Chennai
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Chennai,Template:Efn also known as MadrasTemplate:Efn (its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It 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. Incorporated in 1688, the Greater Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal corporation in India and the second oldest in the world after London.
Historically, the region was part of the Chola, Pandya, Pallava and Vijayanagara kingdoms during various eras. The coastal land which then contained the fishing village Madrasapattinam, was purchased by the British East India Company from the Nayak ruler 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. The city was made the winter capital of the Madras Presidency, a colonial province of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. After India gained 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,Template:Efn the 35th-largest urban area in the world by population and one of the largest metropolitan economies of India. Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy and the third-largest expatriate population in India. Known as the gateway to South India, Chennai is amongst the most-visited Indian cities by international tourists and was ranked 36th among the most-visited cities in the world in 2019 by Euromonitor. Ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index, it was ranked as the second safest city in India by National Crime Records Bureau in 2023.
Chennai is a major centre for medical tourism and is termed "India's health capital". Chennai houses a major portion of India's automobile industry, hence the name "Detroit of India". It was the only South Asian city to be ranked among National Geographic's "Top 10 food cities" in 2015 and ranked ninth on Lonely Planet's best cosmopolitan cities in the world. In October 2017, Chennai was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list. It is a major film production centre and home to the Tamil-language film industry.
Etymology
[edit]Template:See also The name Chennai was derived from the name of Chennappa Nayaka, a Nayak ruler who served as a general under Venkata Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire from whom the British East India Company took the town in lease in 1639.<ref name="Hist">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The first official use of the name was in August 1639 in a sale deed to Francis Day of the East India Company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A land grant was given to the Chennakesava Perumal Temple in Chennapatanam later in 1646, which some scholars argue to be the first use of the name.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Hist"/>
The name Madras is of native origin, and has been shown to have been in use before the British established a presence in India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A Vijayanagara-era inscription found in 2015 was dated to the year 1367 and mentions the port of Mādarasanpattanam, along with other small ports on the east coast, and it was theorized that the aforementioned port is the fishing port of Royapuram.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Madras might have been derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing village north of Fort St. George.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In July 1996, the Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name from Madras to Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name "Madras" continues to be used occasionally for the city as well as for places or things named after the city in the past.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
History
[edit]Stone Age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai and according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities resided in the settlement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The region around Chennai was an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During the 1st century CE, Tamil poet named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore, a neighbourhood of present-day Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The region was part of Tondaimandalam which was ruled by the Early Cholas in the 2nd century CE by subduing Kurumba, the original inhabitants of the region.<ref name="Chist">Template:Cite web</ref> Pallavas of Kanchi became independent rulers of the region from 3rd to 9th century CE and the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram were built during the reign of Mahendravarman I.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 879, Pallavas were defeated by the Later Cholas led by Aditya I and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan later brought the region under the Pandya rule in 1264.<ref name="Chist"/> The region came under the influence of Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century CE.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Chist"/>
The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port named 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.<ref name="COR">Template:Cite web</ref> On 20 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company along with the Nayak of Kalahasti Chennappa Nayaka met with the Vijayanager Emperor Peda Venkata Raya at Chandragiri and obtained a grant for land on the Coromandel coast on which the company could build a factory and warehouse for their trading activities.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On 22 August, he secured the grant for a strip of land about Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt inland in return for a yearly sum of five hundred lakh pagodas.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The region was then formerly a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam".<ref name="COR"/> A year later, the company built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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In 1746, Fort St. George and the town were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.<ref name="COR"/> 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 king of Mysore.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> They resisted a French siege attempt in 1759.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1769, the city was threatened by Hyder Ali during the First Anglo-Mysore War with the Treaty of Madras ending the conflict.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> By the 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region and established the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
The city became a major naval base and became the central administrative centre for the British in South India.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The city was the baseline for the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, which was started on 10 April 1802.<ref name="Gill">Template:Cite report</ref> With the advent of railways in India in the 19th century, the city was connected to other major cities such as Bombay and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, the predecessor of the current state of Tamil Nadu.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city was the location of the hunger strike and death of Potti Sreeramulu which resulted in the formation of Andhra State in 1953 and eventually the re-organization of Indian states based on linguistic boundaries in 1956.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1965, agitations against the imposition of Hindi and in support of continuing English as a medium of communication arose which marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and eventually led to English being retained as an official language of India alongside Hindi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite act</ref> On 17 July 1996, the city was officially renamed from Madras to Chennai, in line with then a nationwide trend to using less Anglicised names.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 26 December 2004, a tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing 206 people in Chennai and permanently altering the coastline.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The 2015 Chennai Floods submerged major portions of the city, killing 269 people and resulting in damages of Template:INRConvert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Environment
[edit]Geography
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Chennai is located on the southeastern coast of India in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains with an average elevation of Template:Cvt and highest point at Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref name="highest-point">Template:Cite journal</ref> Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Clay underlies most of the city with sandy areas found along the river banks and coasts where rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Certain areas in South Chennai have a hard rock surface.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2018, the city had a green cover of 14.9 per cent, with a per capita green cover of 8.5 square metres against the World Health Organization recommendation of nine square metres.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:As of, water bodies cover an estimated Template:Cvt area of the city.<ref name="Shrunk">Template:Cite news</ref> Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south.<ref name="River">Template:Cite news</ref> A section of the Buckingham Canal built in 1877–78, runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal coast, linking the two rivers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kosasthalaiyar River traverses through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore Creek.<ref name="Ennore">Template:Cite news</ref> The Otteri Nullah, an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The groundwater table in Chennai is at Template:Cvt below ground level on average and is replenished mainly by rainwater.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Of the Template:Cvt coastline of the city, Template:Cvt experiences erosion, with sand accretion along the shoreline at the Marina beach and the area between the Ennore Port and Kosasthalaiyar river.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geology
[edit]Chennai is situated in Seismic Zone III, indicating a moderate risk of damage from earthquakes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Owing to the tectonic zone the city falls in, the city is considered a potential geothermal energy site. The crust has old granite rocks dating back nearly a billion years indicating volcanic activities in the past with expected temperatures of Template:Cvt at Template:Cvt depth.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Climate
[edit]Under the Köppen climate classification, Chennai has the dry-summer version of a tropical savanna climate (As),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> closely bordering the dry-winter version (Aw) due to a February average rainfall of Template:Cvt. The city lies on the thermal equator and as it is also located on the coast, there is no extreme variation in seasonal temperature.<ref name="CMDAA">Template:Cite web</ref> The hottest time of the year is from April to June with an average temperature of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The highest recorded temperature was Template:Cvt on 31 May 2003.<ref name="IMDE">Template:Cite report</ref> The coldest time of the year is in DecemberTemplate:NdashJanuary, with average temperature of Template:Cvt and the lowest recorded temperature of Template:Cvt on 11 December 1895 and 29 January 1905.<ref name="IMDNorm">Template:Cite report</ref>
Chennai receives most of its rainfall from the northeast monsoon between October and December while smaller amounts of rain also come from the southwest monsoon between June and September. The dry season is between January and May, with March having the least average rainfall at Template:Cvt. The average annual rainfall is about Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The highest annual rainfall recorded was Template:Cvt in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October and northeasterly during the rest of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city relies on the annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Cyclones and depressions are common features during the season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Water inundation and flooding happen in low-lying areas during the season with significant flooding in 2015 and 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
{{#section:Geography of Chennai|weatherbox}}
Flora and fauna
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A protected estuary on the Adyar River forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Chennai is also a popular city for birding with more than 130 recorded species of birds have been recorded in the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai and inland lakes also host a number of migratory birds during the monsoon and winter.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits and wildlife conservation and research activities take place at Arignar Anna Zoological Park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is a herpetology research station, located Template:Cvt south of Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The city's tree cover is estimated to be around Template:Cvt with 121 recorded species belonging to 94 genera and 42 families. Major species include Copper pod, Indian beech, Gulmohar, Raintree, Neem, and Tropical Almond.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city's marine and inland water bodies house a number of fresh water and salt water fishes, and marine organisms.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Environmental issues
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Chennai had many lakes spread across the city, but urbanization has led to the shrinkage of water bodies and wetlands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The water bodies have shrunk from an estimated Template:Cvt in 1893 to Template:Cvt in 2017.<ref name="Shrunk"/> The number of wetlands in the city has decreased from 650 in 1970 to 27 in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Nearly half of the native plant species in the city's wetlands have disappeared with only 25 per cent of the erstwhile area covered with aquatic plants still viable.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The major water bodies including the Adyar, Cooum and Kosathaliyar rivers, and the Buckingham canal are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="River"/> The encroachment of urban development on wetlands has hampered the sustainability of water bodies and was a major contributor to the floods in 2015 and 2023 and water scarcity crisis in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Chennai River Restoration Trust set up by the government of Tamil Nadu is working on the restoration of the Adyar River.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Environmentalist Foundation of India is a volunteering group working towards wildlife conservation and habitat restoration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Demographics
[edit]Template:Main Template:Historical population
A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to 2011 census, the city had a population of 4,646,732, within an area of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Post expansion of the city to Template:Cvt, the Chennai Municipal Corporation was renamed as Greater Chennai Corporation and the population including the new city limits as per the 2011 census was 6,748,026.<ref name="Cpop"/><ref name="CET"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, 40 per cent of the 1.788 million families in the city live below the poverty line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, the city had 2.2 million households, with 40 per cent of the residents not owning a house.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There are about 1,131 slums in the city housing more than 300,000 households.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Administration and politics
[edit]Administration
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The city is governed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (formerly "Corporation of Madras"), which was established on 29 September 1688. It is the oldest surviving municipal corporation in India and the second oldest surviving corporation in the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was expanded from Template:Cvt to an area of Template:Cvt, divided into three regions North, South and Central covering 200 wards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The corporation is headed by a mayor, elected by the councillors, who are elected through a popular vote by the residents.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is the nodal agency responsible for the planning and development of the Chennai Metropolitan Area, which is spread over an area of Template:Cvt, covering the Chennai district and parts of Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu districts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The metropolitan area consists of four municipal corporations, 12 municipalities and other smaller panchayats.<ref name="CMDA"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, the city houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the secretariat buildings in Fort St George.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Madras High Court is the highest judicial authority in the state, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Law and order
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The Greater Chennai Police (GCP) is the primary law enforcement agency in the city and is headed by a commissioner of police.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Greater Chennai Police is a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, the administrative control of which lies with the Home ministry of the Government of Tamil Nadu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) is responsible for the traffic management in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 respective police departments of Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Ranipet districts.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Template:As of, Greater Chennai had 135 police stations across four zones with 20,000 police personnel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, the crime rate in the city was 101.2 per hundred thousand people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was ranked as the second most safest city in India by National Crime Records Bureau in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, Madras Central Prison, the major prison and one of the oldest in India was demolished with the prisoners moved to the newly constructed Puzhal Central Prison.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Politics
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While the major part of the city falls under three parliamentary constituencies (Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South), the Chennai metropolitan area is spread across five constituencies. It elects 28 MLAs to the state legislature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Being the capital of the Madras Province that covered a large area of the Deccan region, Chennai remained the centre of politics during the British colonial era. Chennai is the birthplace of the idea of the Indian National Congress, which was founded by the members of the Theosophical Society movement based on the idea conceived in a private meeting after a Theosophical convention held in the city in December 1884.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The city has hosted yearly conferences of the Congress seven times, playing a major part in the Indian independence movement.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Chennai is also the birthplace of regional political parties such as the South Indian Welfare Association in 1916 which later became the Justice Party and Dravidar Kazhagam.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Politics is characterized by a mix of regional and national political parties.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During the 1920s and 1930s, the Self-Respect Movement, spearheaded by Theagaroya Chetty and E. V. Ramaswamy emerged in Madras.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Congress dominated the political scene post Independence in the 1950s and 1960s under C. Rajagopalachari and later K. Kamaraj.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Anti-Hindi agitations led to the rise of Dravidian parties with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) forming the first government under C. N. Annadurai in 1967. In 1972, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by M. G. Ramachandran. The two Dravidian parties continue to dominate electoral politics, the national parties usually aligning as junior partners to the two major Dravidian parties.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Many film personalities became politicians and later chief ministers, including C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran, Janaki Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Culture
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also
Languages
[edit]Tamil is the language spoken by most of Chennai's population; English is largely spoken by white-collar workers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As per the 2011 census, Tamil is the most spoken language with 3,640,389 (78.3%) of speakers followed by Telugu (432,295), Urdu (198,505), Hindi (159,474) and Malayalam (104,994).<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Madras Bashai is a variety of the Tamil spoken by people in the city.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It originated with words introduced from other languages such as English and Telugu on the Tamil originally spoken by the native people of the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Korean,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Japanese,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> French,<ref name="FP">Template:Cite news</ref> Mandarin Chinese,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> German<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Spanish are spoken by foreign expatriates residing in the city.<ref name="FP"/>
Religion and ethnicity
[edit]Template:Main Template:Bar box
Chennai is home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As per census of 2011, Chennai's population was majority Hindu (80.73%) with 9.45% Muslim, 7.72% Christian, 1.27% others and 0.83% with no religion or not indicating any religious preference.<ref name="Rel2011">Template:Cite web</ref> Tamils form majority of the population with minorities including Telugus,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Marwaris,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gujaratis,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Parsis,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Sindhis,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Odias,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Goans,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kannadigas,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Anglo-Indians,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Bengalis,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Punjabis,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Malayalees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city also has a significant expatriate population.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, out of the 2,937,000 migrants 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.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Architecture
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also
With the history of Chennai dating back centuries, the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide chronology. The oldest buildings in the city date from the 6th to 8th centuries CE, which include the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore and the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane, built in the Dravidian architecture encompassing various styles developed during the reigns of different empires.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Dravidian architecture, the Hindu temples consisted of large mantapas with gate-pyramids called gopurams in quadrangular enclosures that surround the temple.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Gopuram, a monumental tower usually ornate at the entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature of Koils and whose origins can be traced back to the Pallavas who built the group of monuments in Mamallapuram.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The associated Agraharam architecture, which consists of traditional row houses can still be seen in the areas surrounding the temples.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai has the second highest number of heritage buildings in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
With the Mugals influence in mediaeval times and the British later, the city saw a rise in a blend of Hindu, Islamic and Gothic revival styles, resulting in the distinct Indo-Saracenic architecture.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The architecture for several institutions followed the Indo-Saracenic style with the Chepauk Palace designed by Paul Benfield amongst the first Indo-Saracenic buildings in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other buildings in the city from the era designed in this style of architecture include Fort St. George (1640), Amir Mahal (1798), Government Museum (1854), Senate House of the University of Madras (1879), Victoria Public Hall (1886), Madras High Court (1892), Bharat Insurance Building (1897), Ripon Building (1913), College of Engineering (1920) and Southern Railway headquarters (1921).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the early 20th century, the art deco made its entry upon the city's urban landscape with buildings in George Town including the United India building (presently housing LIC) and the Burma Shell building (presently the Chennai House), both built in the 1930s, and the Dare House built in 1940 examples of this architecture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Independence, the city witnessed a rise in Modernism, and the completion of the LIC Building in 1959, the tallest building in the country at that time, marked the transition from lime-and-brick construction to concrete columns.<ref name="Look">Template:Cite news</ref>
The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai Port prohibited the construction of buildings taller than 60 m around a radius of 10 km till 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Look"/> This resulted in the central business district expanding horizontally, unlike other metropolitan cities, while the peripheral regions began experiencing vertical growth with the construction of taller buildings with the tallest building at Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Arts
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Chennai is a major centre for music, art and dance in India.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The city is called the Cultural Capital of South India.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Madras Music Season, initiated by Madras Music Academy in 1927, is celebrated every year during the month of December and features performances of traditional Carnatic music by artists from the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Madras University introduced a course of music, as part of the Bachelor of Arts curriculum in 1930.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Gaana, a combination of various folk music, is sung mainly in the working-class area of North Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai Sangamam, an art festival showcasing various arts of South India is held every year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai has been featured in UNESCO Creative Cities Network list since October 2017 for its old musical tradition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chennai has a diverse theatre scene and is a prominent centre for Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and the oldest dance form in India.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Cultural centres in the city include Kalakshetra and Government Music College.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai is also home to some choirs, who during the Christmas season stage various carol performances across the city in Tamil and English.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chennai is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions that engage in arts research and are major tourist attractions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Established in the early 18th century, the Government Museum and the National Art Gallery are amongst the oldest in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The museum inside the premises of Fort St. George maintains a collection of objects of the British era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chennai is the base for Tamil cinema, nicknamed Kollywood, alluding to the neighbourhood of Kodambakkam where several film studios are located.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The history of cinema in South India started in 1897 when a European exhibitor first screened a selection of silent short films at the Victoria Public Hall in the city.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Swamikannu Vincent purchased a film projector and erected tents for screening films which became popular in the early 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Keechaka Vadham, the first film in South India, was produced in the city and released in 1917.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Gemini and Vijaya Vauhini studios, established in the 1940s, were amongst the largest and earliest in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai hosts many major film studios, including AVM Productions, the oldest surviving studio in India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Cuisine
[edit]Template:See also Chennai cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as its base. Most local restaurants still retain their rural flavour, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Eating on a banana leaf is an old custom and imparts a unique flavour to the food and is considered healthy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Idly and dosa are popular breakfast dishes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Chennai has an active street food culture and various cuisine options for dining including North Indian, Chinese and continental.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The influx of industries in the early 21st century also bought distinct cuisines from other countries such as Japanese and Korean to the city.<ref name="Expat">Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai was the only South Asian city to be ranked among National Geographic's "Top 10 food cities" in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai was named as the most vegan friendly city in India in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economy
[edit]
The economy of Chennai consistently exceeded national average growth rates due to reform-oriented economic policies in the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> With the presence of two major ports, an international airport, and a converging road and rail networks, Chennai is often referred to as the "Gateway to South India".<ref name="OI_Turns375"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Chennai is amongst the cities most integrated with the global economy, classified as a beta-city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, Chennai had an estimated GDP of $143.9 billion, ranking it among the most productive metro areas in India.<ref name="C40"/><ref name="GDDP"/> Chennai has a diversified industrial base anchored by different sectors including automobiles, software services, hardware, healthcare and financial services.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Template:As of, Chennai is amongst the top export districts in the country, with more than US$2563 billion in exports.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
The city has a permanent exhibition complex Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city hosts the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet, a business summit organized by the Government of Tamil Nadu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With about 62% of the population classified as affluent with less than 1% asset-poor, Chennai has the fifth highest number of millionaires.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Chennai is among the major information technology (IT) hubs of India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tidel Park, established in 2000, was amongst the first and largest IT parks in Asia.<ref name="fordithub">Template:Cite news</ref> The presence of SEZs and government policies have contributed to the growth of the sector, which has attracted foreign investments and job seekers from other parts of the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 2020s, the city has become a major provider of SaaS and has been dubbed the "SaaS Capital of India".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The automotive industry in Chennai accounts for more than 35% of India's overall automotive components and automobile output, earning the nickname "Detroit of India".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A large number of automotive companies have their manufacturing bases in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Integral Coach Factory in Chennai manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for the Indian Railways.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ambattur Industrial Estate housing various manufacturing units is among the largest small-scale industrial estates in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai contributes more than 50 per cent of India's leather exports.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Chennai is a major electronics hardware exporter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The city was home to the now-defunct Madras Stock Exchange, India's third-largest by trading volume behind the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Madras Bank, the first European-style banking system in India, was established on 21 June 1683 followed by first commercial banks such as Bank of Hindustan (1770) and General Bank of India (1786).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bank of Madras merged with two other presidency banks to form Imperial Bank of India in 1921 which in 1955 became the State Bank of India, the largest bank in India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is the headquarters of nationalized banks such as Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai hosts the south zonal office of the Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, along with its zonal training centre and staff College, one of the two colleges run by the bank.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The city also houses a permanent back office of the World Bank.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> About 400 financial industry businesses are headquartered in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
DRDO, India's premier defence research agency, operates various facilities in Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Heavy Vehicles Factory of the AVANI, headquartered in Chennai, manufactures Armoured fighting vehicles, Main battle tanks, tank engines and armoured clothing for the use of the Indian Armed Forces.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> ISRO, the premier Indian space agency primarily responsible for performing tasks related to space exploration, operates research facilities in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As per Euromonitor, Chennai is the fourth-most visited city in India by international tourists and 36th internationally in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Medical tourism forms an important part of the city's economy, with more than 40% of total medical tourists visiting India making it to Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Infrastructure
[edit]Water supply
[edit]
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 major water reservoirs in the city and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and supplied to the city through 27 water distribution stations.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The city receives 530 million litres per day (mld) of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project and 180 mld of water from the Veeranam lake project.<ref name="Metro Water">Template:Cite web</ref> 100 million litres of treated water per day is produced from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest seawater desalination plant.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is predicted to face a deficit of 713 mld of water by 2026 as the demand is projected at 2,248 mld and supply estimated at 1,535 mld.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The city's sewer system was designed in 1910, with some modifications in 1958.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Waste management
[edit]Chennai generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage every day, of which 429 tonnes are plastic waste.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Greater Chennai Corporation undertakes garbage collection and processing with collection in some of the wards contracted to private companies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, an average of 150 tonnes of garbage disposal is done in two landfill sites at Kodungaiyur and Pallikaranai daily.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In market and business areas, the conservancy work is done during the night.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, there are public toilets in 943 locations, managed by the city corporation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Communication
[edit]Chennai is one of four Indian cities connected by undersea fibre-optic cables and is the landing point of SMW4 (connecting with Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia), i2i and TIC (connecting with Singapore), BBG (connecting with Middle East, Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka), Gulf Bridge International (connecting with Middle East), and BRICS (connecting with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) with Template:Convert long i2i having the world's largest design capacity of 8.4 terabits per second.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, four mobile phone service companies operate GSM networks including Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio offering 4G and 5G mobile services.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TRAI">Template:Cite report</ref> Wireline and broadband services are offered by five major operators and other smaller local operators.<ref name="TRAI"/> Chennai is amongst the cities with a high internet usage and penetration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, the city had the highest average broadband speed among Indian cities, with a recorded download speed of 32.67 Mbit/s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Power
[edit].jpg){kind=link}
Electricity distribution is done by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board headquartered in Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, the city consumes an average of 2,750 MW of power daily, which is above 18% of the total power consumption of 15,000 MW by the state of Tamil Nadu and ranks the second highest among all cities nationally.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city has over 248,000 streetlights maintained by the corporation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Major fossil fuel 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Madras Atomic Power Station located at Kalpakkam about Template:Cvt south of the city is a comprehensive nuclear power production, fuel reprocessing, and waste treatment facility and is the first fully indigenous nuclear power station in India.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Health care
[edit]
Chennai has a well-developed health infrastructure, including both government-run and private hospitals. The corporation runs 138 primary health centres, 14 secondary health centres, three maternity hospitals and three veterinary health centres.<ref name="HCR">Template:Cite web</ref> The corporation also runs six diagnostic centres, 37 shelters and 10 health centres for the homeless.<ref name="HCR"/> The city attracts many health tourists from abroad and other states and has been termed as India's health capital.<ref name="HC">Template:Cite news</ref> Major government run hospitals include Government General Hospital, Government multi-super specialty hospital, Kilpauk medical college hospital, Government Royapettah Hospital, Stanley medical college hospital, Government hospital of thoracic medicine, Adyar Cancer Institute, TB Sanatorium and National Institute of Siddha.<ref name="Hosp">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Government General Hospital was started by 16 November 1664 and was the first major hospital in India.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Major private hospitals in the city include Apollo Hospitals, Billroth Hospitals, Dr. Mehta's Hospital, Fortis Malar Hospital, Madras Medical Mission, MIOT Hospitals, Sankara Nethralaya, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Global Hospitals, Chettinad Hospitals, Kauvery Hospital and Vijaya Hospitals.<ref name="Hosp"/> Corporation is responsible for administration of polio vaccine for eligible age groups.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research established in 1899 is a research institute specializing in preventive medicine and vaccination.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Media
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also
Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with the launch of the weekly The Madras Courier in 1785.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was followed by the weeklies The Madras Gazette and The Government Gazette in 1795.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first Telugu journal printed from Madras was Satya Doota in 1835, and the first Tamil newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in 1899.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Chennai has several newspapers and magazines published in various languages including Tamil, English and Telugu.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The major dailies with a circulation of more than 100,000 copies per day include The Hindu, Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, The Times of India, Dina Malar and The Deccan Chronicle.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Several periodicals and local newspapers prevalent in select localities also bring out editions from the city.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
The government run Doordarshan broadcasts terrestrial and satellite television channels from its Chennai centre set up in 1974.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many private satellite television networks including Sun Network, one of India's largest broadcasting companies, are based in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cable TV service is entirely controlled by the state government while DTH and IPTV is available via various private operators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radio broadcasting began in 1924 by the Madras Presidency Radio Club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> All India Radio was established in 1938.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city has four AM and 11 FM radio stations operated by All India Radio, Hello FM, Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi, Radio City and BIG FM among others.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Others
[edit]Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, which operates 33 operating fire stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The corporation also owns 52 community halls across the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Postal services are handled by India Post, which operates 568 post offices, of which nearly 460 operate from rented premises.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first post office was established on 1 June 1786 at Fort St. George on 1 June 1786.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transport
[edit]Air
[edit]
The aviation history of Chennai began in 1910, when Giacomo D'Angelis built the first powered flight in Asia and tested it in Island Grounds.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> In 1915, Tata Air Mail started an airmail service between Karachi and Madras marking the beginning of civil aviation in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 1930, a discussion initiated by pilot G. Vlasto led to the founding of Madras Flying Club.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew a Puss Moth aircraft carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip and the flight was continued to Madras piloted by aviator Nevill Vintcent marking the first scheduled commercial flight.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The city is served by Chennai International Airport located in Tirusulam, around Template:Convert southwest of the city centre.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is the fourth-busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic and cargo handled.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> While the existing airport is undergoing expansion with an addition of Template:Cvt, a new greenfield airport has been proposed to handle additional traffic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The region comes under the purview of the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force. The Air Force operates an air base at Tambaram.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Indian Navy operates airbases at Arakkonam and Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rail
[edit]
The history of railway in Chennai began in 1832, when the first railway line in India was proposed between Little Mount and Chintadripet in the city which became operational in 1837.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Madras Railway was established later in 1845 and the construction on the first main line between Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational in 1856.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1944, all the railway companies operating in British India were taken over by the Government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for Indian Railways into six zonal systems and the Southern Railway zone was created on 14 April 1951 by merging three state railways, namely, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company, and the Mysore State Railway with Chennai as the headquarters.<ref name="SR">Template:Cite web</ref> The city has four major railway terminals at Chennai Central, Egmore, Beach and Tambaram.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Chennai Central, city's largest station provides access to other major stations nationally and is amongst the busiest stations in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Suburban and MRTS
Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network operated by Southern railway, which was established in 1928.<ref name="CSR">Template:Cite report</ref> The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is an elevated urban mass transit system established in 1995 operating on a single line from Chennai Beach to Velachery.<ref name="CSR"/>
| System | Lines | Stations | Length | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Suburban<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> | 3 | 53 | Template:Cvt | 1928 |
| Chennai MRTS<ref name="MRTS">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1 | 17 | Template:Cvt | 1995 |
- Metro
Chennai Metro is a rapid transit rail system in Chennai that was opened in 2015. As of 2023, the metro system consists of two operational lines operating across Template:Cvt with 41 stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Chennai metro system is being expanded with a proposed addition of three more lines and an extension of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Line | Terminal | Opened | Length (km) |
Stations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#Template:Rail color; text-align: center;| Blue Line | Wimco Nagar | Chennai Airport | 21 September 2016 | 32.65 | 26 |
| style="background:#Template:Rail color; text-align: center;| Green Line | Chennai Central | St. Thomas Mount | 29 June 2015 | 22 | 17 |
| Total | 54.65 | 41 | |||
Road
[edit]
Chennai has an extensive road network covering about Template:Cvt as of 2023.<ref name="Policy"/><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Chennai is one of the termini of the Golden Quadrilateral system of National Highways.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> As a part of the network, the city is connected to Mumbai and Kolkata via NH 48 and NH 16 respectively.<ref name="NH">Template:Cite report</ref> In addition, NH 32, and NH 716 originate from the city.<ref name="NH"/> The road network also consists of state highways which serve as arterial roads and two peripheral roads (inner and outer ring roads).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are grade separators and flyovers at major intersections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There are two expressways under construction: Chennai Port–Maduravoyal Expressway and Bangalore–Chennai Expressway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:As of, there are over six million registered vehicles in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Public bus transport is handled by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, which is run by the Government of Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1947 when private buses operating in Madras presidency were nationalized by the government and runs about 3233 buses Template:As of.<ref name="TNSTC">Template:Cite report</ref> State Express Transport Corporation Limited (SETC), established in 1980, runs long-distance express services exceeding 250 km and above and links the city with other important cities and adjoining states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry. SETC operates various classes of services such as semi-deluxe, ultra-deluxe and air-conditioned with advance booking and reservation on all of its routes.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus is one of the largest bus stations in Asia and caters to outstation buses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The other means of road transport in the city include vans, auto rickshaws, on-call metered taxis and tourist taxis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Water
[edit]Chennai has two major ports Chennai and Ennore which are managed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of the Government of India.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> There are three minor ports, which are managed by the department of highways and minor ports of Government of Tamil Nadu.<ref name="Policy">Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Royapuram fishing harbour is used by fishing boats.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Indian Navy has a major base at Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
[edit].jpg){kind=link}
Template:Main Template:See also
Chennai is a major educational hub and home to some of the premium educational institutions in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city has a 90.33% literacy rate and ranks second among the major Indian metropolitan city centres.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai has a mix of public and private schools with the public school system managed by the school education department of Government of Tamil Nadu. Template:As of, there are 420 public schools run by Greater Chennai Corporation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (ICSE) or National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> School education starts with two years of Kindergarten from age three onwards and then follows the Indian 10+2 plan, ten years of school and two years of higher secondary education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The University of Madras was founded in 1857 and is one of India's first modern universities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Colleges for science, arts, and commerce degrees are typically affiliated with the University of Madras, which has six campuses in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a premier institute of engineering and College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University founded in 1794 is the oldest engineering college in India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Officers Training Academy of the Indian Army is headquartered in the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There are eight government-run medical colleges in the city including one dental college, three for traditional medicine and four for modern medicine apart from multiple private colleges operating under the purview of Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Madras Medical College was established in 1835 and is one of the oldest medical colleges in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chennai has many libraries with the major ones being the Connemara Public Library (Template:Tooltip 1896), one of the four National Depository Centres in India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in the country and the Anna Centenary Library, the largest library in Asia.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai has two CSIR research institutions namely Central Leather Research Institute and Structural Engineering Research Centre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai book fair is an annual book fair organized by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) and is typically held in December–January.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Tourism and recreation
[edit]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 with 11 million domestic and 630,000 foreign tourists visiting in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The gateway to the southern part of India,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai was ranked among the top hundred destinations by Euromonitor.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Template:As of, the city has about 7,000 luxury rooms across four- and five-star categories, with 85 per cent of the room demand coming from business travellers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai has a Template:Cvt coastline with many beaches including the Marina spanning Template:Cvt which is the second-longest urban beach in the world and Elliot's Beach south of the Adyar delta.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:As of, Chennai has 835 public parks maintained by the corporation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The largest park is the 358-acre Tholkappia Poonga, developed to restore the fragile ecosystem of the Adyar estuary.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Semmozhi Poonga is a Template:Convert botanical garden maintained by the horticulture department.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Madras Crocodile Bank is a reptile zoo located Template:Cvt south of the city and has one of the largest collections of reptiles in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Arignar Anna zoological park is a large urban zoo with more than two million visitors annually.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits and has a children's park and a snake park associated with it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai also houses several theme parks and amusement parks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:As of, there are 120 cinema screens and multiplexes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stage plays and dramas of different genres and languages are enacted in theatres across the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is also home to several malls.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city is an important market for jewellery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Anna Nagar and Nungambakkam are amongst the expensive retail zones in the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Sports
[edit]
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai and was introduced in 1864 with the foundation of the Madras Cricket Club.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, established in 1916, is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India and has hosted matches during multiple ICC Cricket World Cups.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other cricketing venues include Chemplast Cricket Ground and Guru Nanak College Ground.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prominent cricketers from the city include S. Venkataraghavan,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kris Srikkanth,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Ravichandran Ashwin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Established in 1987, MRF Pace Foundation is a bowling academy based in Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is home to the most successful Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai Super Kings and hosted the finals during the 2011, 2012, and 2024 seasons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a multi-purpose venue which hosts football and athletics and also houses a multi–purpose indoor complex for volleyball, basketball, kabaddi and table tennis.<ref name="SDAT">Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai hosted the 1995 South Asian Games.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Football club Chennaiyin FC competes in Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier association football league of India and uses the Nehru Stadium for their home matches.<ref name="CFC">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic Complex.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chennai was the host of the only ATP World Tour event in India, the Chennai Open held at SDAT Tennis Stadium from 1997 to 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vijay Amritraj, Mahesh Bhupathi Ramesh Krishnan and Somdev Devvarman were professional tennis players from Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is home to Chennai Slam, two-time national champion of India's top professional basketball division, the UBA Pro Basketball League.<ref name="UBA">Template:Cite news</ref>
Madras Boat Club (founded in 1846) and Royal Madras Yacht Club (founded in 1911) promote sailing, rowing and canoeing sports in Chennai.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Inaugurated in 1990, Madras Motor Race Track was the first permanent racing circuit in India and hosts formula racing events.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Formula One driver Karun Chandhok was from the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Horse racing is held at the Guindy Race Course and the city has two 18-hole golf courses, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club established in the late nineteenth century.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chennai is often dubbed "India's chess capital" as the city is home to multiple chess grandmasters including former world champion Viswanathan Anand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city played host to the World Chess Championship 2013 and 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other sports persons from Chennai include table tennis player Sharath Kamal and two–time world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
City based teams
[edit]International relations
[edit]Foreign missions
[edit]Template:See also The consular presence in the city dates back to 1794, when William Abbott was appointed US consular agent for South India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, there are 60 foreign representations in Chennai, including 16 consulates general and 28 honorary consulates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> American Consulate in Chennai is amongst the top employment-based visa processing centres.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) is in charge of immigration and registration activities in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sister cities
[edit]Template:See also Chennai has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world:
| City | Country | State/Region | Since | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volgograd | Template:RUS | Volgograd Oblast | 1966 | <ref name="SS">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Denver | Template:USA | Colorado | 1984 | <ref name="SS"/> |
| San Antonio | Template:USA | Texas | 2008 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Kuala Lumpur | Template:MYS | Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur | 2010 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Chongqing | Template:PRC | Municipality of Chongqing | 2015 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Ulsan | Template:KOR | Ulsan Metropolitan City | 2016 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
Notable people
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Official website of Chennai district
- Chennai Encyclopædia Britannica entry
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