as Krishna. For the sake of him, Balaji Appeared in front of the king as Krishna, at this place in the pose which he stood in the Mahabharath war. At the end of that war he decided not to hold any weapons, so he appeared here only with a conche in his hand. hence this temple is known as parthasarathi temple. Brhamotsavam will be celebrated in a grand manner every year, Vaikunda ekadasi is very special in this Temple.

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Chennai, one of the four metropolitan cities in India, is often called the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage. The city is a true reflection of this country’s diversity. Chennai has flourished into a charming and welcoming city, in a time span of just over 350 years. This city encourages all forms of development, both modern technology and the traditional arts and crafts, and embraces a series of paradoxes.

Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, known as Kollywood, a second largest film industry in India, is based in the city.  

How To Reach
By Air : The Kamaraj Domestic Airport and the Anna International Airport are located at Meenambakkam about 20 kms from the city. Many major international airlines have regular direct flights to Chennai. Domestic airlines operate daily flights to all major cities of the country from the domestic terminal.

By Rail : Chennai is connected by rail with all major towns and cities in India. Main Railway Stationsof Chennai are, Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore. Trains operate from Egmore Junction to different parts of the state while interstate trains originate from Chennai Central Station.

By Road : Chennai is connected by good network of roads with all important places in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. Many private vehicles are also available for domestic and interstate transportation. Some major road distances from Chennai to other cities; Bangalore (334kms), Kolkata (1678kms), Hyderabad (704 kms), Trivandrum(790kms), Delhi (2095 km), Mumbai (1329 kms).

 

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