About Chennai :
Chennai, formerly called Madras, has been present since times immemorial. Whatever is known about the capital city of Tamil Nadu, presently serves as the history of the modern city. Originally Chennai was a cluster of villages, perched amidst paddy fields, bordered by palm trees. The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Vijaynagar Empire, all the popular dynasties of South India, have had an influence over the city. The origin of the metropolitan city started in 1639, when Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, two merchants of the East India Company, started a factory-cum-trading post here. A settlement was built to serve as the control centre and it was completed on 23 Apr’ 1640, St George’s Day and was named as St George’s Fort. The native town, officially called George Town, was established outside the ramparts of the Fort. George Town had several crowded lanes and each lane dealt in special trade, serving the British colonists. The Colonial decree made connections with the villages, together with the settlement at San Thome that was established by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The 7th century Pallava Port, Kapalesvara Temple and Parthasarathi Temple are standing testimony to the fact that Chennai had been present since ages. In 1746, Chennai, along with Fort St George, came under the sway of the French, who ransacked the town and the nearby villages. The British again got command over Chennai in 1749, attributable to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappell. They fortified the area so that this time no pirate could conquer it. By the late 18th century, they were able to overpower most of the region around Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and founded the Madras Presidency. During the British rule, Chennai went under drastic changes, to become a prominent city, with strong naval base. With the introduction of railways in the late 19th century, Chennai got linked with other important cities like Mumbai and Kolkata. Facilities of trade and communication in the city boosted, connecting it with the hinterland too. Chennai was the only city of India that was attacked during the World War. When India became independent in 1947, Chennai city was declared as the capital of Madras State, which was later renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1968. In 1997, the Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name of Madras to Chennai. However, it is the colonial rule which developed Chennai into a major commercial center. In the present day, George Town houses most of the pioneer business headquarters, while the State Government has its nerve centre in the Fort St George.
General Information about Chennai:
Location: Chennai
State: Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai
Language: Tamil, Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 40˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 29˚C, Min 20˚C (winter)
Best Season: November to March
How to Reach Chennai:
By Air:
Chennai has an international airport which is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city. The airport caters to al the domestic and international passengers coming to the city. There are a number of domestic flights to and from Chennai which connects it to all the major cities within the country. Besides, there are host of international airlines which operate from the international terminal and link it with the important world cities with the city.
By Train:
Primarily, Chennai has two railway stations, Chennai Central and Egmore Station. Chennai Central is the bigger one of the two and runs on broad gauge, connecting with all the major cities and towns of India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Guwahati . The Egmore Station houses a number of meter gauge and broad gauge trains, which originate from here and ply to different destinations within the state as well as to the neighbouring states. Chennai Central links North and West India, while Egmore links South India.
By Road:
Chennai is also well connected via road. It is linked with all the important places in Tamil Nadu as well as India with the help of a good network of roads. There are even government bus services which operate within Tamil Nadu and other states. These buses operate from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Koyembedu. It is considered to be the largest bus station in entire Asia.
By Sea:
A cruise is one of the most adventurous ways of getting to Madras. A passenger service connects Chennai with Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.