Chennai, the famous city is the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is a famous and attractive tourist destination with many interesting places. This city is formerly known as Madras, shortened from Madraspattinam. The city of Chennai is placed on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in the southern part of the country.
The city of Chennai is attracting visitors from all over the world with glittering beaches, marvelous religious spots such as temples and churches, shopping centers, fun parks, zoo, malls, wildlife habitats, bird sanctuaries enchanting historical attractions, and many more.This ‘capital of the south‘, is amongst the four metropolitan siblings of the country. Its rich cultural history is perfectly balanced with its metropolis lifestyle. This city is considered a melting pot of different lifestyles.
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15 Best and Famous Tourist Places in Chennai:
Marina Beach:
Marina Beach is India’s largest beach and is also supposed to be the most crowded beach in India with around 30,000 visitors per day. It is located in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu in India. Marina Beach is a natural urban beach that stretched out along the Bay of Bengal to a distance of 13 km. It serves as a beautiful view of the meeting view of the sky and water.
With a white sandy shore, the landscape of Marina Beach provides an enchanting and serene sight. On the southern point of Marina beach, there is an old lighthouse with some other formations like a swimming pool, an aquarium, and a park, etc. Marina beach provides a breathtaking view of sunrise.
Elliot’s Beach:
Elliot’s Beach is a famous beach, is placed in Besant Nagar, Chennai. It is also popular as “Besant Nagar Beach” or “Bessie“. This beach forms the end-point of Marina Beach. This beach derives its name after the Superintendent of Madras, Chief Magistrate, and Governor of Chennai during the British times, Edward Elliot. The enchanting beach is one of the cleanest beaches in Chennai. It is a less crowded beach than the Marina beach of Chennai. As it is a less crowded beach, this beach is visited for sunbathing and relaxing.
VGP Golden Beach:
VGP Golden beach is one of the most pleasant and marvelous beach destinations in Chennai well as in India. Golden beach is famous as one of the cleanest and amazing beaches in Chennai. This mesmerizing beach is lying along the Bay of Bengal, with its smooth and silver sand.
Nettukuppam:
Nettukuppam is supposed to be the northernmost tip of Chennai. It has a beach that is not so popular. Nettukuppam is the perfect place to spend some peaceful time. Sitting on the pier, hanging your legs, enjoying the refreshing and cool sea breeze, Nettukuppam is the perfect place for a well-spend summer evening. As the blue waves hit the shore, it breaks into white foam and creates a marvelous view. It is also a perfect place for photographers.
Breezy Beach:
Breezy Beach is placed in the remote and serene surrounding of Valmiki Nagar in Chennai. It is a small and less polluted beach. It’s a perfect destination for peace lovers. This beach is not so much popular as other beaches, hence more quiet and peaceful. Evenings are very pleasant here. In recent few years, this beach is attracting a lot of tourists with its beauty.
Fort St. George:
Fort St. George is a live example of the unchanged British rule. During British rule, this building was built as a center point for official purposes but now it is turned into the St. George museum. This complex is popularly called the ‘White Town’. The massive fort is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and it is now the station of the Tamil Nadu Government. It also has the Clive House, the first British official residential complex. The clive house was the residential complex of the Commander-in-chief and the orchestrator of British India, Lord Robert Clive. This building also houses St Mary’s Church which is also the oldest Anglican Church in India.
Madras War Cemetery:
The Madras War Cemetery is one of the most famous tourist places in Chennai, located in the heart of Chennai. The war memorial is constructed in 1952 as a tribute to the martyrs during the Second World War. This cemetery is a recognition of the glory and horrors of the war. There are the last remains of around 1000 martyrs who contributed their precious lives at the battlefronts. Although this memorial has its roots in a sad past, the cemetery is a serene and peaceful place for the dead to rest. On November 11, Armistice Day is hosted every year with wreath offerings and Guard of Honours.
Kapaleeshwar Temple:
Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a holy place dedicated to Lord Shiva in Mylapore, Chennai. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Karpagambal. This temple was originally constructed by the mighty Pallavas. But Portuguese explorers destroyed the temple. Around the 16th century, this temple was rebuilt once again by the Vijayanagar kings. This temple is around 37 meters tall. It houses also a sacred tank on the western side.
Parthasarathy Temple:
Parthasarathy Temple is one of the famous and beautiful tourist attractions in Chennai, located in the Triplicane area of Chennai. Dedicating to Lord Vishnu and his different avatars this temple is constructed and is standing in the heart of the city. It is a more than 1000 years old structure. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams existing in India. The temple has five different forms of Lord Vishnu – Narasimha, Rama, Gajendra Varadaraja, Ranganatha, and Krishna. This is a beautiful complex that is influenced by Dravidian architecture.
Ashtalaxmi Temple:
Ashtalakshmi Temple is a beautiful and popular tourist destination of Chennai, is located in Besant Nagar, near the Besant beach on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Ashtalakshmi is believed to be the Goddess of Wealth and Knowledge. There are also the idols of Dashavatara, Guruvayoorappan, and Ganesha. The sound of the ocean waves continuously echoes in the temple complex and creates a unique environment.
Thousand Lights Mosque:
The Thousand Lights Mosque of Royapettah is one of the most esteemed mosques of Chennai well as Tamil Nadu. The Wallajah family of the Carnatic rulers constructed this mosque in the early 19th century in the traditional Islamic pattern with domes and high minarets. It houses a huge prayer hall for males and a separate smaller hall for females. The shrine of the mosque is dedicated to Imam Hossein, the grandson of the first prophet Muhammad and a worshiped figure of the Shia Muslims all over the world.
Valluvar Kottam:
Valluvar Kottam is a monument in Chennai, constructed to honor the renowned classical Tamil poet and saint, Thiruvalluvar. This complexly designed monument was constructed by Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi during the 1970s. The magnificent design of the Valluvar Kottam attracts tourists from all over the world. Valluvar Kottam also organizes some of the most important exhibitions and events in the city.
Guindy National Park:
Guindy National Park is one of the famous tourist destinations in the city of Chennai. It is the dominant factor in serving the green cover of the city. This national park is known to be the 8th smallest national park in India. Guindy national park is filled with dense forest, scrublands, lakes, etc. This national park is home to a variety of animals, birds, and reptiles. There are animals like blackbucks, spotted deer, jackals, tortoises, etc. In reptile park snakes like cobras and pythons, and the birds include partridge, quail, flycatcher, and buzzards can be spotted.
Arignar Anna Zoological Park:
The Arignar Zoological Park is a famous tourist destination in Vandalur, Chennai. This zoological garden is an amazing place to witness the wild flora and fauna of the region. This national park is nestled near the city center in Chennai, India. In Arignar zoological park, there are more than 500 species. It is considered the largest zoo of its kind in South East Asia and is spread over around 1260 acres area. The Arinagar Anna Zoological Park is a residence of a variety of animals like the Himalayan elephant, brown bear, tiger, lion, and Indian civet cat. The zoo also has reptiles like king cobra, python, viper, etc. There this also a small Jurassic Park which is very famous among children.
Connemara Public Library:
The Connemara Library is the treasure of book lovers. This library was inaugurated in the year of 1896. This library is a treasure hunt of books, periodicals, newspapers, etc. The Connemara Public Library is amongst the four national depository libraries of India. It houses copies of all books and texts published in India.
[Also Read: 20 famous places in Hyderabad]
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