Chennai Things To Do – Complete Guide

Chennai things To Do - activities, hotels, golf courses & car rental

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The Chennai hotel and activities guide offers stay over guests and cruise ship visitors information and discount reservations for hotels, villa rentals, car rentals, activities and shore excursions in Chennai.

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Chennai is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and with a population of 4,216,268 (2001) the fifth largest city in the country. Only Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore are larger. The entire conurbation has 6,424,624 inhabitants (2001). Chennai is located in southeastern India on the Bay of Bengal.

Chennai was largely built around the Fort of St. George, a British outpost where the British East India Company had a base until 1773. As such, the city became an important British trading center. In 1746 the fortress came into French hands, but the British managed to recapture it just two years later. By the late 18th century, Chennai had grown into an important British port city and became the administrative headquarters of the surrounding area. From the city, the British managed to dominate the south of India more and more. When the British finally took control of almost the entire region, Madras became the capital. In 1893 the cathedral San Thome Basilica was built by the British.

After India's independence in 1947, the city became the capital of the then state of Madras, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1956. In 1996, the state administration changed the name of the city to Chennai. In December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated part of the city's coastal areas. During extreme drought in June 2019, residents protested very vigorously against the rationing of water.

Chennai is very important both for the economy and for rail transport. There are large textile factories, chemical plants, automobile factories and tanneries. In addition, the city benefits from outsourcing to the area by many foreign companies. Many of these companies have located their customer service, IT and/or human resources departments in the city, providing employment for the local population. Despite its coastal location, fishing is not an important source of income. The port does offer transport options to the rest of the world. Chennai International Airport is India's fourth largest airport.