Chennai, (formerly Madras) the first city of Tamil Nadu, is a comparatively new city. The erstwhile villages of Mylapore, Triplicane, Ezhambur (Egmore) etc. all now a part of Chennai, have a recorded historical past centuries older than Chennai. Chennai, the present gateway to the South of India, is itself, however, only about 350 years old.
Madras came to be the administrative capital of the

Madras Presidency (the southern zone of the British Empire in India). A successful British campaign against the French saw them all but disappear from the region (barring the enclave in Pondicherry). The British domination of India and its waters started from the shores of Madras, today's Chennai.
Today Chennai is a busy city, somewhat congested and polluted, but colourful as always. Larger than life "heroes" from 70mm celluloid beam out of even larger hoardings and if they can 'grin and bear it' so can you.
What to See ?
Relics of the Raj abound in Fort St. George built by the British in 1640 as their first fortified settlement in India , the Fort Museum, and St. Mary's Church , the oldest Anglican Church in India. The Marina Beach is the second longest in the world. The San Thome Cathedral Basilica ,8th century Pallava temples, Kapaleswarar and Parthasarthy are not far from each other, in Mylapore and Triplicane respectively. The Kapaleswarar Gopuram (tower) is typical of Dravidian architecture. This temple is dedicated to the Destroyer figure in the Hindu holy trinity, Lord Shiva, Kalakshetra or 'Temple of Art' is in Thiruvanmayur. Run on the ancient lines of gurukul education, The Government Museum and Art Gallery has objects of art, sculptures and carvings from the Chola, Pandya, Pallava, and the Vijayanagar periods. Anna Zoological Park spread out over 1265 acres. It has a safari, a nocturnal animals house, and an aquarium. The National Park at Guindy has a Deer Park, a special park for kids and the Madras Snake Park
How to get there ?
Chennai is well connected by International airline, domestic and as well as by roads.