Chennai, or Madras as it was known, is "The Gateway to the South". A city steeped in history and cuture, a city that is still a village at heart. This is the city of cool boulevards and huge mansions. This is also the city of IT and Industry, Detroit of South Asia, Of Jazz and Music

This is the city of culture, of tradition, of stately homes and gentlemanly people. This is also the city that is an acknowledged knowledge hub. The city of global businesses and global dreams. Mecca of Indian retail. Of software and services. Of Banking and bikes. Of Cars and chips. This is Chennai, Get Hot...

The following pages will take you on a virtual walkabout of the city. Gain first hand information about the city, its people and their life. Get to know the city's history, from the people who have helped fashion it. Get to know the city today, from the people who live it. Get to know the city's future, from the people who are moulding it. Get to know the city, from the city itself.

This site has been divided into 5 sections, each section giving you information about different aspects of the city. Click on the tabs to navigate to a particular section. External links open in a new window so you dont have to naviage back and forth.
Once again, sit back and enjoy the city.

Situated on the Coramandel coast, which for centuries was popular with the traders from Rome, Greece, Araby and Cathay, and later on, the Dutch and the Portugese and the English and the French. Originally a group of small villages built around temples, the city of Chennai has always attracted the attention of a multitude of people.

For more than 2000 years the area has been popular with seafarers, spice traders and cloth merchants. Thomas Dydimus, the Doubting Apostle, sailed to the Malabar coast in 52 AD. He travelled down the coast converting people and landed on the Coramandel coast, where he established the San Thome Bascilica. By then this area was being eyed by Portuguese, who were followed by the Dutch. In the year 1639, Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, officers of the British East India Company, acquired a strip of land, granted on lease by the Rajah of Vijayanagar, for setting up a factory as the nucleus of the British Colony. The factory was constructed over a period of 15 years and finally completed in 1653. This was The Fort of St. George, which today houses the Tamil Nadu Government.

The Dutch, who had landed on the Malabar and the Coramandel (Cholamandalam) coast long before the British, and had control of the spice trade, increased the price of a pound of pepper which lead to Britain's most glorious period - The Age of Imperialism. This price hike lead to a group of 24 British Merchants to sail to the Exotic lands of lore - India.

By the 17th Century, the East India Company operated out of the West Coast of India - at Surat. As well, they had landed on what is now the Andhra coast, in the east. Looking to expand their factory, and to give themselves some breathing space, the late comers decided to move further down the coast and thus, Francis Day, “discovered” Madras.

Madras was also the center of one very important trade during the British times. ICE. Yes, Ice, cut from the freezing waters of Greenland was shipped into the Bay of Bengal and unloaded in Madras. The Traders then set up a storage house for ice, Ice House. Here, the ice would be cut, sorted, stored or otherwise distributed to various people. This building is today known as Vivekanandar Illam, in honor of the great thinker.

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 continue to grow into what is now a significant southern gateway.

Though the recorded history of the present city began only in 1639, parts of the city date back about a 1000 years. Areas like Mylapore, Triplicane, Kodambakkam etc. are not only older than the city, but also important commercial, spiritual and cultural centers.

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	Chennai - Fact File			Major Industries - Automobiles Banking and Finance Chemicals Diary products Electrical equipments Films(Movie) Garments Handicrafts Hardware(Computers) Hotels and Hospitality trade Jewellery Machinery and Machine tools Plastic Rubber Shipping Software(Computer) Timber
	Area	172.00 Sq. Kms
	Population	54,21,000 (As per 1991 census) Projected - 1,00,00,000
	Altitude	Sea Level
	Climate	Tropical Maritime with two monsoons (June - Aug & Sep - Nov)
	Warmest Months	March - October
	Coolest Months	November - February
	Language	Tamil, English and Hindi are widely spoken

Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Six month multiple-entry visas are now issued to most nationals regardless of whether you intend staying that long or re-entering the country. Only six-month tourist visas are extendable. Be careful to check whether your visa is valid from the date of entry or the date of issue.

Time: GMT/UTC plus five hours 30 minutes(GMT+5:30)
Electricity: 230-240V, 50 HZ
Weights & measures: Metric

Visa Extensions & Permits
The Foreigners’ Registration Office (Phone +9144-28278210) is in the Shashtri Bhavan annexe (rear building, on the ground floor) at 26 Haddows Rs. Visa extensions (up to six months) take about one day to issue and cost Rs 790; you’ll need one passport photograph.
The office is open weekdays from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and 2 to 6 pm.
If you’re planning to visit the Andaman & Nicobar Islands by boat, you’ll need to get a permit before buying your boat ticket (air passengers can get the permit on arrival in Port Blair). To get this permit, collect a form the Directorate of Shipping Services (Phone + 9144-25226873) at 6 Rajaji Salai in George Town. Hand this form, together with two photos, into the Foreigners’ Registration Office in the morning, and you should be able to collect the permit the same day between 4 and 5 pm.

Tax Clearance
Income tax clearance certificates are available from the Foreign Section, Office of the Commissioner of Income Tax (Ph. +9144-28722011 ext 4004), 121 Nungambakkam High Rd. You need to fill in form No 31 and have a copy of your passport. The procedure takes about 30 minutes

Tourism Information :                             
Government of India Tourist Office : 154, Mount Road, Chennai - 2
India Tourism Development Corporation : 29, Victoria Crescent, Commander-in-Chief Road, Chennai - 105
Tamil Nadu Government Tourist Office : 143, Mount Road, Chennai - 2
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation : 25, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, Chennai - 4
Tourist Information Center Kamaraj Domestic Airport : Trisulam, Chennai - 100
Tourist Information Center Anna International Terminal : Trisulam, Chennai - 100
Tourist Information Center Central Railway Station : Chennai - 3
Tourist Information Center Egmore Railway Station : Egmore, Chennai - 8

Airline		Telephone Number
Air India		28554477/22347400(Airport)
Indian Airlines		28555200/28555201
Air Lanka		28261535/28261538
Air France		28554894/28554916
British Airways		28554680/28554767
Gulf Air		28553091/28553101
Malaysian Airlines		24349291/24349291
Saudia		24349666
Lufthansa		28525095/28525197
Singapore Airlines		28522871/28521872/22343860(at the Airport)
Swiss Air		28262692

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Now an acknowledged Industrial Capital, Chennai is also fast emerging as the investment destination of major knowledge based companies. An IT Hub of the country, with one of the largest internet subscription base in the world, Chennai "is rocking".

Chennai is the first city of the south, capital of Tamil Nadu, young, youthful and exuberant. A chequered history dating back to the stone and bronze ages. Madras was born on 1639 when Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, agents of the East India company acquired a strip of land granted on lease by the Rajah of Vijayanagar. Here was built the Fort St. George for setting up a factory as the nucleus of the British Settlements.

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Transport within the city consists of the very efficient and cheap City Buses or the 3 wheeled and 4 wheeled taxi services. There is a very efficient sub-urban train network that can take you from anywhere to everywhere. There are also a number of private taxi operators as well as call-taxi services. For a complete list of bus Schedules and bus routes click on the following link Bus Routes and Schedules

Inside the city	Outside the city
Aringar Anna Science Park/Birla Planetarium	Mammallapuram/Mahablipuram
The Marina Beach	Cholamandal Artists Village
The Eliots Beach	Sathanur Dam
Fort St. George	Crocodile Bank
Spencer's Plaza	The Chenji Fort
Kalakshetra	Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary
St. Thomas Mount	Vellore City and Fort
Kapaleeswara Temple	Sadras
Parthasarathy Temple	Tirupathi
Santhome Basillica	Covelong (Kovalam)
Parry's Corner and Esplanade	Yelagiri Hills
Guindy National Park	Poondy Reservoir

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For more information and useful resources check the following sites out...

•   For everything about the city -> www.chennaionline.com
•   Get the best of Chennai @ -> www.chennaibest.com
•   For the best deals, discounts and stuff -> www.hellochennai.com
•   For a list of hotels in Chennai -> www.chennai-hotels.com
•   The Chennai Airport's Website -> www.chennaiairport.com
•   For general and toursim information -> http://www.indiatravelinfo.com/tamilnadu/genchen.htm
•   Some General Information about sub-urban railways -> http://www.metropla.net/as/chen/chennai.htm

Got lost? Relax! now there is a way out of anywhere and a way into anywhere.
Find your way around Chennai with this Map

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