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- Destinations
- Asia
- India
- Chennai
Chennai
Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the capital of the
friendly state of Tamil Nadu, and makes for a great gateway to
India's celebrated south. Founded in 1639 by the British (acting
under the auspices of the Dutch East India trading company), this
city on the Coromandel Coast is now the fourth-largest in India,
home to nearly 7.5 million people.
If truth be told, modern-day Chennai is a dusty, chaotic and
unattractive city - and is primarily used as a transit-point for
travellers looking to access the close-lying areas of Pondicherry
and Kerala. Accommodation options in Chennai are limited, shopping
is not really worth the considerable stress of negotiating its
roads and downtown areas, and there is not a great amount to see
and do in the city itself.
Still, for travellers looking to access India's southern
regions, and especially those who want to travel through the
famously friendly and temple-strewn state of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is
a useful entry-point to India - usually offering cheaper airfares
than flights to Mumbai (especially for visitors arriving from the
east).
Information & Facts
Language
Although English is generally used for official and
business purposes, Hindi is the official language and is spoken by
about 40 percent of the population. Urdu is the language common
with the Muslim demographic. India has a total of 22 official
languages
Money
The currency is the Indian Rupee (INR), which is divided into
100 paise (singular paisa). Major currencies can be changed at
banks, and authorised bureaux de changes. It is impossible to
obtain rupees outside India, but no matter what time you arrive in
India there will be an exchange office open at the airport. It is
illegal to exchange money through the black market and it is
advisable to refuse torn notes, as no one will accept them apart
from the National Bank. It is best to change money into small
denominations. Travellers cheques and major credit cards are widely
accepted, particularly in tourist orientated establishments. ATMs
are not generally available.
Sightseeing
Chennai is not usually a place that tourists to India spend much
time in - using it rather as a gateway to access the close-lying
(and far more interesting) cities of Puduchery (Pondicherry),
Trichy and Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum). Chennai has
good rail and bus connections to these places, as well as extensive
flights to other major Indian cities.
For those tourists who find themselves with a couple of days to
kill in Chennai, there are a limited amount of sights that capture
the imagination. The Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas
is a bright white, neo-Gothic, spired building - and is purportedly
built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle. The Big Mosque (also
called the Wallajah Mosque) is a beautiful structure, with
extremely pleasing lines and - despite its size - possessing a
remarkable symmetry. Completing Chennai's list of top religious
sights is the The Parthasarathy Temple, an 8th-century temple
dedicated to Lord Krishna.
Chennai also has a long coastline, full of sandy beaches with
great ocean views. However, unfortunately for tourists, swimming is
absolutely not allowed at any of these beaches due to dangerously
strong undercurrents.