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Chennai

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Chennai
Madras
Nickname(s): 
Gateway of South India,[1][2][3][4] Detroit of India,[5][6][7][8] Healthcare Capital of India,[9][10][11] Cultural Capital of South India[12]
Map
Interactive Map Outlining Chennai
Chennai is located in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai
Location in Chennai Metropolitan Area
Chennai is located in Tamil Nadu
Chennai
Chennai
Location in Tamil Nadu
Chennai is located in India
Chennai
Chennai
Location in India
Chennai is located in Asia
Chennai
Chennai
Location in Asia
Chennai is located in Earth
Chennai
Chennai
Location in Earth
Coordinates: 13°4′57″N 80°16′30″E / 13.08250°N 80.27500°E / 13.08250; 80.27500Coordinates: 13°4′57″N 80°16′30″E / 13.08250°N 80.27500°E / 13.08250; 80.27500
Country India
StateTamil Nadu
RegionCoromandel
DistrictChennai district[a]
Former nameMadras
Established1639
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyGreater Chennai Corporation
 • MayorPriya R.
Area
 • Metropolis1,189 km2 (459.0755 sq mi)
 • Metro5,904 km2 (2,279.547 sq mi)
Elevation
7 m (23 ft)
Population
 (2022)[20][21]
 • Metropolis12,395,000
 • Rank6th
 • Density10,000/km2 (27,000/sq mi)
 • Metro8,653,521
8,917,749 (Extended UA)[19]
 • Metro rank
4th
Demonym(s)Chennaiite
Chennaikaran (male), Chennaikari (female)
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Pincode(s)
600xxx
Area code+91-44
Vehicle registrationTN-01 to TN-14, TN-18, TN-22, TN-85
GDP (PPP)78.6-86 billion[23][24][25][26]
WebsiteChennai Corporation
  1. ^ a b The Chennai Metropolitan Area also includes portions of Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur districts adjoining the Chennai District.

Chennai (/ˈɛn/ (listen), Tamil: [ˈt͡ɕenːaɪ̯]), formerly known as Madras,[A] is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. It is the state's primate city both in area and population and is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most populous city in India and forms the fourth-most populous urban agglomeration. The Greater Chennai Corporation is the civic body responsible for the city; it is the oldest city corporation of India, established in 1688—the second oldest in the world after London.

Historically, Chennai and surroundings were part of the Chola, Pandya, Pallava and Vijayanagara kingdoms for many centuries. The coastal land, which then contained the fishing village Madrasapattinam, was purchased by the British East India Company from the Nayak ruler Damarla Chennapa Nayaka, in the 17th century. The British garrison established the Madras city and port, and built Fort St. George—the first British fortress in India—which the French won over briefly in 1746, before becoming the winter capital of the Madras Presidency, a colonial province of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. After India gained its independence in 1947, Madras continued as the capital city of the Madras State and present-day Tamil Nadu. The city was officially renamed as Chennai in 1996.

The city is coterminous with Chennai district, which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area,[note 1] the 36th-largest urban area in the world by population[28] and one of the largest metropolitan economies of India. As the traditional and de facto gateway of South India,[1][2][3][4] Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities by foreigners. It was ranked the 43rd most-visited city in the world in 2015 and 36th in 2019.[29][30] The Quality of Living Survey rates it as India's safest city.[31] Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists.[32] As such, it is termed "India's health capital".[33][34] Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy,[35] and had the third-largest expatriate population in India.[36][37]

Ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index,[38] Chennai was dubbed India's best city by India Today in 2014.[39][40] It was named the "hottest" city (city worth visiting and worth living in for long term) by the BBC in 2015, citing its amalgam of both modern and traditional values.[41] It was the only South Asian city to feature on National Geographic's "Top 10 food cities" in 2015,[42] and ranked ninth on Lonely Planet's best cosmopolitan cities of the world.[43] In October 2017, Chennai was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list for its rich musical tradition.[44] Chennai hosts more than one-third of India's automobile industry, and is a major film production center, home to the Tamil film industry.

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Capital city

Capital city

A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law or constitution. In some jurisdictions, including several countries, different branches of government are in different settlements. In some cases, a distinction is made between the official (constitutional) capital and the seat of government, which is in another place.

Coromandel Coast

Coromandel Coast

The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an area of about 22,800 square kilometres. The coast has an average elevation of 80 metres and is backed by the Eastern Ghats, a chain of low lying and flat-topped hills.

Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between Sangaman Kanda, Sri Lanka, and the north westernmost point of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the largest water region called a bay in the world. There are countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal in South Asia and Southeast Asia. During the existence of British India, it was named the Bay of Bengal after the historic Bengal region. At the time, the Port of Kolkata served as the gateway to the Crown rule in India. Cox's Bazar, the longest sea beach in the world and Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and the natural habitat of the Bengal tiger, are located along the bay.

Chola dynasty

Chola dynasty

The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasty in the world history. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE during the reign of Ashoka of the Maurya Empire. As one of the Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam, along with the Chera and Pandya, the dynasty continued to govern over varying territories until the 13th century CE. The Chola Empire was at its peak and achieved imperialism under the Medieval Cholas in the mid-9th century CE.

East India Company

East India Company

The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies, and later with East Asia. The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. At its peak, the company was the largest corporation in the world. The EIC had its own armed forces in the form of the company's three Presidency armies, totalling about 260,000 soldiers, twice the size of the British army at the time. The operations of the company had a profound effect on the global balance of trade, almost single-handedly reversing the trend of eastward drain of Western bullion, seen since Roman times.

Damarla Chennapa Nayaka

Damarla Chennapa Nayaka

Damal Chennapa Naicker was a Nayakar ruler of Kalahasti and Vandavasi under the suzerainty of Vijayanagar emperor Venkatapati Raya. He was also the Dalavoy or the Commander-in-Chief of the emperor. The line of Nayakars were chieftains during the Vijayanagar empire and attained full power after its decline, becoming independent Nayakars.

Fort St. George, India

Fort St. George, India

Fort St. George is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city evolved around the fortress. The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.

Battle of Madras

Battle of Madras

The Battle of Madras or Fall of Madras took place in September 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession when a French force attacked and captured the city of Madras from its British garrison.

Colonialism

Colonialism

Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their religion, language, economics, and other cultural practices. The foreign administrators rule the territory in pursuit of their interests, seeking to benefit from the colonised region's people and resources. It is associated with but distinct from imperialism.

British Raj

British Raj

The British Raj was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; it is also called Crown rule in India, or Direct rule in India, and lasted from 1858 to 1947. The region under British control was commonly called India in contemporaneous usage and included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom, which were collectively called British India, and areas ruled by indigenous rulers, but under British paramountcy, called the princely states. The region was sometimes called the Indian Empire, though not officially.

Chennai district

Chennai district

Chennai district, formerly known as Madras district, is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the smallest and the most densely populated district in the state. The district is coterminous with the city of Chennai, which is administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is surrounded by Tiruvallur district in the north and the west, Kanchipuram district in the south-west, Chenglpattu district in the south, and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

Expatriate

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either independently or sent abroad by their employers. However, the term 'expatriate' is also used for retirees and others who have chosen to live outside their native country. Historically, it has also referred to exiles.

Etymology

The name Chennai was derived from the name of Damarla Mudirasa Chennappa Nayakudu, father of Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak, a Nayak ruler who served as a general under Venkata III of the Vijayanagara Empire from whom the British acquired the town in 1639.[45][46] As such, the city's name is of Telugu language origin.[47][48][49] The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a sale deed, dated August 1639, to Francis Day of the East India Company, even before[50] the Chennakesava Perumal Temple was built in 1646,[51] while some scholars argue to the contrary.[52]

The name Madras is also of native origin, and has been shown to have been in use before the British established a presence in India.[53] A Vijayanagara-era inscription dated to the year 1367 that mentions the port of Mādarasanpattanam, along with other small ports on the east coast, was discovered in 2015 and it was theorised that the aforementioned port is the fishing port of Royapuram.[54] According to some sources, Madras is derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing village north of Fort St George.[55] However, it is uncertain whether the name was in use before the arrival of Europeans.[56] British military mapmakers believed Madras was originally Mundir-raj or Mundiraj, which was the name of a Telugu community, Mudiraj, who were the native inhabitants of the city.[57][58]

There are also suggestions that it may have originated from the Portuguese phrase Mãe de Deus or Madre de Dios, which means "mother of God", due to Portuguese influence on the port city, specifically referring to a Church of St. Mary.[59]

In August 1996, the Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name from Madras to Chennai. At that time many Indian cities underwent a change of name.[60][61] However, the name Madras continues in occasional use for the city,[62] as well as for places named after the city such as University of Madras, IIT Madras, Madras Institute of Technology, Madras Medical College, Madras Veterinary College, Madras Christian College.

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Nayak (title)

Nayak (title)

The Nayak is a historic Indian title conferred on Sardars, who were governors of feudal states in the Middle Ages. Today it is also a surname. Nayaks are mostly Hindu and Sikhs, who follow Hinduism and Sikhism respectively.

Peda Venkata Raya

Peda Venkata Raya

Venkata III was the grandson of Aliya Rama Raya. Venkata III belonged to a Telugu family and became the King of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1632–1642. His brothers-in-law were Damarla Venkatappa Nayaka and Damarla Ayyappa Nayaka, both sons of Damarla Chennapa Nayakadu.

East India Company

East India Company

The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies, and later with East Asia. The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. At its peak, the company was the largest corporation in the world. The EIC had its own armed forces in the form of the company's three Presidency armies, totalling about 260,000 soldiers, twice the size of the British army at the time. The operations of the company had a profound effect on the global balance of trade, almost single-handedly reversing the trend of eastward drain of Western bullion, seen since Roman times.

Telugu language

Telugu language

Telugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the dialect of Krishna-Godavari delta region in Coastal Andhra.

Chennakesava Perumal Temple, Chennai

Chennakesava Perumal Temple, Chennai

Chennakesava Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the George Town neighbourhood of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Chenna Kesava Perumal. There is the nearby Chenna Malleeswarar Temple. They are twin temples. The temple was the first to be built in the new settlement; since the construction of Madras city by the British East India Company. Chennakesava Perumal is a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu. And considered as the patron deity of Chennai, Chenna pattanam may be named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple. The word 'chenni' in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.

Royapuram

Royapuram

Royapuram is a locality in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is best known for its beach, and for Royapuram Railway Station. The station is the first railway station of south India, opening in 1856, and is today the oldest surviving railway station of the Indian subcontinent

Government of Tamil Nadu

Government of Tamil Nadu

Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, like most other states in India.

Geographical renaming

Geographical renaming

Geographical renaming is the changing of the name of a geographical feature or area. This can range from the change of a street name to a change to the name of a country. Some names are changed locally but the new names are not recognised by other countries, especially when there is a difference in language. Other names may not be officially recognised but remain in common use. Many places have different names in different languages, and a change of language in official or general use has often resulted in what is arguably a change of name. There are many reasons to undertake renaming, with political motivation being the primary cause; for example many places in the former Soviet Union and its satellites were renamed to honour Stalin. Sometimes a place reverts to its former name. One of the most common reasons for a country changing its name is newly acquired independence. When borders are changed, sometimes due to a country splitting or two countries joining, the names of the relevant areas can change. This, however, is more the creation of a different entity than an act of geographical renaming.

Renaming of cities in India

Renaming of cities in India

The renaming of the cities in India started in 1947 following the end of the British imperial period. Several changes were controversial, and not all proposed changes were implemented. Each had to be approved by the Central Government in New Delhi.

Madras Institute of Technology

Madras Institute of Technology

Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) is an engineering institute located in Chromepet, Chennai, India. It is one of the four autonomous constituent colleges of Anna University. It was established in 1949 by Chinnaswami Rajam as the first self-financing engineering institute in the country and later merged with Anna University. The institute was among the first educational institutions in India to offer new areas of specialization, such as aeronautical engineering, automobile engineering, electronics engineering and instrumentation technology. MIT was the first self-financing institute opened in India.

Madras Medical College

Madras Medical College

Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is the second oldest medical college in India, established after Calcutta Medical College.

Madras Veterinary College

Madras Veterinary College

The Madras Veterinary College, the college affiliated with Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, is a veterinary college in Vepery, a suburb of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The college was established on 1 October 1903 in a small building known as Doblin Hall.

History

Clive House at Fort St. George, the first English settlement in India, founded in 1639
Clive House at Fort St. George, the first English settlement in India, founded in 1639
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, Viceroy of Portuguese India, established the first European settlement in Chennai with the construction of the port of São Tomé de Meliapor in 1522.
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, Viceroy of Portuguese India, established the first European settlement in Chennai with the construction of the port of São Tomé de Meliapor in 1522.
Surrender of the City of Madras in 1746 to de La Bourdonnais, by Jacques François Joseph Swebach
Surrender of the City of Madras in 1746 to de La Bourdonnais, by Jacques François Joseph Swebach
18th-century print of Fort St. George, the oldest English settlement in India
18th-century print of Fort St. George, the oldest English settlement in India
St. Thomas Mount, Chennai
St. Thomas Mount, Chennai

Stone age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities resided in the settlement.[63]

The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During the 1st century CE, a poet and weaver named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore (a neighbourhood of present Chennai).[64] From the 1st–12th century the region of present Tamil Nadu and parts of South India was ruled by the Cholas.[65]

The Pallavas of Kanchi built the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram during the reign of Mahendravarman I. They also defeated several kingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas who ruled over the area before their arrival. Sculpted caves and paintings have been identified from that period.[66] Ancient coins dating to around 500 BCE have also been unearthed from the city and its surrounding areas. A portion of these findings belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled the region during the medieval period.[67]

The Portuguese first arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, north of Chennai.[68]

On 20 August 1639 Francis Day of the East India Company along with the Nayak of Kalahasti Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, travelled to the Chandragiri palace for an audience with the Vijayanager Emperor Peda Venkata Raya.[69] Day was seeking to obtain a grant for land on the Coromandel coast on which the company could build a factory and warehouse for their trading activities. He was successful in obtaining the lease of a strip of land about 10 km (6 mi) long and 1.6 km (1 mi) inland in return for a yearly sum of five hundred lakh pagodas.[70][71][72] On 22 August, he secured the land grant from local Nayak (Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka and his younger brother Aiyappa Nayaka of Poonamallee).[73][74] The region was then formerly a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam".[67] A year later, the Company built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India,[75] which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai, grew around this Fort.[76] Post independence the fort housed the Tamil Nadu Assembly until the new Secretariat building was opened in 2010, but shortly afterwards it was again moved back to Fort St. George, due to a change in the Government.[77]

In 1746, Fort St. George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.[68] The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and strengthened the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore.[78] They resisted a French siege attempt in 1759.[79] In 1769 the city was threatened by Mysore and the British were defeated by Hyder Ali, after which the Treaty of Madras ended the war.[80] By the 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern–day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital.[81]

Map of Madras, c. 1914
Map of Madras, c. 1914

Gradually, the city grew into a major naval base and became the central administrative centre for the British in South India.[82] The city served as the baseline for the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India started on 10 April 1802.[83] With the advent of railways in India in the 19th century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Bombay and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.[84] Sir Arthur Lawley was Governor of Madras from 1906 to 1911 and promoted modern agriculture, industry, railways, education, the arts and more democratic governance.[85] The Governor lived in Government House, Fort St George, and had a country home at Guindy, with access to a golf course, hockey pitches, riding stables and the Guindy Horse Racing Track.[86][87] In the First World War as Red Cross Commissioner in Mesopotamia, he looked after the welfare of Indian soldiers.[88] Madras was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I,[89] when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser SMS Emden on 22 September 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.[90]

After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, which was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1969.[91] The violent agitations of 1965 against the compulsory imposition of Hindi and in support of English in India in the state marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and eventually it had a big impact on the whole state. Because of Madras and its people, English was not abolished as an official language, and remains an official language of India alongside Hindi.[92] On 17 July 1996, the city known as Madras was officially renamed Chennai, in line with what was then a nationwide trend to using less Anglicised names.[93] On 26 December 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing 206 people in Chennai and permanently altering the coastline.[94][95] The 2015 Chennai Floods submerged major portions of the city, killing 269 people and resulting in damages of 86.4 billion (US$1 billion).[96][97][98]

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History of Chennai

History of Chennai

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fifth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 8.9 million (2014), the 383-year-old city is the 31st largest metropolitan area in the world.

Diogo Lopes de Sequeira

Diogo Lopes de Sequeira

D.Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (1465–1530) was a Portuguese fidalgo, sent to analyze the trade potential in Madagascar and Malacca. He arrived at Malacca on 11 September 1509 and left the next year when he discovered that Sultan Mahmud Shah was planning his assassination. This gave Afonso de Albuquerque the opportunity to embark upon his expedition of conquests.

Portuguese India

Portuguese India

The State of India, also referred as the Portuguese State of India or simply Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the Kingdom of Portugal. The capital of Portuguese India served as the governing centre of a string of military forts and trading posts scattered all over the Indian Ocean.

Mylapore

Mylapore

Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar, and the Hindu saint and philosopher, Peyalvar.

Battle of Madras

Battle of Madras

The Battle of Madras or Fall of Madras took place in September 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession when a French force attacked and captured the city of Madras from its British garrison.

Pallavaram

Pallavaram

Pallavaram is a residential neighborhood of Chennai, India. Pallavaram was a part of Alandur until August 2015 and since then a new taluk with headquarters at Pallavaram was created. The town is known for its cantonment and bustling residential colonies and is served by Pallavaram railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. It was merged with Tambaram Municipal Corporation.

Archaeological Survey of India

Archaeological Survey of India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General.

Megalith

Megalith

A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.

South India

South India

South India, also known as Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, comprising 19.31% of India's area and 20% of India's population. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges – the Western and Eastern Ghats – bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar, Bharathappuzha, Pamba, Thamirabarani, Palar, and Vaigai rivers are important perennial rivers.

Pallava dynasty

Pallava dynasty

The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as feudatories.

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram also known as Conjeevaram, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, 72 km (45 mi) from Chennai – the capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the City of Thousand Temples, Kanchipuram is known for its temple architectures, 1000-pillared halls, huge temple towers and silk saris. Kanchipuram serves as one of the most important tourist destinations in India. Kanchipuram has become a centre of attraction to the foreign tourists as well. The city covers an area of 36.14 km2 (13.95 sq mi) and an estimated population of more than 300,000 in 2021. It is the administrative headquarters of Kanchipuram District. Kanchipuram is well-connected by road and rail.

Mahendravarman I

Mahendravarman I

Mahendravarman I was a Pallava emperor who ruled the Southern portion of present-day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century. He was a scholar, painter, architect, musician. He was the son of Simhavishnu, who defeated the Kalabhras and re-established the Pallava kingdom.

Environment

Geography

Cooum River near its mouth in Chennai city
Cooum River near its mouth in Chennai city

Chennai is located on the south–eastern coast of India in the north–eastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 m (22 ft),[99] and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).[100] Chennai is 2,184 km (1,357 mi) south of Delhi, 1,337 km (831 mi) southeast of Mumbai, and 1,707 km (1,061 mi) southwest of Kolkata by road. Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, travels through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore. The estuary of this river is heavily polluted with effluents released by the industries in the region.[101] Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources, the Coumm being so heavily polluted it is regarded as the city's eyesore.[102][103] A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.[104] The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (2.5 mi) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Some areas of the city have the problem of excess iron content in groundwater.[105]

Satellite image of Chennai
Satellite image of Chennai

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.[106] Clay underlies most of the city, chiefly Manali, Kolathur, Maduravoyal, K. K. Nagar, Tambaram, Mudichur, Pallavaram Semmencherry, Alapakkam, Vyasarpadi and Anna Nagar. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, and include areas such as Tiruvottiyur, George Town, Madhavaram, New Washermanpet, Chepauk, Mylapore, Porur, Adyar, Besant Nagar and Uthandi. In these areas, rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Areas having hard rock surface include Guindy, Nanganallur, Pallikaranai, Alandur, Jaladampet, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet and Perungudi.[107][108] The ground water table in Chennai is at 4–5 m below ground in most of the areas,[108] which was considerably improved and maintained through the mandatory rain water harvesting system.[109] Of the 24.87 km coastline of the city, 3.08 km experiences erosion, with sand accretion along the shoreline can be noticed at the Marina beach and the area between the Ennore Port and Kosasthalaiyar river.[110]

Geology

Chennai is classified as being in Seismic Zone III, indicating a moderate risk of damage from earthquakes.[111] Owing to the geotectonic zone the city falls in, the city is considered a potential geothermal energy site. The crust has granite rocks indicating volcanic activities in the past. It is expected that temperatures of around 200 to 300 C° will be available if the ground were drilled 4 to 5 km deep. The region has the oldest rocks in the country dating back to nearly a billion years.[112]

Flora and fauna

The southern stretch of Chennai's coast from Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai are favoured by the endangered olive ridley sea turtles to lay eggs every winter. A large number of cattle egrets, pond herons and other waterbirds can be seen in the rivers of Cooum and Adyar. About 75,000 birds migrate to Chennai every year.[113] Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai also play host to a number of migratory birds during the monsoon and winter.[114] Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the city and its neighbourhood by members of Madras Naturalists' Society since its inception in 1978.

Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits. Wildlife conservation and research activities take place at Arignar Anna Zoological Park including olive ridley sea turtle conservation.[115] Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is a herpetology research station, located 40 km (25 mi) south of Chennai.[116] The city's tree cover is estimated to be around 64.06 sq km.[117] The most dominant tree species is the copper pod, followed by Indian beech and Neem. A total of 121 species of trees belonging to 94 genera and 42 families are found in the city.[117] Nearly half of the native plant species in the city's wetlands have disappeared in recent years. The city, which had 85 percent of its area covered with aquatic plants until the 1970s, now has only 25 percent of its area covered with such plants.[118]

Environment conservation

Chitlapakkam Lake in the southern part of the city
Chitlapakkam Lake in the southern part of the city

Chennai has three rivers and many lakes spread across the city. Urbanization has led to the shrinkage of water bodies and wetlands.[119] The quantity of wetlands in the city has decreased from 650 to only 27 currently.[120] The Chennai River Restoration trust set up by the government is working on the restoration of Adyar river.[121] Environmentalist Foundation of India is a volunteering group working towards wildlife conservation and habitat restoration.[122][123]

The encroachment of urban development on wetlands has gravely hampered the city's sustainability, and contributed both to the city's floods in 2015 and water scarcity crisis in 2019.[124][125]

Climate

Chennai has a dry-summer tropical wet and dry climate under the (Köppen climate classification). The city lies on the thermal equator[126] and is also on the coast, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known regionally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil,[127] with maximum temperatures around 35–40 °C (95–104 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19–25 °C (66–77 °F). The lowest recorded temperature was 13.9 °C (57.0 °F) on 11 December 1895 and 29 January 1905.[128] The highest recorded temperature was 45 °C (113 °F) on 31 May 2003.[128] The average annual rainfall is about 140 cm (55 in).[129]

The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north–east monsoon winds, from mid–October to mid–December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. The highest annual rainfall recorded is 257 cm (101 in) in 2005.[130] Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October[131] and north-easterly during the rest of the year. Historically, Chennai has relied on the annual rains of the monsoon season to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area.[132] Chennai has a water table at 2 metres for 60 percent of the year.[133] The city of Chennai is located on the east coast of India, which is also known as the Coromandel Coast. Chennai is largely dependent on NE monsoon, since 65% of rains are received in this season. Cyclones and depressions are common features during the season. Cyclones, in particular, are especially unpredictable. They may even move towards Orissa, west Bengal, Bangladesh, and also Myanmar. The season between October and December is referred as the NE monsoon period.[134] Floods are common during this period. In 2015, Chennai received record-breaking rains since 1918, which caused massive floods.

Climate data for Chennai, India (Nungambakkam),Average Rainfall(Meenambakkam-Airport 1991-2020-),extreme temp 1901–2012
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9)
36.7
(98.1)
40.6
(105.1)
42.8
(109.0)
45.0
(113.0)
43.3
(109.9)
41.1
(106.0)
40.0
(104.0)
38.9
(102.0)
39.4
(102.9)
35.4
(95.7)
33.0
(91.4)
45.0
(113.0)
Average high °C (°F) 29.3
(84.7)
30.9
(87.6)
32.9
(91.2)
34.5
(94.1)
37.1
(98.8)
37.0
(98.6)
35.3
(95.5)
34.7
(94.5)
34.2
(93.6)
32.1
(89.8)
29.9
(85.8)
28.9
(84.0)
33.1
(91.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.2
(77.4)
26.6
(79.9)
28.7
(83.7)
30.9
(87.6)
32.9
(91.2)
32.4
(90.3)
30.9
(87.6)
30.3
(86.5)
29.8
(85.6)
28.4
(83.1)
26.5
(79.7)
25.3
(77.5)
29.0
(84.2)
Average low °C (°F) 21.2
(70.2)
22.2
(72.0)
24.2
(75.6)
26.6
(79.9)
28.0
(82.4)
27.5
(81.5)
26.4
(79.5)
25.9
(78.6)
25.6
(78.1)
24.6
(76.3)
23.1
(73.6)
21.9
(71.4)
24.8
(76.6)
Record low °C (°F) 13.9
(57.0)
15.0
(59.0)
16.7
(62.1)
20.0
(68.0)
21.1
(70.0)
20.6
(69.1)
21.0
(69.8)
20.5
(68.9)
20.6
(69.1)
16.7
(62.1)
15.0
(59.0)
13.9
(57.0)
13.9
(57.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 20.0
(0.79)
4.7
(0.19)
3.4
(0.13)
17.5
(0.69)
49.7
(1.96)
75.4
(2.97)
113.1
(4.45)
141.4
(5.57)
143.9
(5.67)
278.3
(10.96)
377.3
(14.85)
183.7
(7.23)
1,408.4
(55.45)
Average rainy days 1.4 0.6 0.2 1.0 1.8 4.5 6.7 8.8 7.4 10.6 11.5 5.7 60.2
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 67 66 67 70 68 63 65 66 71 76 76 71 69
Mean monthly sunshine hours 232.5 240.1 291.4 294.0 300.7 234.0 142.6 189.1 195.0 257.3 261.0 210.8 2,848.5
Mean daily sunshine hours 7.5 8.5 9.4 9.8 9.7 7.8 4.6 6.1 6.5 8.3 8.7 6.8 7.8
Average ultraviolet index 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 7 7 6 7 7 7
Source 1: Indian Meteorological Department
Source 2: Japan Meteorological Agency[135] Weather Atlas[136]


Land usage

As of 2018, the city had a green cover of 14.9 percent, against the World Health Organization recommendation of 9 square metres of green cover per capita in cities. The city had a built-up area of 71 percent. Waterbodies cover an estimated 6 percent of the total area, and at least 8 percent of the area has classified as open space.[141] As of 2017, the total volume of water harvested was 339 mcft and groundwater recharge was 170 mcft.[142]

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Geography of Chennai

Geography of Chennai

Chennai is located at 13.04°N 80.17°E on the southeast coast of India and in the northeast corner of Tamil Nadu. It is located on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. The city has an average elevation of 6 metres (20 ft), its highest point being 60 m (200 ft). Chennai is 2,184 kilometres south of Delhi, 1,337 kilometres southeast of Mumbai, and 1,679 kilometers southwest of Kolkata by road.

Coastline of Tamil Nadu

Coastline of Tamil Nadu

The coastline of Tamil Nadu is located on the southeast coast of Indian Peninsula, and forms a part of Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. It is 1076 km long and is the second longest coastline in the country after Gujarat. Chennai, the capital of the state and an important commercial and industrial center in the country is located in the northern part of the coast with Kanniyakumari, forming the southern tip where Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet. It also shares maritime border with Sri Lanka across the Palk strait in Gulf of Mannar. The coastal corridor consists of 14 districts with 15 major ports and harbors, sandy beaches, lakes and river estuaries. Tamil Nadu is the only state in India with territory on both the eastern and western coastlines.

Eastern Coastal Plains

Eastern Coastal Plains

The Eastern Coastal Plains is a wide stretch of landmass of India, lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. It is wider and leveled than the Western Coastal Plains and stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the north through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Chilka Lake is a brackish water lake along the eastern coastal plain. It lies in the state of Odisha and stretches to the south of the Mahanadi Delta.

Delhi

Delhi

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban agglomeration, which includes the satellite cities Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida in an area known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has an estimated population of over 28 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in India and the second-largest in the world.

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commercial, and financial hub of Eastern India and the main port of communication for North-East India. According to the 2011 Indian census, Kolkata is the seventh-most populous city in India, with a population of 45 lakh (4.5 million) residents within the city. It is a part of Kolkata Metropolitan Area which has a population of over 1.41 crore (14.1 million) residents making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. In 2021, the Kolkata metropolitan area crossed 1.5 crore (15 million) registered voters. The Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. Kolkata is regarded as the cultural capital of India. Kolkata is the second largest Bengali-speaking city after Dhaka. It has the highest number of nobel laureates among all cities in India.

Cooum River

Cooum River

The Cooum river, or simply Koovam, is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about 72 km (45 mi) in length, flowing 32 km (20 mi) in the city of Chennai and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted in the urban area (Chennai). Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south and the Kosasthalaiyar River, the river trifurcates the city of Chennai and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai. It is also sometimes known as Thiruvallikenni river

Adyar River

Adyar River

The Adyar River, originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in Kanchipuram district, is one of the three rivers which winds through Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar estuary. The 42.5-kilometre (26.4 mi) long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high pollution levels, boating and fishing take place in this river. The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the city, with a combined catchment area of 860 square kilometres (331 sq mi). Most of the waste from the city is drained into this river and the Cooum.

Kosasthalaiyar River

Kosasthalaiyar River

Kosasthalaiyar River, also known as Kortalaiyar, is one of the three rivers that flow in the Chennai metropolitan area.

Estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments and are an example of an ecotone. Estuaries are subject both to marine influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water, and to fluvial influences such as flows of freshwater and sediment. The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world.

Buckingham Canal

Buckingham Canal

The Buckingham Canal is a 796 kilometres (494.6 mi)-long fresh water navigation canal, that parallels the Coromandel Coast of South India from Kakinada City in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh to Viluppuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to Chennai (Madras) port.

Clay

Clay

Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2Si2O5(OH)4).

Kolathur, Chennai

Kolathur, Chennai

Kolathur is a neighborhood located in the northwestern region of Chennai, India.

Administration

Divisions of Chennai district
Divisions of Chennai district
The Ripon Building, commissioned in 1913, houses the Greater Chennai Corporation.
The Ripon Building, commissioned in 1913, houses the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Chennai city is governed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (formerly "Corporation of Madras"), which was established in 1688. It is the oldest surviving municipal corporation in India and the second oldest surviving corporation in the world.[143][144] In 2011, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was expanded from 174 km2 (67 sq mi) to an area of 426 km2 (164 sq mi),[145] dividing into three regions—North, South and Central, which covers 200 wards.[146][147] The corporation is headed by a mayor, an office presently occupied by Priya Rajan.[148] The Mayor and councillors of the city are elected through a popular vote by the residents.[149] While the city limit was expanded in 2011, the revised population is yet to be officially announced.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is the nodal agency responsible for planning and development of Chennai Metropolitan Area, which is spread over an area of 1,189 km2 (459 sq mi),[150] covering the Chennai district and parts of Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. Under the gamut of the CMDA are 5 parliamentary and 28 assembly constituencies.[151][152] The CMDA has drafted an additional Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. The city's contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram in the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar in the southwest, and Sriperumpudur, Arakkonam, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur to the west.[153]

Chennai, as the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings in the Fort St George campus. The Madras High Court, is the highest judicial authority in the state, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.[154] Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and elects 24 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.[155]

Law and order

The Greater Chennai Police is the main law enforcement agency in the city, with a jurisdiction of over 745 km2 (288 sq mi) catering to over 8.5 million people. It consists of 121 police stations and is headed by a commissioner of police. The Greater Chennai Police is a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, and the administrative control lies with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry.[156] Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) is responsible for the traffic management in the city. The metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, headed by the Chennai Police Commissionerate, and the outer district areas of the CMDA are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.[157][158][159]

A police patrol car
A police patrol car

As of 2011 (prior to the expansion of Chennai Corporation area), Chennai city has a sanctioned strength of 14,000 police personnel. With a population density of 26,903 persons per square kilometre, the city had 1 policeman for every 413 people. The Chennai suburban police had about 4,093 police personnel and a ratio of 1:1,222.[160] In 2010, the crime rate in the city was 169.2 per 100,000 people, as against an average of 341.9 in the 35 major cities of India.[161] In 2011, North Chennai zone had 30 police stations and 3 police out posts, Central Chennai zone had 28 police stations and 3 police out posts, and South Chennai zone had 30 police stations.[162]

In 2009, Madras Central Prison, one of the oldest prisons in India, built over 11 acres (4 ha) of land, was demolished; the prisoners were moved to Puzhal Central Prison.[163]

Politics

Since the 19th century, when Western scholars proposed that Dravidian languages, which dominated the southern region of India, formed a different linguistic group to that of the Indo-Aryan languages that are predominant in the north of the subcontinent, the aspects of Tamil nationalism gained prominence. This resulted in the Anti-Hindi agitations in the city and across the state. However, the post-Independence re-organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian Union. The Anti-Hindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and more powerful political force in the state. The agitations of the 1960s played a crucial role in the defeat of the Tamil Nadu Congress party in the 1967 elections and the continuing dominance of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu politics.[164]

Being the capital of the Madras Province that covered a vast area of the Deccan region, Chennai remained the centre of politics in the southern region of India during the British colonial era. After Independence, it remained the centre of political activities of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the birthplace of the idea of the Indian National Congress, commonly known as the Congress Party. Founded by Indian and British members of the Theosophical Society movement, most notably A.O. Hume,[165] the idea was originally conceived in a private meeting of 17 men after a Theosophical Convention held in the city in December 1884.[166] During the first 50 years of the Indian National Congress, the city played host to its conferences seven times in 1887, 1894, 1898, 1903, 1908, 1914 and 1927, becoming one of the strong bases for the Indian independence movement. After independence, the city hosted the Congress in 1955 in its suburb of Avadi.[167]

Chennai is also the birthplace of several regional political movements since the British era. South Indian Welfare Association, one of the earliest regional parties, was founded in 1916, which later came to be known as the Justice Party, which was the main opposition party to the Indian National Congress in the state.[168][169] In 1944, the party was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) by E. V. Ramasami (popularly known as 'Periyar'). The party was a non-political party that demanded the establishment of an independent state called Dravida Nadu.[170] However, due to the differences between its two leaders Periyar and C. N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK decided to enter into politics in 1956.

Utility services

The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board. Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake, the primary water reservoirs of the city,[171] and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam[172] and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations.[173] The city receives 530 million liters per day (mld) of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project, 180 mld of water from the Veeranam lake project[172] and 100 mld of water from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest sea water desalination plant.[174][175][176] However, Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit of 713 mld in 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 mld and supply estimated at only 1,535 mld.[177] The city's sewer system was designed in 1910, with some modifications in 1958.[178] There are 714 public toilets in the city managed by the city corporation,[179] and 2,000 more have been planned by the corporation.[180] The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.[181]

The Corporation of Chennai provides civic services to the city. Garbage collection in some of the wards is contracted to Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, a private company,[182] while the Corporation looks after the removal and processing of solid waste in the others,[183] with a superintendent engineer managing the channels. As of 2011, eight transfer stations exist within the city for treating the waste.[184] Garbage is dumped in two dump-yards in the city—One in Kodungaiyur and another in Pallikaranai, with a major portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai marshland.[185] In market areas, the conservancy work is done during the night.[186] Electricity is distributed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.[187] Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services.[188] The city, along with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.[189]

The Chennai City region has 568 post offices, of which nearly 460 operate from rented premises.[190]

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Greater Chennai Corporation

Greater Chennai Corporation

The Greater Chennai Corporation, formerly known as the Corporation of Madras (1688–1996) and Corporation of Chennai (1996–2016), is the civic body that governs the metropolitan city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a royal charter issued by King James II of England on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain. It is among the oldest municipalities in Asia after Daman Municipality, which was established in 1588. It is the largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu with an area of 426 km2. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors, each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. It is the second oldest civic corporation in the world after the City of London. The city limits, which had been expanded several times over the years, is currently coterminous with the Chennai district.

Municipal corporation

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owned corporations.

Priya Rajan

Priya Rajan

Priya Rajan of DMK party, is the forty-ninth and the incumbent mayor of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu. She succeeded Saidai Duraisamy of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to become the third woman mayor of the city after the local body election. She is the youngest woman to be the Mayor of Chennai.

Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority

Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), formerly known as the Madras Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA), is the nodal planning agency of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The CMDA administers the Chennai Metropolitan Region, spread over an area of 5,904 km2 (2,280 sq mi) and covers the districts of Chennai, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Ranipet and Kancheepuram. It was set up for the purposes of planning, co-ordination, supervising, promoting and securing the planned development of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It coordinates the development activities of the municipal corporations, municipalities and other local authorities.

Chennai district

Chennai district

Chennai district, formerly known as Madras district, is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the smallest and the most densely populated district in the state. The district is coterminous with the city of Chennai, which is administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is surrounded by Tiruvallur district in the north and the west, Kanchipuram district in the south-west, Chenglpattu district in the south, and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

Kanchipuram district

Kanchipuram district

Kancheepuram district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The area comprising the present day Kancheepuram district was earlier a part of Chingleput district. The original Chingleput district was split in 1997 into form the present day Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.

Chengalpattu district

Chengalpattu district

Chengalpattu District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, in India. The district headquarters is located at Chengalpattu. Chengalpattu district came into existence on 29 November 2019 when it was carved out of Kanchipuram district after the announcement about the bifurcation of districts on 18 July 2019.

Parliament of India

Parliament of India

The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The president in his role as head of the legislature has full powers to summon and prorogue either house of Parliament or to dissolve the Lok Sabha. The president can exercise these powers only upon the advice of the prime minister and his Union Council of Ministers.

Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)

Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)

A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district (constituency) to the legislature of State government in the Indian system of government. From each constituency, the people elect one representative who then becomes a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Each state has between seven and nine MLAs for every Member of Parliament (MP) that it has in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's bicameral parliament. There are also members in three unicameral legislatures in Union Territories: the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. Only a Member of the Legislative Assembly can work as a minister for more than 6 months. If a non-Member of the Legislative Assembly becomes a Chief Minister or a minister, he must become an MLA within 6 months to continue in the job. Only a Member of the Legislative Assembly can become a Speaker of the Legislature.

Comprehensive planning

Comprehensive planning

Comprehensive planning is an ordered process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The end product is called a comprehensive plan, also known as a general plan, or master plan. This resulting document expresses and regulates public policies on transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing. Comprehensive plans typically encompass large geographical areas, a broad range of topics, and cover a long-term time horizon. The term comprehensive plan is most often used by urban planners in the United States.

Chengalpattu

Chengalpattu

Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is 56 kilometres (35 mi) away from the state capital, Chennai on the National Highway 45.

Maraimalai Nagar

Maraimalai Nagar

Maraimalai Nagar is a satellite town of Chennai, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a municipality town in Chengalpattu district. It lies in the southern part of the Chennai metropolitan area around 50 km from downtown Chennai Egmore and about 15 km from Vandalur. It is a satellite town developed by the CMDA in 1980. Many heavy industries are located in Maraimalai Nagar. The Ford India and BMW car factories are located within a mile from Maraimalai Nagar and the Indian software giant Infosys also has an office within eight kilometers of Maraimalai Nagar. SRM University has its main campus in the neighboring Potheri. As of 2011, Maraimalai Nagar had a population of 81,872.

Architecture

Triumph of Labour
Triumph of Labour

With the history of many neighbourhoods of the city such as Mylapore, Triplicane, and Tiruvanmiyur antedating that of the city itself, the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide chronology. The oldest buildings in the city date from the 7th and 8th centuries CE, which include the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore and the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane, built in the Dravidian architecture. This architecture includes various styles, such as those of the Pallavas, the Cholas, and the Vijayanagara empires. The associated Agraharam architecture, which consists of traditional row houses surrounding a temple, can still be seen in these areas.[191][192] The heritage temples at Mamallapuram at the outskirts of the city are some of the examples of the Pallava architecture. Chennai ranks second to Kolkata in having the largest collection of Indian heritage buildings in the country.[193]

Parry's Corner, one of the oldest business areas of Chennai, lined up with Art Deco buildings
Parry's Corner, one of the oldest business areas of Chennai, lined up with Art Deco buildings

With the advent of the Mugals and the British, the city saw a rise in a blend of Hindu, Islamic and Gothic revival styles, resulting in the distinct Indo-Saracenic architecture.[194] The architecture for several early institutions such as banking and commerce, railways, press and education, chiefly through the colonial rule, followed the earlier directions of the Neo-Classical and the Indo-Saracenic.[195] The Chepauk Palace in the city, designed by Paul Benfield, is said to be the first Indo-Saracenic building in India.[196] Since then, many of the colonial-era buildings in the city were designed in this style of architecture, which is most apparent around the Fort St. George built in 1640. Most of these were designed by English architects Robert Fellowes Chisholm and Henry Irwin. The best examples of this style include the Madras High Court (built in 1892), Southern Railway headquarters, Ripon Building, Government Museum, Senate House of the University of Madras, Amir Mahal, Bharat Insurance Building, Victoria Public Hall and the College of Engineering.[197] The Triumph of Labour, also known as the Labour statue, at the Marina Beach is an important landmark of Chennai.[198]

Southern Railway Headquarters, one of the fine examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in the city
Southern Railway Headquarters, one of the fine examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in the city

The construction of the National Art Gallery in Madras was completed in 1909. The new building, with a distinct façade, was built of pink sandstone brought from Sathyavedu, and formed part of the Madras Museum campus. It was opened, on 23 January 1909, by the Governor of Fort St. George, Sir Arthur Lawley, and called the Victoria Memorial Hall after the Queen-Empress Victoria.[199][200][201] The residential architecture in the city was based on the bungalow or the continuous row house prototypes.[195] Gothic revival style buildings include the Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations. The Santhome Church, which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1523 and is believed to house the remains of the apostle St. Thomas, was rebuilt in 1893 in neo-Gothic style.[202]

By the early 20th century, the art deco too made its entry upon the city's urban landscape. From the 1930s onwards, many buildings in George Town were built in this style, including the United India building (presently housing the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)) and the Burma Shell building (presently the Chennai House), both built in the 1930s, and the Dare House, built in 1940. Other examples include the Bombay Mutual building (presently housing LIC) and the South Indian Chamber of Commerce building.[195] After Independence, the city witnessed a rise in the Modernism style of architecture.[195] The completion of the LIC Building in 1959, the tallest building in the country at that time,[203] marked the transition from lime-and-brick construction to concrete columns in the region.[204] The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai Port, however, prohibited the construction of buildings taller than 60 m around a radius of 10 km for several decades that followed.[205] In addition, the floor-area ratio (FAR) in the central business district is also 1.5, much less than that of smaller cities of the country. This resulted in the city expanding horizontally, unlike other metropolitan cities where vertical growth was prominent. On the contrary, the peripheral regions, especially on the southern and south-western sides, began experiencing vertical growth with the construction of buildings up to 60 floors. Within the downtown area, the 48-storied Highliving District Tower H remains the tallest building at 161 metres.[206]

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Architecture of Chennai

Architecture of Chennai

Chennai architecture is a confluence of many architectural styles. From ancient Tamil temples built by the Pallavas, to the Indo-Saracenic style of the colonial era, to 20th-century steel and chrome of skyscrapers. Chennai has a colonial core in the port area, surrounded by progressively newer areas as one travels away from the port, punctuated with old temples, churches and mosques.

List of tallest buildings in Chennai

List of tallest buildings in Chennai

This list of tallest buildings in Chennai ranks high-rise and skyscraper buildings in Chennai, India based on official height. LIC Building in the city was the tallest highrise in India when it was inaugurated in 1959. Chennai is witnessing a huge high-rise boom with many highrises being built in different parts of the city. SPR City Highliving District at Perumbur is the tallest building in the city with a height of 172 metres tall and has 45 floors. The World Trade Center at Perungudi, the Houses of Hiranandani in Egattur, the TCS Signature Towers at Siruseri, the TVH Ouranya Bay at Padur, the LIC Building at Mount Road, Hyatt Regency Chennai at Teynampet and Arihant Majestic Towers at Koyambedu are some of the various prominent highrises in the city.

Heritage structures in Chennai

Heritage structures in Chennai

Chennai, with historically rich records dating at least from the time of the Pallavas, houses 2,467 heritage buildings within its metropolitan area (CMA), the highest within any metropolitan area limit in India. Most of these buildings are around 200 years old and older. Chennai is home to the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country, after Kolkata. The official list of heritage buildings was compiled by the Justice E. Padmanabhan committee. The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed the Heritage Commission Act in 2012 to preserve old heritage structures.

Mylapore

Mylapore

Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar, and the Hindu saint and philosopher, Peyalvar.

Triplicane

Triplicane

Triplicane, known in the vernacular as Thiruvallikeni, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about 0.6 km (0.37 mi) from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres above sea level.

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to lord Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The form of Shiva's consort Parvati worshipped at this temple is called Karpagambal is from Tamil. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of Dravidian architecture.

Dravidian architecture

Dravidian architecture

Dravidian architecture, or the South Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinctive difference from north Indian styles is the use of a shorter and more pyramidal tower over the garbhagriha or sanctuary called a vimana, where the north has taller towers, usually bending inwards as they rise, called shikharas. However, for modern visitors to larger temples the dominating feature is the high gopura or gatehouse at the edge of the compound; large temples have several, dwarfing the vimana; these are a much more recent development. There are numerous other distinct features such as the dwarapalakas – twin guardians at the main entrance and the inner sanctum of the temple and goshtams – deities carved in niches on the outer side walls of the garbhagriha.

Vijayanagara Empire

Vijayanagara Empire

The Vijayanagara Empire coverered much of the region of South India, controlling the lands of the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Maharashtra. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, members of a pastoralist cowherd community that claimed Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers to ward off Perso-Turkic Islamic invasions by the end of the 13th century. At its peak, it subjugated almost all of South India's ruling families and pushed the sultans of the Deccan beyond the Tungabhadra-Krishna river doab region, in addition to annexing Gajapati Kingdom (Odisha) till Krishna river, thus becoming a notable power. It lasted until 1646, although its power declined after a major military defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by the combined armies of the Deccan sultanates. The empire is named after its capital city of Vijayanagara, whose ruins surround present day Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India. The wealth and fame of the empire inspired visits by and writings of medieval European travelers such as Domingo Paes, Fernão Nunes, and Niccolò de' Conti. These travelogues, contemporary literature and epigraphy in the local languages, and modern archeological excavations at Vijayanagara have provided ample information about the history and power of the empire.

World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".

Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is one of the famous tourist sites in India. The ancient name of the place is Thirukadalmallai.

Art Deco

Art Deco

Art Deco, short for the French Arts Décoratifs, and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s, and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. Through styling and design of the exterior and interior of anything from large structures to small objects, including how people look, Art Deco has influenced bridges, buildings, ships, ocean liners, trains, cars, trucks, buses, furniture, and everyday objects like radios and vacuum cleaners.

British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 per cent of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 35.5 million km2 (13.7 million sq mi), 24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as the Sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.

Demographics

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1639 7,000—    
1646 19,000+171.4%
1670 40,000+110.5%
1681 200,000+400.0%
1685 300,000+50.0%
1691 400,000+33.3%
1715 100,000−75.0%
1726 100,000+0.0%
1733 100,000+0.0%
1791 300,000+200.0%
1871 367,552+22.5%
1881 405,848+10.4%
1891 452,518+11.5%
1901 509,346+12.6%
1911 518,660+1.8%
1921 526,911+1.6%
1931 647,232+22.8%
1941 777,481+20.1%
1951 1,416,056+82.1%
1961 1,729,141+22.1%
1971 2,469,449+42.8%
1981 3,266,034+32.3%
1991 3,841,396+17.6%
2001 4,343,645+13.1%
2011 7,088,000+63.2%
Source:

A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite.[214][215][216] According to 2011 census, the city had a population of 4,646,732, within an area of 174 square kilometres administered by the Municipal Corporation, working out a population density of 26,705 persons per square kilometre;[217] that had 11 lakh households, with 51% of them living in rented houses.[218] The city's limits were expanded later in 2011 to 426 square kilometres and its population reached 7,088,000,[20] resulting in a population density of 16,639 persons per square kilometre, with Chennai Municipal Corporation being renamed as Greater Chennai Corporation.[20]

As of 2019, 712,000 families live below poverty line, which is about 40 percent of the 1.788 million families in the city.[219]

Languages

Tamils form the majority of Chennai's population. English is spoken largely by white-collar workers,[220] often mixed into Tamil.[221] In 2001, out of the 2,937,000 migrants (33.8% of its population) in the city, 61.5% were from other parts of the state, 33.8% were from rest of India and 3.7% were from outside the country.[222] As per the 2001 census, the number of speakers mother tongue wise are as follows, Tamil is spoken by 3,424,107 (78.8%), followed by Telugu by 419,209 (9.7%), Urdu by 180,245 (4.1%), Malayalam by 113,828 (2.6%), Hindi by 104,084 (2.4%), and Kannada by 22,250 (0.5%).[223] Korean, Japanese, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, German and Spanish are some of the languages spoken by the 250,000 foreign expatriates residing in the city.[224][225][226][227][228]

Religion and ethnicity

Religions in Chennai City (2011)[229]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
80.73%
Islam
9.45%
Christianity
7.72%
Jainism
1.11%
Others
0.99%

Chennai, along with Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, is one of the few Indian cities that are home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities.[230] Minorities include Telugus, Marwaris, Gujaratis, Parsis,[231][232] Sindhis,[233][234] Odias,[235] Goans,[236] Kannadigas,[237] Anglo-Indians,[238] Bengalis,[239] Punjabi,[240] and Malayalees. As per the religious census of 2011, Chennai's population was 80.73% Hindu, 9.45% Muslim, 7.72% Christian, 1.11% Jain, 0.06% Sikh, 0.06% Buddhist, [229]

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, a Hindu shrine in the neighborhood of Mylapore
Kapaleeshwarar Temple, a Hindu shrine in the neighborhood of Mylapore
Santhome Basilica, a Christian cathedral in Mylapore as well
Santhome Basilica, a Christian cathedral in Mylapore as well
Triplicane Big Mosque, a prominent mosque in Chennai
Triplicane Big Mosque, a prominent mosque in Chennai

Housing

In a 2013 survey titled 'Emerging trends in real estate in Asia Pacific 2014', Chennai emerged in the top 25 real estate destinations list in the Asia Pacific region. The city ranked 22nd in the list.[241] There are about 1,240 slums in Chennai home to about 900,000 people.[242]

Per 2011 census, there are 1.1 million households in the city and the residential housing stock available is 1,150,000 – a surplus of about 50,000 houses. About 43,700 of them are kept vacant. In the suburbs of Chennai located in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, the figures of vacant houses 56,000 and 71,000, respectively. Of the existing housing stock in the city, about 200,000 houses are not in good condition, necessitating either to rebuild or build new units. About 26,000 households live in houses without any room and another 427,000 families (with an average size of five members) live in small dwelling units with only one room. An earlier estimate shows that there is a need to generate about 420,000 units for low-income groups by 2016.[243]

As of 2012, an estimated population of 11,116 (0.16 percent) were homeless. Per Supreme Court guidelines, the city needs 65 shelters for the homeless. However, it has only 15, of which eight are functioning and two are under renovation.[244]

As of 2017, there are more than 2.2 million households, with 40 percent of the residents not owning a house.[245]

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Demographics of Chennai

Demographics of Chennai

Chennai, along with Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, is one of the few Indian cities that are home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities. According to the 2011 census Chennai then had a total population of 4,681,087 at a density of 26,902 per square kilometre; the sex ratio was 986 and literacy rate was 90.33%. The most widely spoken languages are Tamil and English. Hinduism is followed by a majority of the populace followed by Islam and Christianity. Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism are other religions practiced.

Religion in Chennai

Religion in Chennai

Chennai is religiously cosmopolitan, with its denizens following various religions, chief among them being Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. Chennai, along with Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, and Kolkata, is one of the few Indian cities that are home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities. With the majority of the people in India following Hinduism, Chennai, like other Indian cities, is home to more Hindus than any other religion. Chennai has centres of worship for a multitude of faiths. According to 2001 census, majority of the population are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists.

Greater Chennai Corporation

Greater Chennai Corporation

The Greater Chennai Corporation, formerly known as the Corporation of Madras (1688–1996) and Corporation of Chennai (1996–2016), is the civic body that governs the metropolitan city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a royal charter issued by King James II of England on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain. It is among the oldest municipalities in Asia after Daman Municipality, which was established in 1588. It is the largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu with an area of 426 km2. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors, each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. It is the second oldest civic corporation in the world after the City of London. The city limits, which had been expanded several times over the years, is currently coterminous with the Chennai district.

Indian English

Indian English

Indian English (IE) is a group of English dialects spoken in the Republic of India and among the Indian diaspora. English is used by the Indian government for communication, along with Hindi, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. English is also an official language in seven states and seven union territories of India, and the additional official language in seven other states and one union territory. Furthermore, English is the sole official language of the Indian Judiciary, unless the state governor or legislature mandates the use of a regional language, or if the President of India has given approval for the use of regional languages in courts.

Malayalam

Malayalam

Malayalam is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was designated a "Classical Language of India" in 2013. Malayalam has official language status in Kerala and Puducherry (Mahé), and is also the primary spoken language of Lakshadweep, and is spoken by 34 million people in India. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with a significant number of speakers in the Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, and Kanyakumari, district of Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken by the Malayali Diaspora worldwide, especially in the Persian Gulf countries, due to the large populations of Malayali expatriates there. They are a significant population in each city in India including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune etc.

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been described as a standardised and Sanskritised register of the Hindustani language, which itself is based primarily on the Khariboli dialect of Delhi and neighbouring areas of North India. Hindi, written in the Devanagari script, is one of the two official languages of the Government of India, along with English. It is an official language in nine states and three union territories and an additional official language in three other states. Hindi is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of the Republic of India.

Kannada

Kannada

Kannada, previously also known as Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a second or third language for around 15 million non-native speakers in Karnataka.

Korean language

Korean language

Korean is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea, but over the past 75 years of political division, the two Koreas have developed some noticeable vocabulary differences. Beyond Korea, the language is recognised as a minority language in parts of China, namely Jilin Province, and specifically Yanbian Prefecture and Changbai County. It is also spoken by Sakhalin Koreans in parts of Sakhalin, the Russian island just north of Japan, and by the Koryo-saramcode: kor promoted to code: ko in parts of Central Asia. The language has a few extinct relatives which—along with the Jeju language (Jejuan) of Jeju Island and Korean itself—form the compact Koreanic language family. Even so, Jejuan and Korean are not mutually intelligible with each other. The linguistic homeland of Korean is suggested to be somewhere in contemporary Northeast China. The hierarchy of the society from which the language originates deeply influences the language, leading to a system of speech levels and honorifics indicative of the formality of any given situation.

French language

French language

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of China. Because Mandarin originated in North China and most Mandarin dialects are found in the north, the group is sometimes referred to as Northern Chinese. Many varieties of Mandarin, such as those of the Southwest and the Lower Yangtze, are not mutually intelligible with the standard language. Nevertheless, Mandarin as a group is often placed first in lists of languages by number of native speakers.

German language

German language

German, or more precisely High German, is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Western Europe and Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as a recognized national language in Namibia. Outside Germany, it is also spoken by German communities in France (Bas-Rhin), Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary (Sopron).

Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma, a modern usage, which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another endonym is Vaidika Dharma, the dharma related to the Vedas.

Arts and culture

Museums and art galleries

National Art Gallery, Chennai
National Art Gallery, Chennai

Chennai is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role.[246] The city also has one of the oldest museums and art galleries in the country – Government Museum, Chennai and the National Art Gallery, Chennai,[247] established in the early 18th century.[248]

The city also hosts two art festivals annually. The "Fort Museum" inside the premises of Fort St. George is an important museum having a noteworthy collection of objects of the British era in its collection.[249] The museum is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India and has in its possession, the first Flag of India hoisted at Fort St George after the declaration of India's Independence on 15 August 1947.[250]

Music and performing arts

MGR Memorial at Marina beach, Chennai
MGR Memorial at Marina beach, Chennai

Chennai is a major centre for music, art and culture in India.[251] The city is known for its classical dance shows. In 1930, for the first time in India, Madras University introduced a course of music, as part of the Bachelor of Arts curriculum.[252] The Madras Music Season, initiated by Madras Music Academy in 1927, is celebrated every year during the month of December.[253] It features performances of traditional Carnatic music by many artists in and around the city.[254] The main folk music in Chennai is Gaana, a combination of various folk musics sung mainly sung in the working-class area of North Chennai.[255]

An arts festival called the Chennai Sangamam, which showcases not only various art of Tamil Nadu, but also from the neighbouring states, like kalari (from Kerala), which is a major attraction, is held in January every year. The Speciality of Chennai Sangamam is that the various programmes are held near or at the various famous landmarks in the city so that everyone in the city has access to the programmes and there is no fee charged for entry for any of the programmes.[256] Pookolam, a form of art that uses coloured flour to create patterns and designs, comes from Kerala, but can be seen in abundance at the time of Onam.[257]

The city has a diverse theatre scene and is one of the important centres for Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and is the oldest dance of India.[258] An important cultural centre for Bharata Natyam is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south of the city.[259] In 2012, a group of five Bharatha Natyam dancers from Chennai performed at the India Campaign during the 2012 Summer Olympics.[260] Chennai has been featured in UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list since October 2017 for its century-old musical tradition.[44] Chennai is also home to some choirs, who during the Christmas season stage various carol performances across the city in Tamil and English.[261][262]

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Culture of Chennai

Culture of Chennai

The culture of Chennai, popularly called the "Gateway to the South India", is distinct from that of any other Indian city. Being a cosmopolitan hub, the city's culture reflects its diverse population that has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern metropolis, Chennai continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a peculiar cultural blend in city, from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises, and from classical music and dance to the growing nightlife.

Government Museum, Chennai

Government Museum, Chennai

The Government Museum, Chennai, or the Madras Museum, is a museum of human history and culture located in the Government Museum Complex in the neighbourhood of Egmore in Chennai, India. Started in 1851, it is the second oldest museum in India after the Indian Museum in Kolkata. It is particularly rich in archaeological and numismatic collections. It has the largest collection of Roman antiquities outside Europe. Among them, the colossal Museum Theatre is one of the most impressive. The National Art Gallery is also present in the museum premises. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, it houses rare European and Asian painting of renowned artists, including that of Raja Ravi Varma. It had 0.6 million visitors in 2018. It has the richest collections of bronze idols, 500 of them dating to 1000 BCE, in Asia.

Archaeological Survey of India

Archaeological Survey of India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General.

Flag of India

Flag of India

The national flag of India, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" almost always refers to the Indian national flag. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.

Fort St. George, India

Fort St. George, India

Fort St. George is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city evolved around the fortress. The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.

Independence Day (India)

Independence Day (India)

Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to a republic, when the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 and replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India, with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.

Madras Music Season

Madras Music Season

Chennai Music Season is an event hosted every Mid November–January in Chennai Tamil Nadu. Spanning some 9 weeks, it comprises top-flight professional and amateur musicians. The traditional role of the Music Season is to allow aficionados of Carnatic music to appreciate performances by renowned artists, and to allow promising young artists to display their talent and skill. Audiences and artists come from across India and her diaspora to enjoy the season.

Madras Music Academy

Madras Music Academy

Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called Music Academy It plays an important role in encouraging and promoting primarily the Carnatic Music Indian art form. It played a vital role in the revival of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam in the 1930s when it faced near extinction due to a negative connotation caused by conservative societal standards.

Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music, known as Karnāṭaka saṃgīta or Karnāṭaka saṅgītam in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda. The other subgenre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian or Islamic influences from Northern India. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style.

Gaana

Gaana

Gaana is a genre of Tamil music, which is sung in the Madras Bashai dialect of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is rap-like "collection of rhythms, beats and sensibilities native to the Madras people." It evolved over the past two centuries, with influences ranging from the siddhars of ancient Tamilakam to rural Tamil folk music to Tamil sufi mystics. Its popularity rose when it was brought to the music of the mainstream Tamil film industry. Contemporary gaana bands are bringing the genre to new audiences while using it for social activism, especially against caste discrimination.

Chennai Sangamam

Chennai Sangamam

Chennai Sangamam is a large annual open Tamil cultural festival held in the city of Chennai. The festival is organized by the Tamil Maiyam and Department of Tourism and Culture of the Government of Tamil Nadu with the intention of rejuvenating the old village festivals, art and artists. The festival is centered on the occasion of Tamil harvest festival of Pongal, and takes place for a week-long period. The festival is conceived to be the longest and biggest open Festival in India.

2012 Summer Olympics

2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July. There were 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics.

Cityscape

Chennai is broadly divided into four regions: North, Central, South, and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area, with a higher population density and narrower roads. South and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are rapidly becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.[263] Central Chennai comprises residential elements, but is primarily home to the downtown area, and surrounding areas, the most visited by travellers to the city.[264]

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Call centre

Call centre

A call centre or call center is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. An inbound call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product or service support or information enquiries from consumers. Outbound call centres are usually operated for sales purposes such as telemarketing, for solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection, market research, emergency notifications, and urgent/critical needs blood banks. A contact centre is a further extension to call centres telephony based capabilities, administers centralised handling of individual communications, including letters, faxes, live support software, social media, instant message, and email.

Grand Southern Trunk Road

Grand Southern Trunk Road

Grand Southern Trunk Road (or) National Highways 45 is an arterial road in Tamil Nadu. It is also known as Chennai–Trichy Highway. The Road starts from Kathipara Junction in St Thomas Mount, Chennai towards Tiruchirappalli. It branches out from Anna Salai.

Ambattur

Ambattur

Ambattur is located in northwestern part of Chennai City, in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Korattur, Ayappakkam, Athipet and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of 45 km2 (17 sq mi). The neighbourhood is served by Ambattur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway. Ambattur has its origins in a village of the same name which can be located at present as areas opposite to Ambattur telephone exchange. Ambattur was a village with large extents of agricultural farm lands irrigated by the once-sprawling Ambattur Lake. In 2011, the neighbourhood had a population 466,205.

Koyambedu

Koyambedu

Koyambedu is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. Situated in the western part of Chennai city, the Koyambedu area has become a major hub of activity in Chennai City after the inauguration of the Koyambedu market in 1996 and the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) in 2002. The area is active round the clock owing to the movement of people and goods through the day, with uninterrupted transport facilities such as long-route buses, autos, share autos, vegetable goods carriers and so forth.

Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur is a town panchayat in the Kanchipuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai on the National Highway 4 and is just outside the Chennai Metropolitan Area and part of the Chennai suburban area. It is a fast emerging neighbourhood of Chennai. Since 2000, Sriperumbudur has seen rapid industrialisation. It is known for being the birthplace of Sri Ramanuja, one of the most prominent Hindu Vaishnava saints. The former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated here in 1991.

Economy

Corporate headquarters of the $10 billion Murugappa Group in Chennai
Corporate headquarters of the $10 billion Murugappa Group in Chennai
Ashok Leyland Corporate Headquarters in Guindy, Chennai
Ashok Leyland Corporate Headquarters in Guindy, Chennai
Cognizant's Delivery Center in Chennai
Cognizant's Delivery Center in Chennai

Recent estimates of the economy of the entire Chennai Metropolitan Area range from $78.6 to $86 billion (PPP GDP), ranking it from fourth- to sixth-most productive metro area of India.[35] Chennai has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. As of 2012, the city is India's second-largest exporter of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services.[265][266] A major part of India's automobile industry is located in and around the city thus earning it the nickname "Detroit of India".[5][6][7][8][267] Known as the "Gateway of South India",[1][2][3][4] Chennai is the third-most visited city in India by international tourists according to Euromonitor.[29] The city is also called the Cultural Capital of South India.[12] The city was home to the Madras Stock Exchange, India's fourth stock exchange, one of four permanently recognised by SEBI, and India's third-largest by trading volume, ranked behind the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.[268][269][270]

Industrialisation in the city dates back to the 16th century, when textile mills manufactured goods which were exported to British during its war with France. According to Forbes magazine, Chennai is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and is ranked among the "Forbes-Top 10 Fastest Growing Cities in the World".[271] It is ranked 4th in hosting the maximum number of Fortune 500 companies of India, next only to Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. It also is home to 24 Indian companies having a net worth of more than US$1 billion. As of 2012, the city has about 34,260 identified companies in its 15 zones, of which 5,196 companies have a paid-up the capital of over 50 lakh.[272]

Zoho Headquarters in Chennai
Zoho Headquarters in Chennai

Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, health care and financial services industries.[265] According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Chennai is estimated to grow to a US$100 billion economy, 2.5 times its present size, by 2025.[273] As of 2012, with 1 lakh crore investment in the pipeline over 5 years, the city is poised for major industrial investment.[274] Chennai is classified as a global city by GaWC, with a ranking of Beta[275] based on the extent of global reach and financial influence.[276] It is estimated that about 400 financial industry businesses are headquartered in the city,[277] half of which are located in the areas of Mylapore, R. A. Puram, Nungambakkam and T. Nagar.[278]

The city is base to around 40 percent of India's automobile industry and 45 percent of auto components industry.[279] A large number of automotive companies including Royal enfield, Hyundai, Renault, Robert Bosch, Nissan Motors, Ashok Leyland, Yamaha Motor, Daimler AG, Caterpillar Inc., Komatsu Limited, BharatBenz, Ford, BMW, Citroën and Mitsubishi have manufacturing plants in Chennai.[280] The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun MBT.[281] The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways.[282] The Ambattur–Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and a special economic zone (SEZ) for apparel and footwear manufacturing has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city.[283] Chennai contributes more than 50 percent of India's leather exports.[284]

Many software and software services companies have development centres in Chennai, which contributed 14 percent of India's total software exports of 14,42,140 lakh during 2006–07, making it the second largest Indian city software exporter following Bangalore.[265] The Tidel Park in Chennai was billed as Asia's largest IT park when it was built.[285][286] Major software companies have their offices set up here, with some of them making Chennai their largest base.[266]

Prominent financial institutions, including the World Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN AMRO, Bank of America, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, HSBC, ING Group, Allianz, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Asian Development Bank, Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas Fortis, Irevna, Deutsche Bank and Citibank have back office and development centre operations in the city.[287] Chennai is home to the national level commercial banks Indian Bank[288] and Indian Overseas Bank[289][290] and many state level co–operative banks, finance and insurance companies. Telecom and Electronics manufacturers based in and around Chennai include Samsung, Nokia Siemens, Motorola, Lenovo, Dell, Force10, Wipro, Flextronics and Siemens among others. Chennai is currently the largest electronics hardware exporter in India, accounting for 45% of the total exports in 2010–11.[291] Telecom giants Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have research and development facilities in Chennai. The TICEL bio–tech park at Taramani[292] and Golden Jubilee bio–tech park at Siruseri[293] houses biotechnology companies and laboratories. The World Trade Center complex is located at Perungudi on the southern side of the city.[294] According to Jones Lang LaSalle, demand for investment-grade buildings in Chennai is high from IT companies. The average annual gross demand in Chennai is 4.5 million square feet.[294]

A study conducted by the National Housing Bank on the residential price index of Indian cities showed that Chennai experienced the highest growth after the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[295] Medical tourism is an important part of Chennai's economy with 45 percent of total medical tourists to India making to Chennai.[296] The Tamil film industry[297] and the Tamil television industry are also significant parts of Chennai's economy. The city also has a permanent exhibition complex in Nandambakkam called the Chennai Trade Centre.[298] It hosted the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet in 2019 which was a business summit organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu.[299] With 385 ultra-rich living in the city as of 2013, Chennai is positioned in the sixth place among Indian cities that are home to the country's super-rich.[300] The city is the third largest market in India for luxury cars.[301]

Banking and finance

World Bank Office in Chennai
World Bank Office in Chennai

The Reserve Bank of India ranked Chennai as third-largest deposit centre and third-largest credit centre nationwide as of June 2012. Prior to the advent of modern commercial banks, the banking services in the city were offered to the public by Nattukottai Chettiars or Nagarathars, chiefly in and around the neighbourhood of George Town, who offered loans as well as accepted money deposits from the public, in addition to offering loans to the agricultural labourers. Even today, many of the banking offices are housed in heritage structures belonging to the colonial era that are chiefly clustered around Rajaji Road in George Town.[302] Chennai is home to the first European-style banking system in India with the establishment of the 'Madras Bank' on 21 June 1683, almost a century before the establishment of the first commercial banks, such as the Bank of Hindustan and the General Bank of India, which were established in 1770 and 1786, respectively.[303] Upon the recommendation of the British Finance Committee on the formation of a government bank, the Madras Bank, then known as the 'Government Bank', started functioning again from 1806. In 1843, the bank merged with the Carnatic Bank (1788), the British Bank of Madras (1795) and the Asiatic Bank (1804) and became the Bank of Madras, which was one of the three Presidency banks of India, the other two being the Bank of Bengal and the Bank of Bombay. In 1921, the three Presidency banks merged to form the Imperial Bank of India, which later became the State Bank of India in 1955.[304]

Chennai is the headquarters of the Indian Bank, the Indian Overseas Bank and the erstwhile Bharat Overseas Bank, which merged with the Indian Overseas Bank in 2007.[305] The city is home to the south zonal office of the Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, along with its zonal training centre and Reserve Bank Staff College, one of the two colleges of the bank.[306] The city also houses the permanent back office of the World Bank, which is one of the largest buildings owned by the bank outside its headquarters in Washington, DC.[307] The Chennai office handles corporate financial, accounting, administrative and IT services of the bank, in addition to several value-added operations of the bank that were earlier handled only in its Washington, DC office, including the bank's analytical work in bond valuation which is estimated to be US$100 billion.[308] Several foreign banks have established their branches in the city. The first Sri Lankan Bank in India was established when the Bank of Ceylon opened its branch in Madras on 31 October 1995.[309]

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Economy of Chennai

Economy of Chennai

Chennai, the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, is the largest industrial and commercial center of South India. Recent estimates of the economy of the Chennai is around US$78.6-86 billion GDP. The GCC area doesn't include the nearby industrial zones of Oragadam, Siruseri, Sriperumbudur, etc. After the expansion of Chennai's metropolitan Area by Government of Tamil Nadu in 2022, the economy of Chennai Metro politan is estimated to be around $150 billion.

Ambattur

Ambattur

Ambattur is located in northwestern part of Chennai City, in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Korattur, Ayappakkam, Athipet and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of 45 km2 (17 sq mi). The neighbourhood is served by Ambattur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway. Ambattur has its origins in a village of the same name which can be located at present as areas opposite to Ambattur telephone exchange. Ambattur was a village with large extents of agricultural farm lands irrigated by the once-sprawling Ambattur Lake. In 2011, the neighbourhood had a population 466,205.

Infosys

Infosys

Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Bangalore. Infosys is the second-largest Indian IT company, after Tata Consultancy Services, by 2020 revenue figures, and the 602nd largest public company in the world, according to the Forbes Global 2000 ranking.

Mahindra World City, New Chennai

Mahindra World City, New Chennai

Mahindra World City, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, is India's first integrated business city. It is a public–private partnership promoted by the Mahindra Group and TIDCO. It is situated near Maraimalai Nagar a southern suburb of Chennai. The city is a part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Ashok Leyland

Ashok Leyland

Ashok Leyland is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturer, headquartered in Chennai. It is owned by the Hinduja Group. It was founded in 1948 as Ashok Motors which became Ashok Leyland in the year 1955. Ashok Leyland is the second-most successful manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India, the third-most successful manufacturer of buses in the world, and the tenth-most successful manufacturer of trucks.

Guindy

Guindy

Guindy is one of the most important neighborhoods of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is nicknamed as The Gateway to Chennai. The Kathipara junction where Anna Salai, Mount-Poonamallee Road, Inner Ring Road, 100 Feet Road or Jawaharlal Nehru Road, and GST Road meet here. It is one of the important nodal points of road traffic in the metropolitan area. It is also a commercial hub. Here is headquarters of Ashok Leyland This junction serves as the entry point to the city limits from the suburbs. It is surrounded by Saidapet in the North, Kotturpuram and Adyar towards the East, Velachery in the South, Adambakkam and Alandur in the South-West, Parangimalai in the West and Ekkatutthangal in the North-West. Guindy is home to many important landmarks in the city, the most famous amongst them being the Guindy National Park. It also serves as a main hub for several small and medium scale industries. Transportation to/from the neighborhood is catered by Guindy railway station and Guindy metro station.

Cognizant

Cognizant

Cognizant is an American multinational information technology services and consulting company. It is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States. Cognizant is part of the NASDAQ-100 and trades under CTSH. It was founded as an in-house technology unit of Dun & Bradstreet in 1994, and started serving external clients in 1996.

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold in a specific time period by a country or countries, generally "without double counting the intermediate goods and services used up to produce them". GDP is most often used by the government of a single country to measure its economic health. Due to its complex and subjective nature, this measure is often revised before being considered a reliable indicator. GDP (nominal) per capita does not, however, reflect differences in the cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries; therefore, using a basis of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) may be more useful when comparing living standards between nations, while nominal GDP is more useful comparing national economies on the international market. Total GDP can also be broken down into the contribution of each industry or sector of the economy. The ratio of GDP to the total population of the region is the per capita GDP.

List of cities by GDP

List of cities by GDP

This is a list of cities in the world by gross domestic product (GDP). The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities may be classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropolitan regions. The methodology of calculating GDP may differ between the studies and are widely based on projections and sometimes approximate estimations, notably for cities that are not within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Refer to sources for more information. Click on the headers to reorganize columns.

Madras Stock Exchange

Madras Stock Exchange

The Madras Stock Exchange (MSE) was a stock exchange in Chennai, India. The now defunct MSE was the fourth stock exchange to be established in the country and the first in South India. It had a turnover (2001) of ₹ 3,090 crore, but was a fraction of the turnover generated by the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India. The turnover of the stock exchange was 19,907 Crore as of the financial year 2012.

Bombay Stock Exchange

Bombay Stock Exchange

BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), is an Indian stock exchange which is located on Dalal Street in Mumbai. Established in 1875 by cotton merchant Premchand Roychand, a Jain businessman, it is the oldest stock exchange in Asia, and also the tenth oldest in the world. The BSE is one of the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization.

Forbes

Forbes

Forbes is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. It is based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Competitors in the national business magazine category include Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. Forbes has an international edition in Asia as well as editions produced under license in 27 countries and regions worldwide.

Infrastructure

Communication

Chennai is one of four Indian cities connected to the rest of the world by undersea fibre-optic cables, the other three being Mumbai, Kochi, and Tuticorin. The city is the landing point of major submarine telecommunication cable networks such as SMW4 (connecting India with Western Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia), i2i (connecting India with Singapore), TIC (connecting India with Singapore), BBG (connecting India with the Sultanate of Oman, Malaysia, the UAE, and Sri Lanka), Gulf Bridge International, and BRICS (connecting India with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa). The 3,175-km-long, 8-fiber-paired i2i has the world's largest design capacity of 8.4 terabits per second.[310][311][312][313] Work to lay a 2,300-km undersea optical submarine cable connecting Andaman and Nicobar Islands to mainland India through Chennai, carrying 100 Gbit/s optical waves, is slated to begin in December 2019 and completed by March 2020. It will connect Port Blair and the islands of Havelock, Little Andaman (Hutbay), Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island and Rangat with Indian mainland.[314]

As of 2013, eight mobile phone service companies operate seven GSM networks including Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Vodafone, Tata Docomo GSM, Idea, Reliance GSM and three CDMA networks including MTS, Reliance CDMA, Tata Docomo CDMA in the city. 2G Mobile internet connections are provided by all the operators, and 3G and 4G mobile broadband are provided by few operators in the city. There are four land line companies[315][316] providing commercial and domestic broadband Internet services. Chennai was the first Indian city to deploy Wi-Fi internet access in a widespread manner.[317] As of 2010, there were 9.8 million mobile phone users in Chennai.[318] In 2010, Chennai had the fourth highest number of active Internet users in India, with 2.2 million users.[319] As of 2018, the city topped in broadband speed among Indian cities, with a recorded download speed of 32.67 Mbit/s.[320]

Power

Madras Atomic Power Station
Madras Atomic Power Station

Major power plants in the city include North Chennai Thermal Power Station, GMR Vasavi Diesel Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Power Station, Basin Bridge Gas Turbine Power Station, Madras Atomic Power Station and Vallur Thermal Power Project. According to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), as of 2013, the city consumes about 20 percent of the electricity in the state of Tamil Nadu. The peak evening demand of the city is 1,500 MW which is about 50 percent of the state's peak evening demand of 3,000 megawatt. This includes 37 percent consumption by the industrial sector, 30 percent by the domestic sector, 18 percent by the agricultural sector, and 11.5 percent by the commercial sector. The peak power consumption is for four months between May and August, with the city consuming the highest during June because it is when the summer peaks. On 20 June 2013, the city consumed the highest of 52,785 MU.[321]

As of 2014, the city consumes around 3.83 crore units of power a day or 1,400 crore units annually. Hourly consumption of power in the city is about 2,000 to 3,000 MW.[322] Availability of power in the city has become a concern in recent years due to increasing demand and slow-paced addition of power plants, due to which scheduled power cuts have become increasingly common. However, this situation was eradicated by the end of 2014.[323][324] As of 2016, the total electricity consumption by the street lamps in the city is 27 MW, costing about 60,000,000 per month.[325] The 426 sq km of the city has over 248,000 streetlights, including 88,000 in the newly expanded areas.[326]

Health care

Government General Hospital
Government General Hospital

Chennai is known for its advanced medical facilities, including both government-run and private hospitals. The government-aided hospitals include General Hospital, Adyar Cancer Institute, TB Sanatorium, and National Institute of Siddha. The National Institute of Siddha is one of the seven apex national-level educational institutions that promote excellence in Indian system of medicine and Ayurveda.[327] Major hospitals in Chennai include Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Speciality Hospital, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chettinad Health City, MIOT Hospitals, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Fortis Malar Hospital, Lifeline Hospitals, Vasan Healthcare, Dr Mehta Hospitals, Global Hospitals & Health City, Sankara Nethralaya and Vijaya Medical & Educational Trust.[328] Chennai attracts about 45 percent of health tourists from abroad and 30 percent to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. The city has been termed India's health capital.[9][10][11]

The city has more than 12,500 beds in its hospitals,[329] including about 5,000 in multi-specialty hospitals in the private sector and over 6,000 beds in the public sector.[330] This works to 2.1 beds per 1,000 population against the national average of less than one bed per 1,000 population and the World Health Organization's norms of three beds per 1,000 persons, higher than any other city in the country.

Waste management

The city generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage every day of which 429 tonnes are plastic waste.[331] The city has three dumpyards, one each at Perungudi, Kodungaiyur, and Pallikaranai. The corporation has planned to close these yards and create four new dumpyards at Malaipattu, Minjur, Vallur and Kuthambakkam villages, ranging in size from 20 acres (8 ha) to 100 acres (40 ha).[332][333] The civic body also spends 400 crore a year on solid-waste management.[334]

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Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the de facto financial centre of India. With an estimated city proper population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore) living under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai is the most populous city in India. Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city.

Kochi

Kochi

Kochi, also known as Cochin is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala and is commonly referred to as Ernakulam. Kochi is the most densely populated city in Kerala. As of 2011, it has a corporation limit population of 677,381 within an area of 94.88 km2 and a total urban population of more than of 2.1 million within an area of 440 km2, making it the largest and the most populous metropolitan area in Kerala. Kochi city is also part of the Greater Cochin region and is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India. The civic body that governs the city is the Kochi Municipal Corporation, which was constituted in the year 1967, and the statutory bodies that oversee its development are the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA). The current metropolitan limits of Kochi include the mainland Ernakulam, Fort Kochi, the suburbs of Edapally, Kalamassery, Aluva and Kakkanad to the northeast; Tripunithura to the southeast; and a group of islands closely scattered in the Vembanad Lake.

Cable landing point

Cable landing point

A cable landing point is the location where a submarine or other underwater cable makes landfall. The term is most often used for the landfall points of submarine telecommunications cables and submarine power cables. The landing will either be direct or via a branch from a main cable using a submarine branching unit. The branch can be several kilometres long.

I2i

I2i

i2i is a submarine telecommunications cable connecting Chennai, India and Tuas, Singapore. It was completed in April 2002 and is fully owned by Bharti Airtel after Singtel divested its interest in 2007.

Bay of Bengal Gateway

Bay of Bengal Gateway

The Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG) is a submarine communications cable providing a direct trunk connection between Barka and Penang (Malaysia) with four branches to Fujairah (UAE), Mumbai (India), Colombo and Chennai (India). The project was carried out by a consortium that includes Vodafone, Omantel, Etisalat, AT&T, China Telecom, Telstra, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Dialog and Telekom Malaysia. Construction was started in May 2013 and was completed by the end of 2014. From Penang the system is connected via a terrestrial connection to Singapore. The length of the submarine Cable system is 5,934 kilometres (3,687 mi) from Barka to Penang, with a 216 km (134 mi) branch to Fujairah, 426 km (265 mi) branch to Mumbai, 142 km (88 mi) branch to Colombo and a 1,322 km (821 mi) branch to Chennai, totalling a total length of 8,040 km (5,000 mi).

Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia, and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital, the country's largest city, and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government. Putrajaya is the administrative center, which represents the seat of both the executive branch and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 32 million, Malaysia is the world's 45th-most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia is in Tanjung Piai. Located in the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to numerous endemic species.

Gulf Bridge International

Gulf Bridge International

Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is the Middle East's first privately owned submarine cable system linking the countries bordering the Persian Gulf on a self-healing ring to each other and onward to Europe, Africa and Asia. Gulf Bridge International (GBI), both owns and operates this submarine cable asset as a carrier's carrier as well as offering a full suite of wholesale transmission, IP capacity options, and Enterprise Services. Its main headquarters are located at the Qatar Science & Technology Park in Doha, Qatar.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands (partly) and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel, with the Andaman islands to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobar islands to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The island chains are thought to be a submerged extension of the Arakan Mountains.

Port Blair

Port Blair

Port Blair is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (tehsil) of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South Andaman and is the territory's only notified town.

Little Andaman

Little Andaman

Little Andaman Island is the fourth largest of the Andaman Islands of India with an area of 707 km2, lying at the southern end of the archipelago. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It lies 88 km (55 mi) south of Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Hutbay

Hutbay

Hutbay is the capital of Little Andaman in India. There are a number of government offices in the city, such as the Tehsildar office, Zila Parishad. The island's bus-stand is housed here.

Car Nicobar

Car Nicobar

Car Nicobar is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Annual rainfall is 2800 millimetres.

Tourism and hospitality

ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Chennai, is the largest hotel in South India.
ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Chennai, is the largest hotel in South India.

With temples, beaches and centres of historical and cultural significance, including the UNESCO Heritage Site of Mahabalipuram, Chennai is one of the most-visited cities in India. The city serves as the gateway to the southern part of India with tourists landing in the city and then visiting the rest of the region. Chennai was the most-visited Indian city by foreign tourists in 2009 and issued the third-highest number of visas on arrival in 2014.[335][336] In 2011, Chennai was ranked the 41st most visited city, with 3,174,500 tourists, a 14-percent increase from 2010.[337] About 830,620 domestic tourists arrived in Chennai in March 2011.[9] Chennai's leading tourist countries-of-origin are Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. In 2015, the city received 4,243,700 foreign tourists, making it the third-most-visited city in India after Delhi and Mumbai and 43rd-most visited city in the world by foreign tourists.[29] As of 2012, the city had 21 luxury hotels in the five-star category, with over 4,500 rooms in the inventory.[338] The collective luxury room inventory across four- and five-star categories as of 2018 is around 7,000.[339] About 85 percent of the room demand in Chennai comes from business travellers.[340]

Entertainment

Marina Beach is a famous landmark in the city.
Marina Beach is a famous landmark in the city.
Anna Centenary Library, one of the largest libraries in Asia
Anna Centenary Library, one of the largest libraries in Asia

Chennai is the base for Tamil cinema, sometimes nicknamed as Kollywood, alluding to the neighbourhood of Kodambakkam where a number of film studios are located. Many film personalities have gone on to become politicians including C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa.[341] Chennai hosts major film studios, including AVM Productions, the oldest surviving studio in India.[342] As of 2012, there are 120 cinema screens and multiplexes. Major multiplexes include Sathyam Cinemas, Escape cinemas, Devi and Mayajaal.[343] Chennai's expansive theatre network stages many Tamil plays of many genres: political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama.[344][345][346] English plays are popular in the city, along with the more common Tamil-language plays.[347]

Recreation

The zoo, beaches and wildlife parks form the primary recreation areas of the city. Chennai has a 19+ km coastline with its corporation limits. The city boasts two popular beaches, the Marina and the Elliot's. The Marina spans 13 km (8.1 mi) between the deltas of Cooum and Adyar, and is the second-longest urban beach in the world.[348] Elliot's Beach lies south of the Adyar delta. Covelong Beach lies along the Coromandal Coast.[349] Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is a reptile zoo located 40 km (25 mi) south of the city covering an area of 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) and had over 450,000 visitors in 2007. The center has one of the world's largest collections of reptiles and has bred 14 of the 23 existing species of crocodiles and alligators.[350] The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, one of the largest zoological parks in the world, annually attracts nearly 2 million visitors.[351] Guindy National Park, a protected area of Tamil Nadu, has a children's park and a snake park, which gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo from the Central Zoo Authority of India in 1995. Chennai is one of the few cities in the world to accommodate a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits.[352] An estimated 4.5 percent of the city's area is under green cover.[353] This enables birding. The seven zones of the old corporation limits have about 260 parks, many of which suffer poor maintenance.[354] The city has a per capita park space of 0.41 sq m, which is the least among all metros in India.[354] The eight zones in the newly added areas of the city have about 265 locations that have been identified for development of new parks.[355] The largest park is the 358-acre Tholkappia Poonga, developed to restore the fragile ecosystem of the Adyar estuary.[356] The horticulture department-owned Semmoli Poonga is a 20-acre downtown botanical garden.[357]

Chennai houses several theme parks, namely MGM Dizzee World and Queen's Land.[358][359] However, several fatal accidents have occurred in the theme parks.[360] Wonderla plans to open an amusement park in 2017.[361] Other important recreation centres include Madras Boat Club, which is over 140 years old, and Gymkhana Club, which is famous for its 18-hole golf courses. Built in 1867, Madras Boat Club is the second-oldest surviving Indian rowing club.[362]

Shopping

Chennai is home to several malls, due to its status as an IT hub.[363][364][365] Major ones include Express Avenue (EA), Citi Centre, Abirami mega mall, Spencer Plaza, Ampa Skywalk, Phoenix Market City and Forum Vijaya Mall.[366] Chennai is an important gold market in India contributing to 45 percent of the 800-tonne annual national gold uptake.[367] The city is also the base to the World Gold Council's India operations. The city's retail industry is majorly concentrated in T. Nagar which accounts for major share jewellery and clothes sold in Chennai.[367] According to the 2012 report by property consultant Cushman & Wakefield, Main Streets Across the World, Khader Nawaz Khan Road at Nungambakkam ranked 10th position in the list of 'Top 10 Global Highest Retail Rental Growth Markets 2012', with 36.7 percent jump in rents.[368]

Discover more about Tourism and hospitality related topics

ITC Grand Chola Hotel

ITC Grand Chola Hotel

The ITC Grand Chola is a 5-star luxury hotel in Chennai, India. It is located in Guindy, opposite SPIC building and along the same row of buildings as Ashok Leyland Towers. The building, designed by Singapore-based SRSS Architects, is of mixed-use development with three separate wings and is themed after traditional Dravidian architecture of the Chola dynasty. The hotel is the ninth hotel in The Luxury Collection brand.

Delhi

Delhi

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban agglomeration, which includes the satellite cities Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida in an area known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has an estimated population of over 28 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in India and the second-largest in the world.

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the de facto financial centre of India. With an estimated city proper population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore) living under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai is the most populous city in India. Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city.

List of hotels in Chennai

List of hotels in Chennai

The article below lists top hotels in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Anna Centenary Library

Anna Centenary Library

The Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai. It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores. It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai. It was opened by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. The average number of persons who visited the library between January and October 2011 is around 26,500, compared to the monthly average of 20,000 in 2010.

Kodambakkam

Kodambakkam

Kodambakkam is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam has a high concentration of film studios and has been known for its status as the hub of the Tamil film industry, lending its name to the industry's monicker Kollywood.

C. N. Annadurai

C. N. Annadurai

Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai, popularly known as Anna, also known as Arignar Anna or Perarignar Anna, was an Indian Tamil politician who served as the fourth and last Chief Minister of Madras State from 1967 until 1969 and first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 20 days before his death. He was the first member of a Dravidian party to hold either post.

M. Karunanidhi

M. Karunanidhi

Muthuvel Karunanidhi was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Artist) and Mutthamizh Arignar for his contributions to Tamil literature. He had the longest tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with 6,863 days in office. He was also a long-standing leader of the Dravidian movement and ten-time president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party. Karunanidhi has the record of never losing an election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, having won 13 times since his first victory in 1957. Before entering politics, he worked in the Tamil film industry as a screenwriter. He also made contributions to Tamil literature, having written stories, plays, novels, and a multiple-volume memoir. Karunanidhi died on 7 August 2018 at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai after a series of prolonged, age-related illnesses.

M. G. Ramachandran

M. G. Ramachandran

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987. He was the AIADMK's founder and J. Jayalalithaa's mentor. On 19 March 1988, M.G.R. was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

AVM Productions

AVM Productions

AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. AVM has introduced numerous actors in Southern industries, some of the prominent actors are Sivaji Ganesan, Rajkumar, S. S. Rajendran, Vyjayanthimala, Kamal Haasan and many more. The AVM Studios besides the shooting floors, has recording, dubbing and a preview theatre. The complex also houses facilities for production and post production processing.

Mayajaal

Mayajaal

Mayajaal is an entertainment centre in Kanathur, Chennai, India. It is located on the East Coast Road and spread over an area of 30 acres. It consists of a shopping mall, a multiplex, a sports complex and a resort. Mayajaal has a sixteen screen multiplex and it is the second largest multiplex in Asia. The sports complex was started in 2003, which also hosted the Indian Cricket League matches. The Resort was opened in 2005 with 40 rooms. The 30,000 sq.ft shopping mall was opened in 2006.

Marina Beach

Marina Beach

Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of 6.0 km (3.7 mi), making it the second longest urban beach in the world, after Cox's Bazar Beach. It is a prominent landmark in Chennai.

Transport

Air

Chennai International Airport
Chennai International Airport

The Chennai International Airport is the fourth-busiest in India in terms of passenger traffic behind New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It handled about 15.2 million passengers in 2013–2014;[82][369][370] in terms of international passengers, Chennai is the third-busiest airport behind Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, and Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.[371] Chennai handles 400 flights a day, again placing it fourth among Indian airports. The city is connected to major hubs across Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa through more than 30 national and international carriers.[372]

The existing airport is undergoing modernisation and expansion with an addition of 1,069.99 acres (433.01 ha), while a new greenfield airport is to be constructed at an estimated cost of 2,000 crore in Sriperumbudur on 4,200 acres (17 km2) of land.[373] The new airport is said to be likely to handle cargo spillover traffic from the existing one.[374]

Rail

Chennai hosts the headquarters of the Southern Railway. The city has four main railway terminals. Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Chennai Beach and Tambaram. Chennai Central station, the city's largest, provides nationwide access,[375] whereas Chennai Egmore provides access to destinations primarily within Tamil Nadu; however, it also handles a few inter–state trains. A fifth terminal has been proposed to decongest Chennai Central.[376] The Chennai suburban railway network, one of the oldest in the country, facilitates transportation within the city. It consists of four 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge sectors terminating at two locations in the city, namely Chennai Central and Chennai Beach. While three sectors are operated on-grade, the fourth sector is primarily an elevated corridor, linking Chennai Beach to Velachery and is connected with the rest of the rail network.

Metro

Chennai Metro
Chennai Metro

Chennai Metro is a rapid-transit system serving the city and was partially commenced on 29 June 2015. To improve the city's public transportation system and prepare the city for the future commuting needs, the Chennai Metro was planned and approved by the state cabinet during 2007 for which construction began on 2009.[377] Phase I of the Chennai Metro network consists of the Blue Line and the Green Line covering a length of 45.1 kilometres (28.0 mi) consisting of 40 stations with Alandur and Chennai Central serving as interchanges. 55% of the corridors in Phase I are underground and the rest are elevated. The first stretch of Phase I, covering seven stations from Koyambedu to Alandur over a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi), began operation on 29 June 2015. As of March 2023, the entire Phase 1 stretching from Chennai Central to Alandur on the Green line and Wimco Nagar to Chennai International Airport on Blue line are operational, bringing the total operational network over 45 km. With this, the entirety of Phase I is operational. In December 2016, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) announced the Phase-2 of Chennai Metro for a length of 104 km consisting of 104 stations, subject to approval from the State and Central governments. The Phase 2 was subsequently approved in late 2018, with certain provisos, and soil testing for various stations, which are now under construction since 2019.[378] As of April 2019, ridership has risen considerably to around 100,000 daily commuters, post the inaugural of the entire Phase I.[379] Phase I-A, which is an extension of the Blue line from Washermanpet to Thiruvottiyur was inaugurated in 2021.[380]

Road

As of 2019, the city corporation maintains about 471 bus route roads and 33,0000 interior roads.[381] The Chennai–Mumbai and Chennai–Kolkata prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral system of National Highways start from the city.[382] In addition, four major National Highways (NH), namely, NH 4 to Mumbai (via Bangalore and Pune), NH 5 to Kolkata (linked via NH 6) (via Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar), NH 45 to Theni (via Villupuram, Tiruchirapalli and Dindigul) and NH 205 to Madanapalle (via Tirupati) originate in the city, connecting it to other Indian cities. Chennai is connected to other parts of the state and the Union Territory of Puducherry by state highways.[383]

The government has constructed grade separators and flyovers at major intersections, and built Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.[384][385] The Gemini flyover, built in 1973, crosses over the arterial road, and eases the traffic movements towards Anna Salai and towards the Kathipara Flyover.[384][385] As of 2011, according to the Transport Department, there were 25.8 lakh two–wheelers and 5.6 lakh four–wheelers in the city, and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus fleet were 3,421, equaling 0.1% of all vehicles in the city.[386]

Bus transport

Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus
Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus

When opened, the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) was the largest bus station in Asia.[4][387] It is the main intercity bus station of Chennai,[388] administered by seven government-owned transport corporations, which operate intercity and interstate bus services. There are many private bus companies. The MTC provides an exclusive intracity bus service, consisting of 3,421 buses on 724 routes, which provides transportation to 55.2 lakh passengers daily.[384][389] The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operates Volvo air-conditioned services from Chennai to nearby Pondicherry, Vellore, Hosur and Trichy.[390]

Other modes

The other means of road transport in the city include vans, regionally known as Maxi Cabs, auto rickshaws, on-call metered taxis and tourist taxis.[391]

The Chennai ORR is 62.3 km long connecting NH 45 (GST Road) at Perungalathur, NH 4 (GWT Road) at Nazarathpet, NH 205 (CTH Road) at Nemilicherry (Thiruninravur), NH 5 (GNT Road) at Nallur and TPP road at Minjur under the process by Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Chennai has currently one expressway–the Chennai Outer Ring Road. In the coming years, the city will get more expressways, which will connect other cities of India, resulting in better connectivity and commute with the rest of the country. They are as follows:

Sea

Chennai Port
Chennai Port

The city is served by two major ports, Chennai Port, one of the largest artificial ports in India, and Ennore Port. Chennai Port is the largest in the Bay of Bengal, with an annual cargo tonnage of 61.46 million (2010–2011), and the second-largest container-hub in India, with an annual container volume of 1.523 million TEUs (2010–2011). The port handles transportation of automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial cargo.[82] The Ennore Port with an annual cargo tonnage of 11.01 million (2010–2011), handles coal, ore and other bulk and rock mineral products.[398] Royapuram fishing harbour is used by fishing boats and Kattupalli Shipyard near Ennore Port was inaugurated in January 2013.[399][400]

Discover more about Transport related topics

Transport in Chennai

Transport in Chennai

Transport in Chennai includes various modes of air, sea, road and rail transportation in the city and its suburbs. Chennai's economic development has been closely tied to its port and transport infrastructure, and it is considered one of the best infrastructure systems in India.

Chennai International Airport

Chennai International Airport

Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and its metropolitan area. It is located in Tirusulam, around 20 km (12 mi) southwest of the city centre. The airport is the 6th busiest airport in India It was also 49th busiest airport in Asia in 2018 making it one of the four major airports in India under the top 50 list of 2018. In financial year 2021, the airport handled over 9.5 million passengers.

New Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, and the Supreme Court of India. New Delhi is a municipality within the NCT, administered by the NDMC, which covers mostly Lutyens' Delhi and a few adjacent areas. The municipal area is part of a larger administrative district, the New Delhi district.

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the de facto financial centre of India. With an estimated city proper population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore) living under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai is the most populous city in India. Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city.

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of 5,106 acres (2,066 ha), is situated in Palam, Delhi, 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of the New Delhi Railway Station and 16 km (9.9 mi) from New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi (1917–1984), a former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport of India in terms of passenger traffic since 2009. It is also the busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic, overtaking Mumbai during late 2015. In the financial year of 2020, the airport handled 67.3 million passengers, the highest ever in the airport's history. As of 2022, it is the seventh busiest airport in the world, as per the latest rankings issued by the UK-based air consultancy firm, OAG. It is the second busiest airport in the world by seating capacity, having a seating capacity of over 3.6 million seats, and the busiest airport in Asia by passenger traffic, handling over 37 million passengers in 2021.

Europe

Europe

Europe is a continent comprising the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia, located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Africa and Asia. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east. Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea and the waterways of the Turkish Straits.

Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia, Asia Minor, East Thrace, Egypt, Iran, the Levant, Mesopotamia, and the Socotra Archipelago. The term came into widespread usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century. The term "Middle East" has led to some confusion over its changing definitions, and has been viewed by some to be discriminatory or too Eurocentric. The region includes the vast majority of the territories included in the closely associated definition of Western Asia, but without the South Caucasus, and additionally includes all of Egypt and all of Turkey.

Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area. With 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, behind Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, tribalism, colonialism, the Cold War, neocolonialism, lack of democracy, and corruption. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context.

Chennai greenfield airport, Parandur

Chennai greenfield airport, Parandur

New Chennai Greenfield International Airport is a proposed greenfield airport project to serve the city of Chennai, India. It will be built near Parandur of Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It will work alongside Chennai International Airport. The proposed airport will be spread around 5,000 acres. The Government of Tamil Nadu has declared that Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will lead the project. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducted surveys on various areas near Chennai for a new airport for the city. Initially, a site near Sriperumbudur was fixed for the airport. But due to delays and cost of the land, the government decided to set the new airport in Parandur. The airport will also boost trade from Chennai and neighbouring districts as it will have its own dedicated cargo terminal, leading to a rapid increase in the economic development of the state.

Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur is a town panchayat in the Kanchipuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai on the National Highway 4 and is just outside the Chennai Metropolitan Area and part of the Chennai suburban area. It is a fast emerging neighbourhood of Chennai. Since 2000, Sriperumbudur has seen rapid industrialisation. It is known for being the birthplace of Sri Ramanuja, one of the most prominent Hindu Vaishnava saints. The former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated here in 1991.

Tambaram

Tambaram

Tambaram is a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Located in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, it is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation and is a part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Media

Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of a weekly, The Madras Courier, in 1785.[401] It was followed by the weeklies The Madras Gazette and The Government Gazette in 1795. The Spectator, founded in 1836, was the first English newspaper in Chennai to be owned by an Indian and became the city's first daily newspaper in 1853.[402] The first Tamil newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in 1899.[401] First Telugu journal printed from Madras was Satya Doota in 1835 and Andhra Patrika found in 1908 was the most successful Telugu newspaper from Madras.[403][404]

Headquarters of Sun Network, India's largest private TV broadcaster
Headquarters of Sun Network, India's largest private TV broadcaster

The major English dailies published in Chennai are The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Deccan Chronicle and The Times of India and many more. The evening dailies are, The Trinity Mirror and News Today. As of 2004, The Hindu was the city's most read English newspaper, with a daily circulation of 267,349.[405] The major business dailies published from the city are The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line, Business Standard, Mint and The Financial Express. The major Tamil dailies include the Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, Dina Mani, Dina Malar, The Hindu Tamil,[406] Tamil Murasu, Makkal Kural and Malai Malar. Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi are the major Malayalam dailies while major Telugu dailies include Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi and Sakshi.[407] The one and only Hindi Newspaper published from Chennai is the Rajasthan Patrika.[408] The Local weekly Newspapers circulated to residents are T. Nagar Times, Pillar Times, Arcot Road Talk, Chrompet Times.[409] Chennai's First Corporate Leisure Newspaper, The Shopping Express.[410] Magazines published from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam, Kalki, Kungumam, Puthiya Thalaimurai, Thuglak, Frontline and Sportstar

Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre, which was set up in 1974. Private Tamil satellite television networks such as Sun TV, Raj TV, Zee Tamizh, Star Vijay, Jaya TV, Makkal TV, Vasanth TV, Kalaignar TV, Captain TV and PuthiyaThalaimurai TV broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Network one of India's largest broadcasting companies is based in the city. While the cable TV service is entirely controlled by the state government,[411] direct–to–home (DTH) is available via DD Direct Plus, Dish TV, Tata Sky, Videocon DTH, Sun direct DTH, Reliance Big TV and Digital TV.[412][413] Chennai is the first city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television.[414] Radio broadcasting began in 1924 by the Madras Presidency Radio Club.[415] The radio station at the Rippon Buildings complex was founded in 1930 and was then shifted to All India Radio in 1938.[401] The city has four AM and 11 FM radio stations operated by All India Radio, Anna University and Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi, BIG FM, Hello FM, Radio City, Radio One among others.[416]

Discover more about Media related topics

Media in Chennai

Media in Chennai

The article speaks about the many print, television and radio networks that dominate Chennai city's mass media market.

List of Tamil-language television channels

List of Tamil-language television channels

This is a list of television stations in the Tamil language.

Broadcasting in Chennai

Broadcasting in Chennai

Broadcasting in the city of Chennai began in 1924 by the Madras Presidency Radio Club. The service was operational till the government-run All India Radio started broadcasting in the city in 1938.

The Hindu

The Hindu

The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the second most circulated English-language newspaper in India, after The Times of India. As of March 2018, The Hindu is published from 21 locations across 11 states of India.

The New Indian Express

The New Indian Express

The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as The Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of owner Ramnath Goenka, his family split the group into two companies. Initially, the two groups shared the Indian Express title, as well as editorial and other resources. But on 13 August 1999, the northern editions, headquartered in Mumbai, retained the Indian Express moniker, while the southern editions became The New Indian Express.

News Today

News Today

News Today is an English language evening daily newspaper in Chennai, India. It is published from India every evening since 1982.

The Economic Times

The Economic Times

The Economic Times is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. The Economic Times began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language business newspaper, after The Wall Street Journal, with a readership of over 800,000. It is published simultaneously from 14 cities: Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Pune, Indore, and Bhopal. Its main content is based on the Indian economy, international finance, share prices, prices of commodities as well as other matters related to finance. This newspaper is published by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. The founding editor of the paper when it was launched in 1961 was P. S. Hariharan. The current editor of The Economic Times is Bodhisattva Ganguli.

Business Standard

Business Standard

Business Standard is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international business and trade, stock and currency markets, corporate governance, and a range of other financial news, opinions and insights.

Mint (newspaper)

Mint (newspaper)

Mint is an Indian financial daily newspaper published by HT Media, a Delhi-based media group which is controlled by the K. K. Birla family that also publishes Hindustan Times. It mostly targets readers who are business executives and policy makers. It has been in circulation since 2007.

The Financial Express (India)

The Financial Express (India)

The Financial Express is an Indian English-language business newspaper owned by The Indian Express Group. It has been published by the Indian Express group since 1961. The Financial Express specialises in Indian and international business and financial news. Its editor is Shyamal Majumdar.

Dina Thanthi

Dina Thanthi

Dina Thanthi is a Tamil language daily newspaper. It was founded by S. P. Adithanar in Madurai in 1942. Dina Thanthi is India's largest daily printed in the Tamil language and the ninth largest among all dailies in India by circulation. It is printed in 16 cities across India and also prints an international edition in Dubai.

Dinakaran

Dinakaran

Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded by K. P. Kandasamy in 1977 and is currently owned by media conglomerate Sun Group's- Sun Network.Dinakaran is the second largest circulated Tamil daily in India after Dina Thanthi. It is printed in 12 cities across India. Dinakaran was founded in 1977 by K. P. Kandasamy after he split from Dina Thanthi owned by his father-in-law S. P. Adithanar during the split of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In 2005, the newspaper was acquired from K. P. K. Kumaran by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Group.

Education

Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a premier engineering institute in India.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a premier engineering institute in India.
College of Engineering, Guindy is the oldest engineering college in India established in 1794.
College of Engineering, Guindy is the oldest engineering college in India established in 1794.
University of Madras, Senate House
University of Madras, Senate House

Chennai is home to some of the best educational institutions in the country.[417] The city ranks second among Indian metropolitan city centres with a 90.33 percent literacy rate.[418] Chennai has a mix of public and private schools, some of which also receive financial support from the government.

The public school system is managed by the Chennai Corporation with an enrollment of 142,387 students in over 330 schools.[419] Tamil and English are the primary medium of instruction, though some schools also use Telugu and Urdu as medium of instruction in their schools.[419] Public schools run by the Chennai Corporation are all affiliated with the Tamil Nadu State Board, while private schools may be affiliated with either of the Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).[420] A few schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations,[421] the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board or the Montessori system. Education in Chennai starts with two years of Kindergarten from age three onward and then follows the Indian 10+2+3 plan, ten years of school, two years of higher secondary education, and three years of undergraduate education.[422][423]

English is the medium of instruction in the majority of institutions for higher education.[419] The University of Madras, founded in 1857, is one of India's first three modern universities.[424] Colleges for science, arts, and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the University of Madras, which has six campuses in the city.[425] The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University are two well-known centres for engineering education in the city. The Indian Army's Officers Training Academy is also headquartered in the city.

Chennai has a plethora of libraries, including British Council Library, American Library, Connemara Public Library, and Anna Centenary Library. The Connemara Public Library is one of four National Depository Centres in India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in the country.[426][427] The Anna Centenary Library is the largest library in Asia.[428][429]

Chennai has two CSIR research institutions namely Central Leather Research Institute and Structural Engineering Research Centre. Chennai Book Fair, an annual book fair organised in Chennai by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), is the largest exhibition for Tamil book publishers to display their books. The fair is typically held for about 10 days between the last week of December and the third week of January.[430]

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Education in Chennai

Education in Chennai

Chennai is home to many educational and research institutions. IIT Madras, located in South Chennai is considered as the premier centre of engineering education in India. Anna University and the University of Madras are the oldest state owned universities which are ranked among the best universities in India. The College of Engineering, Guindy and Madras Institute of Technology, which are the constituent college of Anna University along with Alagappa College of Technology are the pioneer institutes of engineering education in India. Some of the oldest medical colleges India, the Madras Medical College (1835) and Stanley Medical College (1938) are located in the city. Notable, liberal arts colleges in the city include Loyola College, Madras Christian College, Presidency College, Stella Maris College, Women's Christian College and Ethiraj College for Women.

Education in India

Education in India

Education in India is primarily managed by state-run public education system, which fall under the command of the government at three levels: central, state and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, free and compulsory education is provided as a fundamental right to children aged 6 to 14. The approximate ratio of public schools to private schools in India is 7:5.

Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai

Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai

Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, commonly known by its former name Madras Law College, is a law school, located in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. It is also referred to as Government Law College or GLC, Chennai. It was established in 1891. It was renamed in 1990, as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, by the Government of Tamil Nadu in commemoration of the birth centenary of B. R. Ambedkar. In 1997, the Government of Tamil Nadu passed an Act which brought the college under the wings of the newly established Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, splitting the college from the University of Madras.

IIT Madras

IIT Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is selected as one of the 8 public Institutes of Eminence of India. As one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), it is recognized as an Institute of National Importance.

College of Engineering, Guindy

College of Engineering, Guindy

The College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) is a public engineering college in Chennai, India and is Asia's oldest technical institution, founded in 1794. It is also the oldest technical institution to be established outside Europe.

University of Madras

University of Madras

The University of Madras is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an act of the Legislative Council of India under the British government.

List of schools in Chennai

List of schools in Chennai

The school system in Chennai consists of an array of structured systems. Children typically start school at the age of three, progressing to senior or upper kindergarten followed by twelve years of study. Class 10 and class 12 involve taking public examinations conducted by various accreditation boards. Most of the schools are accredited to Tamil Nadu State Board.

Central Board of Secondary Education

Central Board of Secondary Education

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board was an experiment towards inter-state integration and cooperation in the sphere of secondary education. There are more than 27,000 schools in India and 240 schools in 28 foreign countries affiliated to the CBSE. All schools affiliated to CBSE follow the NCERT curriculum especially from class 9 to 12. The current Chairperson of CBSE is Nidhi Chibber, IAS.

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a semi gov-para privately held national-level board of school education in India that conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Examination for Class X and the Indian School Certificate (ISC) for Class XII. It was established in 1958. Over 2,300 schools in India and abroad are affiliated to the CISCE. It is also recognised as a 'Non-Governmental National Board of Secondary Education'.

National Institute of Open Schooling

National Institute of Open Schooling

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly National Open School, is the board of education under the Union Government of India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India in 1989 to provide education to all segments of society under the motive to increase literacy and aimed forward for flexible learning. The NIOS is a national board that administers examinations for Secondary and Senior Secondary examinations similar to the CBSE and the CISCE. It also offers vocational courses after the high school.

Anna University

Anna University

Anna University is a public state university located in Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Chennai. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and is named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Officers Training Academy

Officers Training Academy

The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Medical Corps. Established in 1963, the first academy is located in Alandur, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai. OTA chennai has an impressive tally of gallantry award including 1 Param Vir Chakra, 8 Ashoka Chakra, 10 Maha Vir Chakra, 22 Kirti Chakra, 63 Vir Chakra, 119 Shaurya Chakra and 587 Sena Medal earned by the officers commissioned from this academy bears testimony to the Valor and dedication displayed by the Alumni. A new academy was set up at Gaya in 2011; but was given the go-ahead in December 2019 to be disbanded.

Sports and recreation

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium multipurpose stadium
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium multipurpose stadium

Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai.[431] It was introduced in 1864 with the foundation of the Madras Cricket Club.[432] The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium established in 1916 is among the oldest cricket stadiums in India.[433] The stadium was also one of the venues of the 1987,1996 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cups. Chemplast Cricket Ground located at the IIT Madras campus is another important venue for cricket matches. Prominent cricketers from the city include former cricket captains S. Venkataraghavan and Kris Srikkanth.[434][435] A cricket fast bowling academy called the MRF Pace Foundation, whose coaches include T. A. Sekhar and Glenn Mcgrath, is based in Chennai.[436][437] Being home to the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai Super Kings, the city hosted the finals of the IPL's 2011 and 2012 series.[438][439]

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, one of the premier cricket venues in India
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, one of the premier cricket venues in India

The city's professional football club Chennaiyin FC competes in Indian Super League, the country's top tier association football league associated with Asian Football Federation and recognized by FIFA. The club uses the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium nicknamed the Marina Arena as their home ground and are champions of the Indian Super League in 2015 and 2018.

Chennai was the venue of the 1995 South Asian Games.[440] Chennai is home to a World Series Hockey (WSH) team, the Chennai Cheetahs. The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium is associated with hockey and was venue for the international hockey tournament the 2005 Men's Champions Trophy and the 2007 Men's Asia Cup. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is associated for hosting Football and athletic competitions, it also houses a multi–purpose indoor complex for competition in volleyball, basketball and table tennis. Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic Complex. Tennis sport is popularising among the city youths, Since 1997 Chennai has been host to the only ATP World Tour event held in India, the Chennai Open[441] which has been shifted to Pune as Maharashtra Open from 2017. Vijay Amritraj, Mahesh Bhupathi Ramesh Krishnan and Somdev Devvarman are tennis players from Chennai.[442] Chennai is home to Chennai Slam,[443] two-time national champion of India's top professional basketball division, the UBA Pro Basketball League.

Madras Boat Club (founded in 1846) and the Royal Madras Yacht Club (founded by Sir Francis Spring in 1911) promote the sailing sports in Chennai, and organise national and international sailing events.[432] Automobile racing in India has been closely connected with Chennai since its beginnings shortly after independence. Motor racing events are held on a special purpose track in Madras Motor Race Track, Sriperumbudur,[444] which has also been the venue for several international competitions.[445] Formula One driver Karun Chandhok was born in Chennai.[446][447]

Horse racing is held at the Guindy Race Course, while rowing competitions are hosted at the Madras Boat Club. The city has two 18-hole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club, both established in the late nineteenth century. The city has a rugby union team called the Chennai Cheetahs.[448]

Home to the country's first international chess master, the first grandmaster, the first female grandmaster, the first international arbiter, and 12 of the 34 world chess grandmasters from India, Chennai is often dubbed "India's chess capital".[449] Former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand grew up and resides in Chennai.[450][451] Other sports persons of repute from Chennai include table tennis players Sharath Kamal and two–time world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam.[452][453] Chennai was the host of the World Chess Championship 2013 match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.[454][455] In 2022, Chennai hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad,[456][457] in which 1,400 players from across 187 countries will participate.[457]

City based teams

Club Sport League Home Stadium Founded
Chennai Slam Basketball UBA Pro Basketball League Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium 2015
Chennai Superstarz Badminton Premier Badminton League Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium 2015
Chennai Super Kings Cricket Indian Premier League M.A. Chidambaram Stadium 2008
Chepauk Super Gillies Cricket Tamil Nadu Premier League M.A. Chidambaram Stadium 2016
Chennaiyin FC Football Indian Super League Marina Arena 2013
Tamil Thalaivas[458] Kabaddi Pro Kabaddi League Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium 2017
Chennai Lions Table tennis Ultimate Table Tennis Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium 2019
Chennai Blitz Volleyball Prime Volleyball League Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium 2021

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Sport in Chennai

Sport in Chennai

Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India and has been the venue for many notable milestones in the history of Indian cricket. Tennis, field hockey, football and formula racing and squash are the other popular sports. The city hosts an ATP tennis event, the Chennai Open. Chennai has a rich legacy in chess and has produced many well-known chess players, the most notable of them being Viswanathan Anand, the former multiple World Chess Champion.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai)

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai)

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Chennai, India. It has a capacity to seat 40,000 people. It hosts football matches and athletic competitions. The complex also houses a multipurpose indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 5,000 which hosts volleyball, basketball, table tennis games. The stadium is also used for functions and concerts. The stadium is named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The stadium earlier hosted cricket test matches between 1956 and 1965. As of 19 August 2017 it has hosted 9 tests.

Cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the wickets, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this and dismiss each batter. Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches. They communicate with two off-field scorers who record the match's statistical information.

Chemplast Cricket Ground

Chemplast Cricket Ground

Chemplast Cricket Ground or Indian Institute of Technology Chemplast Ground is a cricket ground in the IIT Madras campus. The ground is an important cricket venue and is described by cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as the most scenic in the country. It is set amongst greenery.

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (pronunciation  is an Indian former cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team at the first two ICC Cricket World Cups, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cricket Council Test panel. His Test career was one of the longest for any Indian player. He also played for Derbyshire in English county cricket from 1973 to 1975. A qualified engineer and an alumnus of Chennai's famed College of Engineering, Guindy, he is a recipient of the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2003.

MRF Pace Foundation

MRF Pace Foundation

MRF Pace Foundation is a coaching clinic for training fast bowlers from all over the world. Based in Chennai, India, it was founded in 1987 by MRF Limited, with the help of former Australian pace spearhead Dennis Lillee. Through this program, young aspiring fast bowlers are trained in a facility located at the campus of Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chetpet, Chennai.

Indian Premier League

Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a men's T20 franchise cricket league held annually in India. It is contested by ten teams (franchises) based in seven cities and three states of India. The league was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. Brijesh Patel is the incumbent chairman of IPL. It is usually held annually in summer across India between March and May and has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Programme.

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India Cements Limited through the Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited holding company. The team was suspended for two years from the IPL starting July 2015 due to the involvement of its owners in the 2013 IPL betting case, and won the title in its comeback season of 2018. The team is captained by MS Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming. In January 2022, CSK became India's first unicorn sports enterprise.

2012 Indian Premier League

2012 Indian Premier League

The 2012 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 5 or the IPL 2012 or the DLF IPL 2012, was the fifth season of the Indian Premier League, initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007 with the first season played in 2008. The tournament began on 4 April and ended on 27 May 2012. Kolkata Knight Riders were the winning team, beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in the final. This season the number of teams in the league went from ten to nine with the termination of Kochi Tuskers Kerala.The tagline was Aisa mauka aur kaha milega?

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, commonly known as the Chepauk Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1916, it is the second oldest cricket stadium in the country after Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground, the stadium is named after M. A. Chidambaram Chettiar, former president of BCCI and Head of TNCA. It is the home ground of the Tamil Nadu cricket team and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. Chepauk hosted its first Test match on 10 February 1934, the first Ranji Trophy match in 1936 and the Indian cricket team's first test victory in 1952 against England. The 1986 India-Australia match held at Chepauk was only the second ever Tied Test in the history of the game.

Association football

Association football

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposite team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing side. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is considered the world's most popular sport.

Chennaiyin FC

Chennaiyin FC

Chennaiyin Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded in August 2014 during the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. One of the most successful clubs in the history of the league, it has won the Indian Super League title on two occasions, in the 2015,2017–18,seasons respectively.

International relations

Foreign missions

The American consulate in Chennai.
The American consulate in Chennai.

The consular presence in the city dates back to 1794, when William Abbott was appointed US consular agent for South India.[459][460][461] As of 2012, there were 43 foreign representations in Chennai, including consulates general, deputy high commissions and honorary consulates.[462] The American Consulate in Chennai is one of the top adjudication posts in the world and the number one in processing employment-based visas. It was ranked among the top globally in issuing 'L' and 'H' category visas for workers and professionals and was ranked eighth globally in terms of all category of visas being issued.[463]

The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which is the office of the field officers in charge of immigration and registration activities in the city, is located at Shastri Bhavan at Haddows Road.[464]

Twin towns – Sister cities

Chennai has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world:

City Country State/Region Continent Since Ref.
Volgograd Russia Russia Volgograd Oblast Europe 1966 [465]
Denver United States United States Colorado North America 1984 [466]
San Antonio United States United States Texas North America 2008 [467]
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Malaysia Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Asia 2010 [468]
Chongqing China China Municipality of Chongqing Asia 2015 [469]
Ulsan South Korea South Korea Ulsan Metropolitan City Asia 2016 [470]

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List of diplomatic missions in Chennai

List of diplomatic missions in Chennai

This is a list of diplomatic missions in Chennai. Governments of several foreign nations have established diplomatic and trade representation in the city of Chennai. Many of them are at the consulate-general or deputy high commission level, in addition to a number of honorary consulates, with their respective embassies located at New Delhi. The consular presence in the city dates back to 1794, when William Abbott was appointed U.S. consular agent for South India. As of 2022, there were 60 foreign representations in Chennai, including 16 consulates general and 28 honorary consulates. The list is of countries that have established a resident consular presence in the city.

South India

South India

South India, also known as Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, comprising 19.31% of India's area and 20% of India's population. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges – the Western and Eastern Ghats – bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar, Bharathappuzha, Pamba, Thamirabarani, Palar, and Vaigai rivers are important perennial rivers.

Consulate General of the United States, Chennai

Consulate General of the United States, Chennai

The Consulate General of the United States of America in Chennai represents the interests of the United States government in Chennai, India and surrounding regions. The consulate reports to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The current Consul General, the 26th, is Judith Ravin, incumbent since September 2020. She was preceded by Robert G. Burgess.

Denver

Denver

Denver is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United States and the fifth most populous state capital. It is the principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the first city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.

San Antonio

San Antonio

San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is a city in Bexar County, Texas. The city is the seventh most populous in the United States, the second largest in the Southern United States, and the second most populous in Texas. It is the 12th most populous city in North America, with 1,434,625 residents as of 2020.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and colloquially referred to as KL, is a federal territory and the ceremonial, legislative and judicial capital city of Malaysia. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia and the largest city in Malaysia, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a census population of 1,982,112 as of 2020. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.564 million people as of 2018. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, both in population and economic development.

Chongqing

Chongqing

Chongqing, alternately romanized as Chungking, is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The official abbreviation of the city, "Yú", was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. This abbreviation is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds into the Yangtze River. Chongqing is China’s major modernized manufacturing base, a financial center and an international transport hub in Western China. Geographically, Chongqing is strategically positioned as a gateway to China’s west, a key connection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and a strategic base for China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Ulsan

Ulsan

Ulsan, officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north.

List of twin towns and sister cities in India

List of twin towns and sister cities in India

This is a list of places in India which have standing links to local communities in other countries known as "town twinning" or "sister cities".

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering 17,098,246 square kilometres (6,601,670 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

United States

United States

The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City.

Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is the eighth most extensive and 21st most populous U.S. state. The 2020 United States census enumerated the population of Colorado at 5,773,714, an increase of 14.80% since the 2010 census.

Source: "Chennai", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 22nd), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai.

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Notes
  1. ^ The term Chennai is often used to denote the Chennai Metropolitan Area, colloquially applied for the wider area than just the city. This area includes the city/district of Chennai, and adjacent parts from its three neighbouring districts. This wider usage of the term has been documented as far back as 1639, when the Madras Municipal Corporation was created.
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