Chennai - a perfect tourist destination to explore culture, dance, and architectural marvels of Indi

Chennai is not just a chief commerce city and the capital of Tamil Nadu, but it is also a popular tourist haunt in India. It is a perfect getaway for the history buffs, architecture enthusiasts, beach lovers, and explorers of Indian culture. Visit the city for a memorable vacation and pick from the best hotels in Chennai.

Chennai the capital city of Tamil Nadu is one of the largest and most commercialized cities in India. It is also referred as the gateway to South India as it is the prime transit point to access the other large and small cities, towns, and villages of South India. Located on the eastern coastline of India overlooking the Bay of Bengal, the city has held immense trading significance for several centuries. Also recognized as the automobile capital of India for the fact the city is the largest producer of automobiles in country, it is a major revenue city that houses industries that are worth billions of dollars.

Chennai is also amongst the most visited tourist destinations in India. The modern yet orthodox culture of the city, the old Victorian architectures, east meets west cuisines, revered temples, and the glamour of modernization generate lots of tourist attention and put the city high on India's tourism map. The good thing is that to satisfy all the stay needs of the travellers there are large number of hotels in Chennai. Starting from the cheap hotels to the luxurious hotels offering modern amenities, there is a wide range of hotels that one can pick from.

Formerly called Madras, the city grew out of a small fishing village mainly after the Europeans started to influx the region and later developed their trading and administrative bases. The apt location of the place which also housed deep natural harbours soon made the city a major trading centre in the international sea trade route. To strengthen their trading dominance in the region, the British built the Fort St. George here, which is one of the grandest forts in India. It is under their dominance that the city developed into a major commercial, educational, administrative, and religious centre. The city is marked at different places with the old Victorian Churches and Cathedrals. The suburbs, namely Santhome and St. Thomas Mount, are the places with the highest concentration of Christians and Jews, this also exhibit a unique side of the city. The places are a must visit for every traveller to the city as they give a different outlook of Chennai's culture.

The culture in particular is one main aspect of the city. As the city grew, its culture got more modernized. However, the fundamentals of the city's culture are still based on the traditional cultures and are exhibited through clothing, cuisine, dance, literature, and other art forms. The period of festivals in particular is the prime time to explore and discover the rich culture of the city.

Mentions amongst the popular places to visit in Chennai include: Marina Beach (a 12 k.m. long beach perfect for spending a relaxing day), Breezy Beach, Covelong, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Parthasarathy Temple, Ramakrishna Math- Universal Temple, Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas, Government Museum, St. Thomas Mount, Lutheran Adaikalnathar Church, Big Mosque, Valluvar Kottam, Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, Fort St. George, Birla Planetarium, Guindy National Park, Pallikaranai wetland, and Nanmangalam Reserve Forest.