Places To Visit In Chennai Sightseeing

Marina Beach is naturally the instant choice for everyone that visits Chennai. This is the second longest beach in the world. The large expanse of silver sand allows for a great walk along the seashore. Sunrise and sun set views are picturesque in this perfect setting. Some of the sports activities possible in Marina Beach include fishing, wind surfing and beach volley ball.

Semmozhi Poonga offers a great escapade from the scorching sun and it is a visual delight for your eyes tired seeing manmade buildings. The park was opened towards the end of 2010. Located at city’s center, the 20-acre park offers to view scenic landscapes and lush gardens. The well-maintained gardens have over 500 varieties of trees and plants from all parts of the world.

The Huddleston Gardens Of Theosophical Society is to create universal brotherhood where there is no distinction among human beings. The essence of the society is to blend the best of teachings of all religions to elevate the quality of humanity and its power. The world headquarters of Theosophical society is in Chennai. Located in Adyar, a part of Chennai, it commands respect from people belonging to all faiths.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park is the first ever zoo in India. The zoo was established in the year 1855. The zoo was initially in the Moor market from where it was shifted to Vandalur in 1976. The massive 510-hectare zoo houses over 170 species of wildlife. Some of the wildlife found here includes tiger, hyena, lion, panther, elephants and many more.

Pulicat Lake is a ‘must visit’ place if you are in Chennai. Chennai is not green and you do not chance upon many places in Chennai that help you get closer to nature. Hence, taking a time away to be at Pulicat Lake becomes all the more important. Pulicat Lake is located on Tamilnadu’s border. The atmosphere is serene and you can have a relaxed day here. Boat rides are very popular here. While at boat, you are allowed to indulge in fishing.

Kapaleeswarar Temple is one of the oldest temples in the city. It is not clear as to who built the temple. Going by the songs by Nayanmars, it is believed that Kapaleeswarar Temple was built during the 7th century by Pallava Kings. The architecture is not as old as they seem to be around 400 years old.

Breezy beach holds attraction for the unpolluted atmosphere. It is situated in Valmiki Nagar in Chennai. This small beach remains untouched by commercialization and hence very serene. This is a perfect place for a breezy walk and the sunsets are picturesque. The sea is clean and hence water sports are popular.

National Art Gallery was established in 1907. The influence of Indo-Saracenic architecture is evident in the red sandstone construction, which has four sections namely Tanjore Painting Gallery, Ravi Varma Painting Gallery, Indian Traditional Art Gallery and Decorative Art Gallery. Artists would love this place as it has on display some of the ancient paintings and handicrafts that date back to 11th century.

Connemara Public Library was established in the year 1896. You could find many unique and rare collections in the library, which boasts of possessing wealthier information across various subjects. The library itself is intricately designed and the architecture is a blend of Southern Hindu Deccani, Gothic, Rajput and Mughal. The library houses periodic hall, a video room and a reference room. Braille library is also found here.

Little Mount Shrine has a rich history associated with it. You can find the cave where St. Thomas went hiding before being martyred here. The lack of attention in preserving important structures and monuments is evident here too as you can find a rock that bears St. Thomas’ footprints, which was not given due attention earlier to preserve it for future generation’s view.

Government Museum of Chennai is popular as the Madras Museum. Factually being the second oldest museum of India (after Kolkata's Indian Museum), this museum is a treasure in itself! As a rich repository of finest masterpieces of art, archaeology, anthropology, numismatics and much more, the Madras Museum assures to lure one and all.

The year 2013-14 marks the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the saint who introduced the Indian Philosophies to the Western World. To honor the contribution of Vivekananda towards the Indian society, let me talk about a place which is very closely related to him. Vivekananda house or Vivekananda Illam is a museum in Chennai which is looked upon as an important landmark by the followers of Swami Vivekananda.

Chennai or Madras (as most of us call it), is considered as the gateway to south India. Iconic Marina Beach, which is counted among the longest beaches in the world, is a part of the city. Victory War Memorial or the Cupid's Bow in Chennai is one of the two war memorials located here, Madras War Cemetery being the other one. The memorial is situated at the beginning of Marina Beach.

Dash-n-Splash in Chennai is an amusement park located about 30 kilometers away from the city of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. The park is on the national highway number 4, which leads to Bangalore. The amusement park is based at Mevallur Kuppam Village in Chennai. The administrative office of the park is situated in the city itself.

The Ayyappan temple in Anna Nagar was constructed when a group of people living together decided to build a temple to worship the God they were devoted to. This temple started out as a simple and humble establishment but later on proceeded to become something enormous which is now a well-known landmark in Chennai.