Overview
Chennai is the Cultural Capital of India known for its deep-rooted traditions and age-old heritage. Fort St. George & St Mary`s Church inside the fort was built by the British East India Company in 1640 AD. Kapaleeshwarar Temple a holy shrine of Lord Shiva originally built by the mighty Pallavas and rebuilt in 16th century by the Vijayanagar kings. Vadapalani Murugan Temple is one of the most frequented places of worship for Hindus in Chennai. Government Museum built in the Indo-Saracenic style houses a rich collection of works of Raja Ravi Varma. Dakshinachitra Museum in the city is one of the living-history museums. Santhome Cathedral is a historical and ancient pilgrim center, which was built during the 14th to the 15th century AD by the then reigning Portuguese. Marina Beach is a 13kms long natural urban beach along the Bay of Bengal. The city was known as Madras till 1996 and later renamed Chennai.
