established themselves in Pulicat to the North. Founded in 1639 on land given by the Raja of Chandragiri, the last representative of the Vijayanagar rulers of Hampi to British traders, a small fort was built at a fishing settlement in 1644 and a town, which subsequently came to known as George Town, grew in the area of Fort St. George.
The settlement became independent of Banten, Java, in 1683 and was granted its first municipal charter in 1688 by James II. It thus has the oldest municipal corporation in India. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, when the British and French competed for supremacy in India, the city's fortunes waxed and waned. The French briefly occupied it on one occasion. Robert Clive of British India used it as a base for his military expeditions during the Wars of the Carnatic. In 1756, the French withdrew to Pondicherry, leaving the British to develop Fort St.George. During the 19th century, it was the seat of the Chennai Presidency, one of the four divisions of British Imperial India.
After Independence, the city continued to be known by the name Chennai until the government of Tamil Nadu under the chief minister Mr. M. K. Karunanidhi officially converted it to Chennai in 1997. Since then, it has grown into a bustling metropolis and a significant southern gateway.
Shopping At Chennai
Shopping in Chennai can be an interesting experience for the tourist because Chennai is one of the important trade centers of south India. Chennai is a good place to shop for a large variety of items-- traditional bell metal items, bronze icons, and stone sculpture, as well as other crafts of the southern region at the local shops of Chennai.
Besides these, the city of Chennai is famous for the beautiful Kancheepuram hand woven silk sarees. These sarees are renowned for the temple borders and rich zari (gold thread) pallavas. Detailed traditional motifs and bright colours with contrasting borders make these sarees absolutely delightful.
You may pick up some of these exquisite souvenirs for your loved ones in silver, copper, bronzed and wood, available in various government emporia and private stores. Even the jewelry made from uncut precious stones make excellent gift items. A wide range of craft shops and various government emporia along Anna Salai specialise in conventional souvenirs and handicrafts made of rosewood, sandalwood, ivory, bronze and silver.Leather goods, silk and hand-woven fabrics, saris and jewellery are available at most of the upmarket shopping centres. The Victoria Technical Institute, run by nuns on behalf of development groups sells traditional crafts, handmade clothing, batik greeting cards, embroidered upholstery and finely carved wooden furniture besides other items. One can visit the Central Cottage Industries Emporiumin Temple Towers, Anna Salai, and Nandanam for the choicest arts and crafts. Superbly decorated, it has an excellent range of handicrafts from all over India. For exquisite silks and cottons the government - sponsored Handloom House in George Town, or the more expensive India Silk House on Anna Salai are the right choices. Locals and visitors alike visit Kumaran and Nalli silk stores. In George Town near the Parry's corner are the self-styled duty free shops, which sell electronic goods, sweets and chocolates. Footpath stalls along Anna Salai or in front of Egmore station, are excellent places to pick up cheap 'export reject' clothes.
Chennai Airport
Chennai Airport in Tamilnadu has many firsts to it. Chennai International Airport was the first International Airport in India to get ISO-9001-2000 Certification. List of other first credited to Chennai Airport include:
- 1st to have International & Domestic Terminals adjacent to each other
- 1st to have aerobridge at Domestic Terminal
- 1st to use Domestic Terminal for International flight on wheels
- 1st to supply free mineral water through designated water coolers at Kamaraj Domestic Terminal & Anna International Terminal.
- 1st to introduce paper cups at Airport to make it environment friendly.
Chennai International Airport is situated at Tirisulam, 7 Km south of Chennai. It has two terminals, Kamaraj Terminal and Anna Terminal. Kamraj Terminal caters to domertic passengers and Anna Terminal handles international flights. Presently, 15 International airlines operate from Chennai Airport. These are: Air India, Air Mauritius, British Airways, Delta Air, Emirates, Gulf Air, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Sri Lankan Airlines.
Chennai Transportation
Railways Transportation
Chennai city is well connected to the rest of the state and country by the railway network. Chennai Central and Egmore serve as important railway termini for broad gauge and meter gauge trains. There are direct train services to other important cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, as well as distant destinations such as Jammu, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Guwahati. Madras city has an extensive suburban railway system that is well patronized.
The suburban railway transportation in Chennai connects Chennai Central to Ennore, Avadi and Tambaram. The MRTS (Mass Rapid Transport System) is the new addition to the transport options in the Chennai. Commuters can take the route from Chennai Beach to Thiruvanmiyur in South Chennai or the Tambaram line. This system is aimed at relieving the congestion on the bus system, which is already under severe strain, especially during peak hours.
Bus Transportation
Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation Limited is the bus company that serves the needs of the people of Tamil Nadu. This bus company has been bifurcated into other sub-divisions for ease of administration. The Central Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu is the largest bus terminus in South Asia.
Other than the State run buses, there are various private bus fleet services that operate to cities such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tirupathy, Salem and Bangalore. You can find comfortable air-conditioned buses to many destinations. Chennai MTC (Metropolitan Transport Corporation) provides a bus network across the city - one that is frequent and affordable.
Places to see at Chennai
- The Marina Beach
- Sri Kapaleeswar Temple
- Fort ST. George
- Valluvar Kottam
- Birla Planetarium
- Government Museum Complex
