Chennai
Cornucopia of cultures

Among the primary British fortresses, inbuilt 1644, the good white Fort St George is inextricably linked to the history of the town . Today, it houses a museum that’s believed to be one among the oldest surviving buildings built within the fort. The Fort St George Museum started with alittle collection of objects of British raj donated by the then Madras presidency government. Today, it houses over 3,600 registered antiquities within the collection. the simplest of those are on display in 10 galleries. As you enter, an imposing marble statue of Lord Cornwallis, former governor-general of India, greets visitors. An imposing display of swords, daggers, rifles, pistols, mortars, helmets, batons, bows, arrows and more also can be seen. Moreover, one can see displays of uniforms of varied ranks of British army. Tableware, porcelain, portraits, canvas paintings , church silverware and a palanquin of Arcot Nawabs also can be seen. The Indo-French Gallery has fine, decorated porcelain, clocks, stamps and coins, furniture, lamp shades and clocks.

Started in 1851, it’s the second-oldest museum in India and has an enviable set of archaeological, Roman and numismatic collections. Moreover, one can find exhibits of Buddhist ruins from Amaravati. A key highlight here is that the Bronze Gallery that has sculptures from the fashionable times to the Pallava era dating back to the 7th century. inspect the statues of Lord Shiva as Nataraja (the cosmic dancer) and a Chola bronze figurines of Ardhanarishvara, the manifestation of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. There are several archaeological representations of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures also Anthropology galleries that really trace South Indian human history back to prehistoric times! actually , it’s said that it’s the most important collection of Roman antiquities outside Europe.
Located in Egmore, the govt Museum is spread across a neighborhood of 16.25 acre of land. it’s made from six independent buildings and has 46 galleries. It celebrated its centenary in 1951 that was attended by Pandit Nehru , the then Prime Minister of India. this is often a superb museum that also has the National gallery , Contemporary gallery and Children’s Museum.

Located adjacent to Raj Bhavan, the Guindy park boasts a rare sort of foliage: tropical dry evergreen vegetation. cover a huge area of two .7 sq km, this park is perhaps amongst the littlest of national parks, yet is teeming with wildlife like blackbucks, spotted deer, jackals, a spread of snakes, geckos, tortoises and over 100 species of birds and 60 species of butterflies and spiders. Sheltering over 350 species of plants, the park may be a botanist’s delight. Some a part of this space features a zoo and a children’s park. Another attraction is that the Guindy Snake Park that houses hamadryad , pythons, vipers and other reptiles. The park is open from 9 am to 5:30 pm and is shut on Tuesdays. It makes for an excellent place to go to with the entire family.

Believed to be one among the oldest and most revered temples of Chennai, Kapaleeswarar Temple may be a shrine of Lord Shiva. within the temple, the wife of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati is worshipped within the incarnation of Goddess Karpagambal. She is believed to be the ‘Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree’. As a ritual of Friday worship, Goddess Karpagambal is obtainable a garland made from gold coins called kaasu mala.
A classic example of Dravidian sort of architecture, the simplest known feature of the temple is 37-m-high gopuram (gateway). On entering the temple, one is greeted with the view of a sculpture of a holy saint named Gnanasambandar. There are beautiful bronze carvings of the 63 Shaivate saints and one among the oldest trees of Chennai, Punnai tree, is within the courtyard of the temple.
The temple features a number of interesting features, including vahanas (Sanskrit word for vehicles), bull, adhikaranandi, elephant, bandicoot, peacock, goat, and parrot, along side a golden chariot.
A 10-day long procession is administered per annum during the Aruvathumoovar festival in March-April, which sees many footfalls.

Often considered to be the pride of Chennai, Marina Beach, 13 km long , is that the second-longest beach of its kind within the world. an extended stretch of sentimental sand, Marina Beach invites tourists to unwind, take a dip within the water and enjoys local snacks. the road facing the beach is lined with one illustrious landmark after another. These include Madras University, Government departments, Senate House, Presidency College, Cricket Stadium and Swami Vivekananda Memorial House and therefore the building of All India Radio. it’s said that it had been the private favourite beach of ME Grant Duff, the erstwhile British Governor of Madras (1881-86). Sunrises and pony rides also can be enjoyed here.
The credit for converting this place into a tourist spot goes to Duff. He took the specified measures to vary the face of this place in 1880s. The historical monuments are built at the junction of pathways. These include Annadurai and MG Ramachandran memorials, statues of heroes from Tamil culture, Indo-Saracenic buildings, monuments of Tamil scholars, patriots and famous personalities including Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose. one among the foremost remarkable sculptures of the beach is that the Triumph of Labor by Debiprasad Roy Choudhary. On the beach, one can enjoy a spread of South Indian snacks and ice creams. there’s also an aquarium situated near the beach. it’s home to a number of the mesmerising species of sea and water fish. One also can visit the Ice House, which has ice brought from lakes in North America during British rule. the simplest time to go to the beach is between November and February.

A beautiful Roman catholic cathedral in pristine white, this church features a Portuguese origin, and dates back to the 16th century. it had been rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in 1896 and is claimed to be the ultimate resting place of St Thomas, the Apostle. alittle cross on the tomb wall contains a small bone fragment mentioned because the ‘Relic of St Thomas’. An underground tomb chapel is worshipped here and therefore the devout believe that sand from the tomb has miraculous healing powers. a gorgeous glass window at the basilica portrays the story of St Thomas and therefore the central hall has 14 wooden plaques that depict the stations of the cross. The cathedral also features a 3-ft-high statue of Virgin Mary believed to possess been brought from Portugal in 1543.

It is a historical monument dedicated to the well-known poet, philosopher and saint, Thiruvalluvar. The temple is made within the shape of a chariot, and is 39 m high. As you enter it, you’ll see an enormous effigy of the saint. What makes this temple unique is that it stands without the support of any pillar. On the enormous columns of the auditorium, the facade and within the hall corridors, one can find 1,330 verses of the Thirukkural, a classic Tamilian text, that was penned down by the saint about 2,000 years ago. within the construction of the temple, around 3,000 blocks of stones were used. there’s also a lion on the most gateway that features a gorgeous design.
The temple was built under the guidance of a South Indian architect, V Ganapati Sthapati, who also built the statue of the saint at Kanyakumari. 

Tanjore paintings are an excellent thanks to beautify the interiors of your homes and are presented as gifts on special occasions. they’re an indigenous kind of Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu . They employ relief work and intense compositions involving religious figures and motifs. Semi-precious stones, pearls and glass pieces further increase their beauty. they’re one among the foremost popular sorts of South Indian paintings, which are known for his or her surface richness and vibrant colours.
This kind is believed to possess originated during the 16th century, under the reign of the Cholas. Patrons of those paintings include the Maratha rulers, the Nayakas and therefore the refore the Rajus communities of Tanjore and Trichi and the Naidus of Madurai. The theme of most of the paintings revolves around Hindu gods, goddesses and saints. Some paintings also feature birds, animals and floral patterns. Done on solid wood planks, the most figure is painted within the centre. These paintings also are called Palagai Padam.
The first step to form a Tanjore painting involves drawing the essential sketch of the image on the bottom , which is formed from cloth and is later pasted on a wooden base. Chalk powder is mixed with a water-soluble adhesive and applied on the bottom after which the drawing is formed and decorated with glassware and pearls. Some artists also use semi-precious stones and vibrant laces to reinforce the sweetness of Tanjore paintings. The last step involves pasting wafer-thin sheets of gold on some parts of the paintings while the remaining parts are painted using bright colours. The gold used is real 22-carat and remains intact for years and provides a glowing appearance to the paintings within the dark.