Chennai (previously known as Madras), the first city of South India and the capital of Tamilnadu state, is a historic land of ancient culture. India's most southerly city brims with magnificent architecture, exotic pageantry, and age-old traditions. The Dravidian dynasties of Pallavas, the Cholas and the Pandiyas, all left their marks on the culture and architecture of the region. Chennai, a thriving seaboard that did business with the Chinese, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, and Babylonians 2000 years ago and later the French, Portugese, Armenians, and Arabs. Chennai's history goes back to the 4th Century.

Immensely proud and aware of the classic antiquty of their three thousand years old Dravidian Culture, respected by the Aryans when they came in 1500 B.C., many modern day Tamils still live largely the same life in many ways, not only in their culture and language, but in their food and clothes as well. Tamil -- one of the oldest languages known on the earth -- spoken by majority of the people, today Chennai is a city that still sustains a pure Tamil culture vibrantly alive with modern participation. Inspite of successive invasions, the Tamil art, scriptures, religion, dance, drama, vocal and instrumental music and architecture have remained essentially untouched.

Morden day Chennai sprawls over 174 square kilometers and is home of more than 5 millions people. This modern metropolis of Chennai, Tamilnadu's principal port, offers excellent hotels and transport, a terrfic range of food and some serious shopping for silks, cottons, jewellery and handicrafts. And of course, magnificent old Hindu temples that offer more than just a fabulous photo opportunity to the discerning. More, you will hear the splendid strains of classical music and sniff a heady compound of jasmines and spices living traditions that are still savored from Chennai's ancient past.

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