Gifts to Chennai

Kalakshetra or 'Temple of Art' is located beyond Elliot's beach and was founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale to train, encourage and revive interest in bharatanatyam, the classical dance form of the state. This institution is among the finest of its kind in the country and is run on the ancient gurukulam system. Throughout the year Kalakshetra conducts music recital and dance performances in different parts of Chennai.

Kapaleswara Temple is situated at Mylapore in Chennai. Its ornate gopuram tower is a riot of color, matched only by the vivid saris of worshippers at the three-hundred-year-old temple. The government museum displays fine bronzes of Hindu deities created by artisans of the Chola period (ninth through thirteenth centuries) which bespeak the devotions of the time, so similar to those of today.

Light House This massive structure situated at the south end of Marina Beach beckons sea captains and creates a lovely atmosphere especially if viewed at night. All India Radio (AIR) radio broadcast station is located opposite the light house.

Marina Beach pride of Chennai, is reputed to be the second longest beach in the world and has a wide sandy foreshore. Situated on the beach, the Anna and MGR samadhis are memorials of the most popular former Chief Ministers of the state. An aquarium is also located on the Marina Beach. Some of the most beautiful buildings in Chennai such as the University of Chennai, Senate House, Chepuk Palace, Presidency College and Ice House are located on this beach drive too that are worth seeing. Worthy of special mention is a group of bronze figures by the renowned Indian sculptor, Debi Prosad Rai Chaudhari, eulogizing the 'Dignity of Labour'.

National Art Gallery at Pantheon Road (Egmore) houses a plethora of paintings dating tentatively from around the 10th century A.D. In addition, there are intricate glass and mica paintings that hail from Tanjore and are more or less attributable to the same era. The adjacent building is a world of contemporary art, the handiwork by the eminent painters, Ravi Verma and his son Raja Verma. The paintings vary from portraits, landscapes to simple modern art. The gallery is open between 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. except Fridays and National holidays.

Saint Mary's Church is the oldest Anglican Church in the city and was built in 1680. The tombstones in its courtyard are the oldest British tombstones in India.

San Thome Basilica located at the south end of Marina Beach was named after Saint Thomas "doubting apostle of Jesus Christ". It is believed he came to Madras in 52AD and was killed at St. Thomas Mount just outside the city in 78 AD. Built in 16th century by the Portuguese, in 1896 it was made a basilica. The beautiful stained glass window here portrays the story of St Thomas and the central hall has 14 wooden plaques depicting scenes from the last days of Christ. In the cathedral is a 3ft. high statue of Virgin Mary which is believed to have been brought from Portugal in 1543 worth seeing.

Snake Park located near the Guindy Nat. Park hoses lizards, crocodiles and turtles which prove quite interesting. It is well maintained with generous enclosures. Information boards debunk many myths about reptiles. The park is open daily, except Tuesday, 8.30 am to 5 pm.

Theosophical Society This was formed to facilitate and encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and was founded by Madame Blavatsky and Col. Olott of the USA, and later moved to Adyar in 1882. Apart from shrines to all faiths and the peaceful Garden of Remembrance, there is a 95-year old library which has a very good collection of rare Oriental manuscripts written on palm leaves and parchment worth viewing.

Valluvar Kottam on the corner of Kodambakkam High Rd and Village Rd, honours the acclaimed Tamil Poet, Thiruvalluvar, whose classic work, the Kural, is reputed to be about 2000 years old. Established in 1976, Valluvar Kottam replicates ancient Tamil architecture with the 1330 verse Kural inscribed on panels. It's open daily 8 am to 6 pm.

Velankanni Church was built 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 here.

Arjuna's Penance is supposedly the world's largest bas-relief measuring 27m x 9m and is the pride of Mahabalipuram. This huge whaleback shaped rock contains figures of Gods, Demigods, men, beasts, birds and represents the entire creation.

Covelong en-route to Mamallapuram about 60km from Chennai has breathtaking seaside views ideal for a relaxing away from the crowds.

Crocodile Farm This farm, on the way to Mahapalipuram has more than 5500 crocodiles representing 6 species and is an interesting place to visit, if you have never seen these reptiles before.

Kanchipuram is a small rural town about 75km from Chennai in the state of Tamilnadu. Its economy is entirely dependent on tourism and the well established handloom industry. Silk saris manufactured here are considered some of the best found anywhere so is a great place to go shopping for this sort of thing. Other interesting sights include the Kamakshi Amman Temple, Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Kailasanathar Temple, Ekambaranathar Temple, Ulagalandha Perumal Temple, Yathoktakari Perumal Temple, Deepaprakasa, Perumal Temple, Kandakottam Subramanya Swami Temple, Kachapeswarar Temple, Sankupani Vinayakar Temple, Pandava Thoodha Perumal Temple, Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple at Tirupputkuzhi, and Jain Temples at Tirupparuthikkundram.

Kanyakumari or Cape Comorin is unique in being surrounded by three stretches of water, the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian sea, and the confluence is called 'Thriveni Sangamam'. Here one can get a breath-taking view of the sunrise and sunset at their best. The multicoloured sand is yet another unique feature of the beach here. Kanyakumari is a famous pilgrim centre, too.

Kurusadai Islands This is an ecological paradise situated off Mandapam. It is notable for its coral reefs and wonderful of marine life such as dolphins. Note: Permission from the Fisheries Department in Chennai is necessary to visit the Islands.

Mahabalipuram also known, as Mamallapuram is 58km south of Chennai, nestling on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, was once a port of the Pallavas. The Pallavas have created many marvellous monuments with Sculptural Panels, Caves, Monolithic Rathas (chariots) and Temples worth seeing. There is also a crocodile farm, snake venom extracting center, schools of art and sculpture worth viewing.

Mandapam This links the island of Rameswaram and is the gateway to many small islands. It is bestowed with a quite beach for sun and surfing and is a popular spot.

Muttukadu 36km from Chennai is an ideal picnic spot. Tamil Nadu Tourist Development Corporation runs a boat house here, where facilities for boating and wind surfing are available.

Pulicat 60km north of Chennai on national Highway No.5. Here visitors can see the Pulicat Lake and Buckingham Canal situated on the northern end of Tamil Nadu which pose as ideal picnic spots. Go for a catamaran ride on the shallow water here or a visit the Bird Sanctuary both of which popular activities. A Dutch Cemetery of 17th century is located here too worth a look-see.

Sadurangapattinam This is a small fishing village, 16km south of Mammallapuram. A ruined fort of Dutch origin near the beach houses tombs tones dating back to 16th -17th century worth meandering around.

Shore Temple located in Mamallapuram 60km south of Chennai is one of the oldest temples in south India. It belongs to the early 8th century AD and is a good example of the first phase of structural temples constructed in Dravidian style. The monuments are floodlit at night and so it is possible to enjoy their beauty after sunset.

Tiger's Cave located in Mamallapuram 58km south of Chennai is an open-air theatre, where cultural programmes are held.

Neelapattu Water Bird Sanctuary One of the largest Pelican breeding areas in South-east Asia, Neelapattu serves as a breeding ground for more than 1500 pelicans every year. The sanctuary is also visited by several winter migratory birds, and is the breeding ground for rare and endangered species like grey pelicans, open-billed storks, little cormorants, spoonbills, white ibis, night herons etc. Neelapattu also serves as a roosting spot for birds like egrets, terns, ducks, waders etc. Don't miss it!

Sri Lankamalleswara Sanctuary is home to Panther, Sloth bear, Cheetal, Sambar, Chowsingha, Chinkara, Nilgai, Wild boar, fox etc. It is also home for the rare and highly endangered Double- banded or Jerdon's Courser and like many similar areas is an excellent spot to visit with the whole family.

Pulicat Sanctuary This vast coastal shallow, brackish water lake attracts large congregations of greater and lesser flamingoes, grey pelicans, painted storks, grey herons, ducks, teals, terns, herons, gulls and a number of waders worth observing.

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary Also popularly known as Topslip, this is a lovely sanctuary with a vast variety of flora and fauna. An ecological paradise, the sanctuary encompasses a National Park and boasts a thick growth of trees, with several evergreen sholas and teak forests.

Kalakad -Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Declared as a Project Tiger Reserve, the Kalakad and Mundanthurai Sanctuaries, that's best seen in September to March and October to January respectively. While here you can spot lion tailed macaque, nilgiri langur, bonnet macaque, common langur, nilgiri tahr, sambar, sloth bear, gaur, elephant, tiger, flying squirrel, panther, wild dog and pangolins along with a wide range of birds and reptiles.

Mudumalai Sanctuary Close to the Bandipur National Park and located at the foot of the Nilgiri Hills, Mudumalai is ideal for viewing large mammals like elephants, gaur, sambar, and if you are lucky, bear and tiger.

Point Calimere Sanctuary Also known as Kodikkarai, this sanctuary is a situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, on a promontory that juts out into the Palk Strait. F amous for the vast flocks of migratory water fowl, especially flamingoes, the mud flats and marshes are also covered with teals, shovellers, terns, plovers, sandpipers, shanks, gulls and herons amongst many others. Another highlight of the area is that one can often see dolphins here.

Guindy National Park is the smallest national park in the country and the only one located in the heart of a city. Once part of the hunting grounds of the erstwhile Guindy Lodge and later part of the grounds of the Raj Bhavan, this area is now protected and has been declared a black buck sanctuary. Other animals found here include cheetal, smaller animals like mongoose and some lesser cats. GNP is also home to several species of birds.The park is open daily, except Tuesday, 8.30 am to 5 pm.

Marine National Park, covering 221 islands and 623 ha, comprises a marine biosphere running along the coast of Ramanathapuram and Tuthukudi Districts. The national park is full of coral reefs, pearl banks, dugong, turtles, dolphins, etc. Kurasodai Islands, off Mandapam, boasts of a vast expanse of shallow waters. A chain of coral reefs surround this island and the waters in this region sustain a remarkable variety of marine life. You can see starfish, sea cucumbers, crabs, sponges etc, as well as sea cows and dolphins.

Vedanthangal Water Bird Sanctuary Spread over an area of 30 hectares, this is the oldest sanctuary in India , established in 1858. A variety of birds visit every winter, including cormorants, egrets, grey heron, open-billed storks, darters, spoonbills, white ibis, night herons, grebes, grey pelicans, garganey, teals, shovellers, pintails, stilts and sandpipers etc. The nesting season commences late in October and the fledglings are ready to fly by about February. A variety of resident birds like coots, moorhen and tern add to the great density of birds during the wintering season.

Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wild Life Sanctuary This interesting sanctuary is characterised by a mix of dry deciduous forest, tropical evergreen, semi evergreen, moist deciduous forest and grass lands. Due to the presence of high-canopied trees, the Grizzled Giant Squirrels are found here are plentiful. Other interesting species are the flying squirrel, tree shrew, elephant, lion tailed macaque, nilgiri tahr, mouse deer and many species of birds. This sanctuary can be visited through out the year.

Pichavaram Mangrove Forest This sanctuary comprises of 3000 acres of mangrove forests criss-crossed by back waters and facilities for boating are available.