Holiday in Chennai

About Chennai

Chennai (formerly Madras) is the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the cultural heart of South India. The city on the Bay of Bengal is the center of Tamil culture, Bharatanatyam dance, Carnatic music, and South Indian cuisine — a world that is fundamentally different from North India. Marina Beach stretches over 13 kilometers along the coast and is one of the longest city beaches in the world. In the evening, it transforms into a huge street food market with Sundal (spiced chickpeas), Bajji (fried vegetables), and fresh sugarcane juice. The Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore is a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture: a colorful Gopuram (temple tower) adorned with hundreds of deity figures. The San Thome Basilica (over the tomb of Apostle Thomas) and Fort St. George (1644, the oldest British fort in India) tell of Chennai's colonial history. The Government Museum is one of the oldest museums in India with an outstanding bronze collection from the Chola dynasty. Chennai is also the capital of the Tamil film industry (Kollywood), producing more films per year than Bollywood. The film studios, poster paintings, and fandom around superstars like Rajinikanth are unique. Mahabalipuram (UNESCO, 1 hour south) with its beach temples and rock sculptures is an essential day trip.