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Chennai - The Gateway To The South
Popularly
regarded as "The Gateway to the South", Chennai is the fourth
largest city in India and the capital of Tamil Nadu state. With a vast
population of about six million people, Chennai is a city that is growing,
expanding and changing vigorously.
It's Location
Chennai has the Bay of Bengal bordering its east, while the state of
Andhra
Pradesh is on its northwest. It has the
Kanchipuram
on its south and the states of
Kerala and
Karnataka on
its western side.
The City Of Chennai
Chennai, previously called Madras, is comparatively a new city, about 350
years old. The erstwhile villages of Mylapore, Triplicane, Ezhambur
(Egmore), etc., all now a part of Chennai, have a recorded historical past
centuries older than Chennai.
Chennai is a gracious city that has a clear skyline, long sandy beaches,
parks, historic landmarks and tourist infrastructural facilities which
make it a convenient entry point or base to start a tour of
Tamil Nadu
and South India.
Music,
dance
and all other
art
forms of South India are cherished and nurtured in this city. Although the
city has long been an important center of textile manufacturing, a great
deal of industrial expansion has taken place in recent years.
History
Of The Chennai City
Modern Chennai grew out of a small village when in 1639 a fishing hamlet
called "Madraspatnam" was selected by early English merchants of
the East India Company as a site for the settlement.
Chennai was the first British major settlement in India and it was here
that many who went on to build the Empire first learnt their trade. As a
consequence, the city is replete with much that is of significance in
British Indian history. But the much older settlements have stories to
tell too, and so the city is an amalgam of ancient and more modern
history. Everywhere one goes in Chennai, one can find history written in
every name.
The
Growth Of Chennai
For more than 2000 years the area has been popular with seafarers, spice
traders and cloth merchants. The 16th century saw the arrival of the
Portuguese, followed by the Dutch. In 1693, the British East India Company
established a settlement in the fishing village of Madraspatnam. For St.
George was constructed over a period of 15 years and finally completed in
1653. George town grew in the area of the fort and was granted its first
municipal charter in 1688 by James II, making it the oldest municipality
in India. During the 18th and 19th centuries, French and British traders
competed for supremacy in India. In the 19th century, the city became the
seat of the Madras presidency, one of the four divisions of British
imperial India. After independence, it continued to grow into what is now
a significant southern gateway.
The Traditional And Modern Outlook Of Chennai
It presents a culture that is distinct from that of the northern part of
India and is famous for its traditional yet modern outlook. Chennai is a
city where the traditional and the modern blend in life everywhere. From
traditional vegetarian fare to fast foods, from nine-yard saris to the
latest in fashion, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rise -
with Indo-Saracenic and Victorian as stops along the way - from classical
music and dance to discos throbbing to heady beats, Chennai has them all
and many more vivid contrasts that are a pleasant surprise.
Centre Of
South
India's Film Industry
Chennai is the centre of South India's film industry; its skyline is
ablaze with bright movie billboards advertising the latest celluloid
fantasies. There are many big film studios.
Climate of Chennai
Being situated at the tropical zone, Chennai normally has a very hot and
humid climate. The best time to visit this city is the winter season.
Winter and summer temperature does not vary much as it rains frequently
through the year.