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Know more about Chennai
Chennai can be known better with maps that can help you get the right information regarding matters of significance. The city map will give you detailed information about the railway station, airport, roads, hospitals, cinema halls, restaurants, rivers, and important places of interest. You can see on the maps that Chennai is well connected to various cities of India by air, road and railways.
History of Chennai
The city was known by the name of Madras and has now changed to Chennai. Chennai is a land of ancient history that has increased the charm of the city. Before the foreigners arrived, it was the Cholas, Pandyas and the Pallavas who ruled over the present day Chennai. It was the Portuguese who arrived first in the 16th century. The Dutch and the East India Company followed later. Within a short period, the British were able to establish their supremacy. The British built the first major British settlement in India that was the nucleus of the colonial city at Fort St. George. It later became the major naval base of the British and the south administrative center. After independence, the city became the capital of Tamil Nadu, formerly known as Madras state.
Location of Chennai
Chennai is situated to the south eastern coast of India on a flat coastal plain. The district is surrounded by other district in the state like the Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur districts, while the Bay of Bengal lies to the east of the city. The coast stretches around 25.60 kms. The city district lies between 12 ^9' and 13^9' north latitude and 80^ 12' and 80^ 19' south longitude.
Chennai Culture and Tradition
Chennai has a rich culture and heritage that goes back to thousands of years. Although today it is a cosmopolitan city that has been industrially progressed and one of the major cities in India, it still has maintained its culture and tradition the way it was since the ancient times. The dance, art, music, festivals, religions are very distinctive of the south India culture. The dance and the classical music are world famous; especially the very famous Bharthanatyam dance form has been recognized the world over for its beautiful grace.
The festivals celebrated here are the Pongal, which is the most important festival here that is celebrated in January and goes on for four days. Apart from the regional festival, national festivals like the Deepavali, Eid and Christmas too are celebrated with fun. The state language is Tamil. Many people speak English as well as Tamil. Malayalam and Hindi are the other two languages spoken in the city.
Economy and Development Strategies
Chennai is now a modern city and has a good number of foreigners working here. It has a diversified economy with various industries like automobile, software services, hardware, textiles, petrochemicals, medical tourism and many other industries. The Chennai port has played a significant part in the growth of Chennai economy. Another important contribution comes from the entertainment industry or popularly known as cinemas. The Tamil film industry is the second largest entertainment industry in India and provides a large portion of economy of the state. Banking and finance contribute heavily to the economy as well as it houses three major national level commercial banks and several state level and co-operative banks. Many prominent banks have their headquarters based in Chennai.
Tourism in Chennai
Chennai is proud of its long sandy white beaches that are clean and have clear blue water that add to the beauty of the city. There are many interesting places to visit. One of the most visited towns is Mahabalipuram that has temples and rock carvings dating back to the 7th century. The city witnesses around 650,000 tourists from foreign countries and around 8, 30,620 domestic tourists.
The various places of Chennai are the Marine beach, temples, Fort St George, parks, museums, National parks like the Guindy national park, which is regarded as the smallest national park comprises of various endangered species which is worth watching.
Last Updated on 11/2/2011
