Tourist places in Chennai, Attractions in Chennai India, Places to see in Chennai Tamil Nadu

One thing I like about my aunt is her ability to accommodate all of us whenever we visit her house in Chennai. Irrespective of water problems, space constraint, she is a picture of grace, love and charm when it comes to hosting guests in her house.

So this time too when we went to Chennai, we were all welcomed with a lot of love, affection and warmth. I had gone there with four of my friends as we were working on a project. Though the office gave us accommodation facilities, I decided to taste the delicacies my aunt would dole out rather than remain in the confines of the four walls of the hotel room.

As we had a weekend my aunt took us around the tourist places in Chennai. She is a tourist guide by profession and so it was fun hearing her explaining things so beautifully.

The city which forms the capital of the State Tamil Nadu which attracts visitors because of architectural masterpiece in the form of temples and the beauty of the nature. This is the place which can’t be lost in the tourist map of India.

First we saw the Saracenic styled High court. My aunt explained how it was constructed in the year 1892 and how the domes here are beautiful because of the construction of the past. She showed us the grand cupola and the stained glass windows. The High Court was within this construction and the Small Cause’s Court and the City civil Court was also a part of it.

After this we went to the fort of St. George. Very professionally my aunt went to explain how it was built in the year 1654 and how it got remodeled. This she said was the first bastion of the British rule in our country. We were enthralled by the six meter high wall that encircled the fort. She said how many Mughal emperors had laid siege here and how this fort is testimony to the greatest historical events in our country. Today the Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly is here.

From here we proceeded to the St. Mary’s church which was built in the year 1678. This was, my aunt added incidentally the first church in the city of Chennai. Apparently Robert Clive got married here in the year 1753.

Our next destination was the Govt. Museum which was one of the important tourist places in Chennai. This museum had the best exhibition of geology, botany, anthropology , sculpture and zoology besides numismatics. My aunt showed us around and showed the 2nd century relics and the prized ancient possessions here. There were collections of all faiths here and the main thing that we liked was the musical instruments from South India that were displayed. My friends liked the ancient icons and bronze gallery here.

The next important tourist place in Chennai was the St. Andrew’s church. This again was the queen of all the churches in Chennai. The British East India Company built in around 1821. There were lovely marbled floors and beautiful columns. My aunt said they were white Doric columns.

Then we went to see the Development Center for Musical Instruments. Here we saw a lovely collection of all the kinds of musical instruments which were ancient and modern. My friend Gautam a great music lover just went berserk here.

Valluvarkottam was the next tourist place in Chennai that we saw. My aunt said it was a memorial for the sage Thirvalluvar who was also a poet. The chariot at Thiruvaroor was replicated here and it was constructed in the year 1976. We saw how beautiful the life size statue looked and the chariot had the Thirukkural inscribed on its panels. These couplets were around 1330 in number my aunt said.

We were struck by the next destination – the Sri Parthasarathy temple which was constructed by the Pallavas way back in the 8th century. This temple has been witness to many fights and historical battles. A truly amazing place to visit.

Then we went to the much famed place where we were longing to reach. The marina beach, the second longest beach in the whole world. With its magnificent background of the state buildings this is the place where a person would feel the city calming down in the serene surroundings. With the University of Madras and the Chetpauk Palace looming large, the sands of the golden beach beckon all tourists to come for more. An aquarium at the beginning of the beach is a wonderful thing here.

Then we went to see the Samadhi of the great leaders of Chennai Anna and MGR. We then proceeded to the Elliot’s beach which is a quieter beach but definitely a place to visit and lounge around. We went swimming here and enjoyed the experience with friends and my aunt was sitting and watching us have fun.