Best Things to do in Chennai

Chennai, or Madras as it was named as till 1996, is the capital city of Tamil Nadu and one of the metropolises of the country. Located on the Coromandel Coast, it is a major industrial, commercial, cultural, economic and educational centre of the Southern India, and also the 4th largest city in the country.
Rich with cultural heritage, the city perfectly balances the modern lifestyle presenting equilibrium of being one of the major tourist attractions. Chennai is a city that is traditional at heart despite enjoying the intense urbanization. The skyline of Chennai is famous for its towering skyscrapers offering a panoramic vista along the vast coastline. Finding the right balance lies the heart of Chennai in the form of a number of old temples and churches scattered evenly across the city.
Chennai has an old-charm that is never overshadowed by the modern outlook and one can never miss the city?s charismatic core. Chennai played an important role in the colonial era and the same is reflected in the number of historical museums and monuments standing as testaments of the bygone era ruled by the British. Uniquely enough, Chennai?s nightlife isn?t a happening one as it should be with a cosmopolitan city, partly because of its other entertainment resources like music, literature and festivals.

Chennai remains a unique city for its culture and language which is the least touched and exploited by the outer modern world. A huge part of Tamil culture is depicted in Jallikattu ? the sport that has been played since ages annually with much pomp and show. The festival calls for special Bos indicus bulls that are bred especially for this sport. Passion for local cinema, Carnatic music and coffee are among some of the other highlighted things exclusive of Chennai.

Originally, Chennai was named Madras since during Nayakars rule deriving from Madraspattinam which was a fishing village. British has bought the piece of land from the King of Vijayanagar and retained the name Madras, though the locals always called it Chennai till 1996 when it was officially renamed as Chennai.