Kapaleeswarar Temple - Mylapore: Though there are numerous temples in Chennai, the Kapaleeswarar temple stands foremost of all. Not only because of its antiquity, but also the serenity you feel amidst the busy town. With its present structure dating back to its construction around 16th Century, the temples boasts a brilliant architecture. Mythologically brings up to Mount Kailash, where lord Parvathi, the consort of lord Shiva, was listening discourses from lord Shiva. At that time, she was distracted by a peacock moving around that place. The moment continued for a while and she fully turned her interest towards it totally and lord Shiva was not happy with her behaviour. He cursed her to turn into a peacock. Parvathi was looking for a right place to come out of this penance and chose this Mylapore. She started prayers about Shiva under one “Punnai” tree in this place in the form of Peacock. Pleased with her penance, Lord Shiva appeared before her, relieved her from the curse and named her “Karpagambal”. The idol of lord Parvati in a peacock form can be seen in this shrine. In Tamil language, peacock is called as ‘mayil’, which subsequently given to this place as Mylapore. Historically, the foundation of the temple was laid by the Pallava kings but later, it was demolished numerous times due to different dynastic influences. Archaeological evidences are strong about its existence from old time with renovations happened later on by the Vijayanagar emperors. This east facing temple has a 7-tiered main tower and it has 2 corridors. The 3-tiered west facing tower is facing the sacred tank of the temple. Saint Thiruvalluvar, the celebrated author of Thirukkural, the world-famous ethical treatise, was born and lived here nearly 2,000 years ago. The temple is one among the paadal petra sthalams of tamil nayanmar hymns.
Sri Parthasarathy Temple - Thiruvallikeni: If Kapaleeswarar temple is for Savisim, then this Parthasarathy temple is relatively significant for Vaishnavism. The temple is dedicated to lord Krishna, one of the forms of Vishnu. As per Brahmanda purana, King Sumathy appealed to lord Balaji of Tirupati to give him darshan as the Charioteer of Arjuna in Mahabharata war. Lord turned up in his dreams and directed him to do meditation in ‘Brindharanya’, which is the present day Thiruvallikeni. In this way, the Parthasarathy Swamy was revealed in the same look that the king requested. From that date, it is a practice for the pilgrims, to worship this temple after paying visit to Tirupati temple. The temple was originally built by the Pallavas in the 8th century. It was later subsequently expanded by Cholas and Vijayanagar emperors around 15th century. Due to the cultural mix of these kingdoms, the temple has several inscriptions dating from the 8th century in Tamil and Telugu languages. The temple earned its structure by the endowments from the public too. It also has inscriptions about the Pallava king, Nandivarman of 8th Century. The temple got greater prominence during Chola era with more expansions and maintenance by them. The main deity here has scars in his face made by the great bolts of the opponents in Mahabharata war. Another intriguing thing is that, God Krishna is seen with mustache and without his usual weapon Chakra. The reason for that position is that in the war, he was the charioteer for king Arjuna of Pandavas and he promised not to indulge during war. It the only temple, where the lord stands in that avatar. With its location close to the coast, the visit to this temple is a pleasant for sure, especially in the evenings.
Vadapalani Murugan Temple: Located on the very centre of the Chennai city, the Vadapalani Murugan temple is one of the most significant places in Chennai. This is considered as the youngest temple to be built of the region as it was constructed in the start of 19th Century. According to the legend, Annaswamy Nayakar, an ardent devotee of Lord Murugan was the founder of the temple. He was the person who fully dedicated his life devoting lord Muruga. He has had one painting of the lord and did all the worships with that. One day, when he was returning from visiting Palani Murugan temple, he was met with one sage. He was advised not to take this much tiring journey to visit lord Muruga, rather, directed him to continue his duty in home itself. He was also given an idol of Muruga for the worship. Continuing the poojas regularly, he attained the divine power of blessing the people on their fortunes. He was genuine with this supreme quality subsequently wished to raise a temple out there from the help of the public. Knowing his divinity, he was assisted by the devotees from various regions along with the sadhus to build a temple systematically. The temple finally got its structure that resulted in galore of pilgrims throng regularly till now. The temple also houses the samadhis of the sages who helped in the construction. The presiding deity idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple resembles the original Palani Muruga in his standing posture. Many sub deities are present in the temple courtyards including Varasiddhi Vinayaka, Chokkanathar, Meenakshi Amman, Kali, Bhairava, Shanmuga with Valli and Devasena. The grounds of this temples are considered auspicious for good beginnings. Thus, there are around 7000 odd marriages take place here annually. It is proven that this lord resolves problems of his devotees and brings peace to their lives with his grace and blessings when worshipped.
Fort St. George: The history of Chennai will be incomplete without mentioning Fort St George. Even today, this majestic fort serves as the seating power of Tamil Nadu Government. Back in the 17th century, the trade war between French and English was at its peak in Chennai. To strengthen their supremacy, the English needed a construction. On 1639, Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, representatives of the British East India Company, went to purchase a strip of land on the Marina coast from the existing Nayakar rulers. The fort was successfully built and named after the famous patron saint of England, St George. The construction of the fort was finally completed 1644. While the Fort Complex was initially meant to support a small trade post, it soon burgeoned into a bustling city that was divided into White Town, where the English and Europeans stayed and Black Town, where dock workers and locals stayed. This historic building displays antiques in ten galleries stretched in three floors. As you enter the museum you can see the imposing marble statue of Lord Cornwallis (1738-1805) carved by Thomas Banks. This statue, that depicts the scene of surrender of two sons of Tipu Sultan as hostages, was sponsored by the funds collected from the public. It also contains various weapons like rifles and pistols, mortars, petard, cannon shots, breastplates, swords, daggers, helmets, baton etc. The museum also displays pieces of shells fired during the World Wars. On the sum, everything related to army is displayed in this museum. You can find the uniforms of various ranks of the British Army, the ceremonial dresses of Madras Governor's Bodyguards and the Under Secretary of Madras Government, cushions used in the official investiture ceremony, 64 medals and medallions issued by the British Government for honoring its soldiers in various battles and also regimental colors of various units. There is a separate Portrait Gallery where various portraits and oil paintings on canvas are displayed. These portraits include George III and his consort, Queen Victoria and Robert Clive, Sir Arthur Havelock. There is a separate section displaying silverware from the St. Mary's Church, and Zion Church, Tranquebar. Other sections of the Fort Museum includes Indo-French Gallery, coin Gallery and also a reserve collection including the first marriage register of the St. Mary's Church recording the marriage of Robert Clive. Within its 20 feet walls, the British constructed several structures such as the Wellesley House, which was named after one former Governor General of India Richard Wellesley, St. Mary's Church, a 150 feet high Flagstaff.
St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica (Santhome Church): Built on the mortal remains of one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, Santhome Basilica, otherwise St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, is a stunning piece of architecture steeped in religious history. This church is built over the tomb of an apostle, which is a worthy point to mention. Only two churches apart from this, are of this kind in the world located each in Italy and Spain. Saint Thomas is an ardent Christian came to India around 50 AD. Though his entry was through Kerala coast, he subsequently travelled the parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Finally, he reached Chennai and wished to stay there for more time due to the charm of this location. He was there for several years and preached Christianity. After his death, the local Christians along with the invaded Portuguese people decided to erect a Church to his name. They together laid the foundation and the efforts were developed by British that resulted to the present structure. The Basilica is all white facade in Neo-Gothic architecture. The interiors are well decorated to the contrast of the white outer wall. There is a small building adjacent to the church that descends down taking you to the remains of St Thomas. The exact place where St. Thomas was buried is marked by a small tower in the center of the cathedral. There is also a museum that describes the life of the saint through paintings. Pope Pius XII honored this cathedral church, elevating it to the dignity and rank of minor basilica in March 1956. This gothic church is a representative of European architecture and religion. As it is close to shore, one can simply spend the evenings listening the sound of the waves in a serene environment.
Government Museum: In around 16 acres of land with its establishment in 1851, the Government Museum in Chennai Egmore is one of the greatest buildings in the city when it comes to the wealth and weight of history it contains within its walls. The pioneers of this construction were the members of Madras Literary Society. They got the project sanctioned in 1846. The museum complex, constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style, includes rare relics, artworks, and curios of all kinds. It has been divided into 6 portions with separate themes. The very first gallery contains the sculptures of early ages especially the South India geography. There are 2 galleries which are Air-Conditioned to maintain the rare flora and fauna species. The remains of the age old plants and animals are preserved here. There is a separate section for the collection of postal stamps released by Government of India. It has the stamps from Albert Einstein to the freedom fighters of India. Not only the stamps of Indian origin, it also holds the collection of foreign stamps donated to the rulers here. Another gallery houses jewels, ornaments, musical instruments used by the kings of previous times. There is also a portion of collections prepared especially for children of their interests. Along with these, this Indo-Saracenic styled museum is also home to some artworks of Raja Ravi Varma. On the whole, a two hours of time here is a worthy and valuable to sharpen the knowledge of history of South India.
Marina Beach: Renowned for being India’s longest natural urban beach and 2nd longest in the world, Marina beach is an extremely picturesque with a length around 13 KM. The beach starts at Fort St George and ends up in Besant Nagar. It was evident from the history that the sea waves frequently hit the walls of Fort St George. With the project of harbour work happened later, the sands started receding back making the accumulation that looks now. It was the Governors of the British, who later raised a promenade on the coast, that modified the landscape of the region. Just after the Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi’s statue was erected. Soon after, the versatile persons of Tamil Nadu, got their own places on the shore line time to time. The aquarium and the Ice House are the main attractions on the Marina beach. The Chepauk Palace, Senate House, Public Works Department office, Presidency College, and the Chennai University are the historical buildings located on this drive. The country’s first aquarium, built in 1909, is currently being renovated from its dank interiors to accommodate a state-of-the-art facility. Another historical building close to the beach is the Ice House which was constructed in 1842 to store large blocks of ice imported from America. The Ice house was renamed Vivekananda House in 1863 and now hosts several art displays and religious discourses. With a white sandy shore that looks as though extending to infinity, the landscape of Marina Beach is a mesmerising and serene sight to behold. The beach is a top priority for the foodies who look for local options both vegetarian and sea dishes. Like any other beach, the best thing here is to have a leisure walk with chats, enjoying the sun rise and set.