What is Chennai best known for?
Chennai, known as Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Bay of Bengal in Eastern India. It is popularly known as the 'Gateway to South India,' with Chennai being a major administrative and cultural centre. The city is rich in its diversity of different religions and cultures comprising Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians, all living in harmonious close-knit communities. The local language of this city is Tamil. Chennai and its suburbs comprise 600 Hindu temples. It is famous for its Marina Beach, Fort St. George, Kapaleeshwarar Temple and St. Mary's church. Behind the Chepauk Palace, you will find the Madras Cricket Club, which graciously sees many national sports tournaments. Chennai has dedicated followers of sports such as hockey, squash, tennis and cricket.
Here are the best-known places in Chennai
- Marina Beach: Marina beach is India’s largest beach covering the entire area from Fort St. George to Besant Nagar. The view of the sky and water is a limitless blissful wonder to experience. An old lighthouse towers at the southern end of Marina. The beach is busy all day with stalls serving delicious snacks, food trucks, ice cream stands and beach games lined up.
- Dakshina Chitra: This living history museum was built to capture the beauty and complexities of Tamil culture. It is designed as a small village created to encapsulate a plethora of handmade items, handicraft work, art by native artisans, and precious fabrics and paintings dating back to the 19th century.
- Connemara Public Library: This library treasures around 6,00,000 books and is one of Asia's largest libraries. It holds centuries-old publications and is a perfect spot to get lost in the world of stories simply!
- Arignar Anna Zoological Park: This zoo houses more than 500 species. The zoo offers thrilling experiences ranging from lion safari, elephant safari, deer safari, and a separate section of nocturnal animals. It also has a butterfly house, an aquarium, and a reptile house.
Airport in Chennai
Situated in Tirusulam, which is approximately 21 km from the city, Chennai International Airport stands third on the list of busiest airports in India.
- Airport address: Chennai International Airport – Grand Southern Trunk Rd, Meenambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600027
- IATA code: MAA