Although it has monuments left over from ancient cultures, the city of Chennai as we currently know it was founded by the British in the early 17th century. In the 2nd century AD, Greek geographer Ptolemy described Mylapore (part of modern Chennai, located south of Marina Beach) as a prosperous port. The Kapaleswara temple and San Thome Cathedral are both located in this part of Chennai, and are well worth a visit.
Chennai has more than it's share of religious, cultural, and architectural points of interest, the oldest surviving Anglican church in Asia is located here. St. Mary's Church was built in 1680 and is located inside Fort George, which was constructed by the British in 1640. San Thome Cathedral Basilica was a church many centuries before that.
Traditional dance and music flourish in Chennai, safeguarded by a culture that relishes it's Tamil roots and protects them with a quiet pride. Modern business and industry co-exist in harmony with ancient rituals and practices in this city of six million inhabitants. There are miles of clean beaches, along with interesting museums and great local shopping.


Kapaleeshwarar Temple
From the Red Fort to the Jama Masjid, a short distance away, is but a natural progression for the visitor to India. Located in the midst of all the color and chaos of Chandni Chowk, this imposing monument is considered to be the last in a line of monuments which constitute Shah Jahan’s splendid architectural legacy. It was originally known as Masjid-I-Jahanum, which means “The mosque commanding a view of the world”. It offers a bird’s eye view of the city of Delhi from the top of its 40m high minarets..


Parathasarathy Temple
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna was the charioteer for Arjuna during the Mahabharata war when he gave the Hindu holy book of Bhagavad Gita. Hence, the main deity, Sri Parthasarathy's face is full of scars created by the arrows of the Great Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war. Other unusual things about this deity are that He is seen with a moustache and without his weapon Chakra. The reason attributed is that He promised not to take weapons in the Mahabharatha war and hence he has only his conch. As He was the charioteer He sported the moustache keeping with the tradition. The UTSAVAR (the procession deity, usually made of metal instead of stone) also has only a stick and not his mace as found with others. This is because the Lord was born in a cowherd clan.


National Art Gallery & Museum
Housed within the Government Museum complex is the National Art Gallery. Known earlier as the Victoria Memorial Hall, the gallery built in 1906, is situated in a splendid Indo-Saracenic edifice and was designed by Henry Irwin. The gallery has a good collection of old paintings and sculptures including Tanjore paintings on glass; Rajput and Mughal miniature paintings; Deccan paintings from 17th century; and handcrafts, metal-ware, and ivory carvings from 11th and 12th century.

In addition, the gallery also has a section devoted solely to contemporary art where work by eminent painters such as Ravi Varma and his son Raja Raja Varma are displayed. The National Art gallery is opened from9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on all days except Fridays and National