By Sometimes it is extremely mindboggling to make a decision for a holiday destination and a good time of vacation is lost in the struggle to come to a decision with majority of votes while some still remain disagreed. If you have not yet decided, I suggest you to start your journey with Chennai, the south gate to India with rich culture having the most exciting tourist places in South India.
Chennai has always been the gateway of South India. The great kings of the eleventh century Chola traded through its ports with Persia, Arabia, China and Ceylon. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, silk and sandalwood came through its doors for the imperial Vijayanagara dynasty. Today, Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu, a knot of air traffic, rail and road, and to remains the door to South.
The origins of Chennai do not start until 1639 AD, when the British East India Company first established here in the near and tiny fishing village of Madraspatnam. From its humble beginnings to turning into Chennai today, the city has grown to become the fourth largest city in India.
The first of the places visited here is the Fort St. George where most of the history of Chennai was written. The buildings of the fort housed at present to the Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat. The church is within its walls was consecrated in 1680 and is believed to be the oldest Anglican church in the East. Another church worthy of mention is the Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle, who is considered to bring Christianity to the south of India, just a few years after the crucifixion.
The National Gallery of Art contains a splendid collection of ancient bronzes. Kapaleeswarar temple is of architectural interest with its ‘gopurum’ or massive and complicated size that rises with skyward tower. Parthasarathy Temple is an artistic Vlll century building, dedicated to Lord Krishna.
There are many beaches in Chennai. Marina, which is the sea face of the city, and Elliot and Ennore, 11 and 18 kilometers, respectively. Chennai has international and domestic airport and is connected to many cities worldwide and it also has direct trains from major cities of India.
Chennai is well connected by road with all the other regions of India. TTDC and ITDC organize daily visits to the city. There are also tours that cover Tamil Nadu and other states. ]
In South India, there is a variety of forms of music and dance. Inspired by religion, the dance steps can be carved into intricate friezes and attitudes in the temple or in the fascinating footsteps of the Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Kuchipudi dances. Bharatnatyam is the part of an ancient heritage of 2,000 years ago and can be seen today in its very essence, with all its classic charm, at the Kalakshetra, a center of the arts in the city of Chennai. It is quite intriguing that all men are classical masters. They do not dance, but instruct verbally with hand movements.
Kathakali, with its highly stylized costumes and makeup, is the careful dance drama. The traditional representation is always done outdoors, either in the temple courtyard or the town square. Kuchipudi, the dance drama of Andra Pradesh, has been revived in the recent times and is depicted with great vivacity.
Music is another legacy of the past. And in the South India, regardless of the language in which the songs are sung, classical arrangements of scale, the raga, are always the same. The South also has its own distinctive instruments. The drumbeat is marked with the ‘mridangam’ and ‘katcheri’ or in concert, every artist always gets the opportunity to display his/her virtuosity in solo passages. Observe the ghatam, the humble clay pot in which the musician drums rhythmic patterns, leading to a climax running when his pot is into the air and catches it, all without losing a single drumming beat.
Dress Code
Southern India is a hot region. It is advisable to wear light cotton clothing. Although foreigners do not usually dress like the south Indians, especially the women, but do not go out of tune too much about the customs of the local population. Shorts, especially with regard to women, are not a part of Indian dress and are best avoided along with the tank tops.
If you intend to visit the temples, dress should be a little more modest than it is on the streets. In some places, especially revered, men must wear pants to the ankles. Of course, when visiting to temples, you will have to remove your shoes at some point.
At least, two weeks are advised to see the most important tourist places in South India without rushing. A few more days will help you to make a more complete and always full of interesting places to visit.
