Tamil Nadu; Chennai

Helen and I first visited India in Dec 1989 / Jan 1990 when we travelled independently through North India; our next visit was in early 2018 when we visited Central India with Explore Travel. So here we are, 35 years later, to complete our travels here (or have we....).

Chennai (population 20 million), formerly Madras, is the capital state of Tamil Nadu (population 73 million); Tamil Nadu is 70% Hindu, so there are many Hindu Temples in the region, but there are also examples if many other kinds of religious architecture in the region. Chennai is a large city with lots of traffic, and the tour doesn't spend time here (for some reason 🙂).

We had a good journey here, arriving at our hotel at about 7:45 am. By coincidence, today, January 26th, is India National Day, marking the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 1950 and signifying India's status as a democratic Republic. Flags are unfurled in ceremonies throughout the country, and we were in time to witness such a ceremony at our hotel (Grand Chennai by GRT).

After rest, we have a short walk in the area around the hotel before meeting up with the others; after introductions, etc, we set up off in the minibus to the Mylapore area of Chennai. Here, we visit the Luz Church (built on 1516 by the Portuguese) and then go to the Kapaleeskwarer Temple; this Hindu Temple Complex was built in the 7th century in the Dracidian architectural style, and has a large tank in front of it.

We finish off Day 1 with a lovely vegetarian meal before crashing out at the hotel.Read more