Chennai
Chennai is Madras the port layered over Mylapore the sacred town: Fort St George and its colonial core on one side, the Kapaleeshwarar gopuram and the Pallava shore temples on the other.
7th c.
Mylapore
Pallava hymns name the Kapaleeshwarar shrine.
1639
Fort St George
The East India Company buys its strip of coast.
1858
Crown rule
The Crown takes Madras over from the Company.
1969
Chennai
Madras state becomes Tamil Nadu; the city later takes its Tamil name.
3 days in Chennai
Day 1 — Fort and George Town
- Morning
- Fort St George: St Mary's Church of 1680, the oldest Anglican church in India, and the Fort Museum's Company portraits, coins and uniforms.Fort St George · St Mary's Church · Fort Museum
- Lunch
- North Indian sweets and chaat at Kakada Ramprasad in Sowcarpet, the old Marwari and Gujarati trading quarter.Kakada Ramprasad
- Afternoon
- A George Town walk: the 1772 Armenian Church, the Kalikambal temple, the wholesale lanes of Parry's Corner, and the red Indo-Saracenic High Court.George Town walk · Armenian Church of the Virgin Mary
- Dinner
- Chicken 65 and biryani at Buhari on Anna Salai, where the dish was created in 1965.Buhari
- Evening
- Sunset on the Marina, the city's great beach, with its statues of Tamil poets and its sundal sellers.The Marina
Good to knowThe Fort Museum is closed on Fridays and photography is restricted inside the fort, which is still a government seat. Avoid swimming at the Marina; the currents are dangerous.
Day 2 — Mylapore
- Morning
- The Kapaleeshwarar temple at dawn, as kolams are drawn on the streets around its tank, then idli and filter coffee at Rayar's Mess.Kapaleeshwarar Temple · Rayar's Mess
- Lunch
- A traditional meal or kozhukattai and thavala vadai at Mylai Karpagambal Mess, open since 1953.Mylai Karpagambal Mess
- Afternoon
- San Thome Basilica, rebuilt in 1896 over the tomb of St Thomas, then the Luz Church, among the oldest in the city.San Thome Basilica
- Dinner
- In December and January, a sabha canteen during the music season; otherwise a South Indian dinner in Mylapore.Sabha canteens
- Evening
- Bajjis from Jannal Kadai, the hole-in-the-wall window by the temple, and rose milk at Kalathi on North Mada Street. Catch a Carnatic concert if one is on.Jannal Kadai · Kalathi Rose Milk
Good to knowKapaleeshwarar closes in the middle of the day (roughly noon to 4pm). The December–January music season is the best time to visit Chennai.
Day 3 — Egmore and Triplicane
- Morning
- The Government Museum at Egmore, founded in 1851, for its Chola bronzes — the Nataraja figures are the highlight — and the Amaravati Buddhist sculptures.Government Museum
- Lunch
- Chettinad cooking — pepper chicken, kola urundai and parotta — at a Chettinad restaurant such as Anjappar.Anjappar
- Afternoon
- The Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane, an eighth-century Vishnu shrine, then Vivekananda House (the Ice House) on the Marina.Parthasarathy Temple · Vivekananda House
- Dinner
- Idli soaked in sambar at Ratna Cafe in Triplicane, open since 1948.Ratna Cafe
- Evening
- A walk along the Marina past the Indo-Saracenic Senate House and Presidency College.
Good to knowThe Government Museum is closed on Fridays, and the Parthasarathy temple closes in the middle of the day.