A Glimpse Of Famous Historical Places In Chennai

The origins of Chennai, the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu dates back to the 17th Century. Right from being the British headquarters in Southern India during the British Raj to getting acclaimed as the fourth largest metropolitan city of India, Chennai has seen it all. With 400 years of history in its wraps, the city has many famous historical places in and around it which has been drawing millions of domestic and international tourists every year to Chennai.

A few must-visit places in and around Chennai are:

Mahabalipuram

Although it is not directly within the premises of Chennai, but a list of historical places in Chennai cannot be complete without the mentioning of Mahabalipuram in it. Located about 57 km away from Chennai, this historic seaside town is famous for its 7th century shore temples and is being declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Mahabalipuram | Image Resource: trawell.in

National Art Gallery

If the famous works of art in this art museum will not baffle you, the building of the National art Gallery definitely will. The century old building of the gallery reflects Indo-Saracenic architectural influences and has art exhibits in the form of paintings and handicrafts, some of which date back to the 11th century.

Kapaleeswarar Temple

You need not be a devotee of Lord Shiva to visit the historical Kapaleeswarar Temple of Chennai. The temple is believed to have been built in the 7th Century by the Pallava kings. The original structure is believed to have been destroyed by the Portuguese and what is seen today was re-built in the 16th Century. The temple, like any other South Indian temple is a perfect example of Dravidian architecture and holds thousands of sculptures on its walls.

Vivekananda House

Also called as the Vivekananda Illam by the locals, Vivekananda House is a major historical landmark in the city of Chennai. It is at this place where Swami Vivekananda had stayed for 9 days after his return from the West after giving the famous speech. The building came into limelight since 1897 and has been serving as an exhibition of Indian culture and life of Swami Vivekananda.

Some of the other famous historical places in Chennai include Santhome Basilica Church, Rippon Building, Fort St. George, Thousand lights Mosque, Madras Museum and Karl Schmidt Memorial among others.

Train connectivity between Madurai and Chennai

The best mode to travel the distance of 457 km between Madurai and Chennai is by trains. There are 71 weekly train from madurai to chennai. These trains are Vaigai Express, Sampark Kranti, Dehradun Express, Chennai Central Duronto Express, Chennai Express, Kanyakumari Express, Nellai Express, Pothigai Express, Ernakulam Express and Mumbai Express. While the first three trains originate at Madurai, the others pass through Madurai to reach Chennai. Booking is not a problem with various travel sites, apart from Indian Railways website.

Train from madurai to chennai | Image Resource: irctc-co.in