Destination Features

From a small fishing village to a bustling metropolis, Chennai or Madras as it was previously known has come a long way ever since it was settled by the British in 1639. The remnants of the British can still be seen even today notably in the Fort St .George - the administrative center of the British and the now the Government Secretariat.

A walk through the by lanes of history tells us that apart from the British and the Portuguese, the Dutch had also settled in Chennai. The Portuguese were first to arrive in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé at Mylapore after the Christian apostle, St Thomas, who is said to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE, while the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city in 1612.

Today, the evidence of these foreign settlements can be seen in the many of the Gothic style structures and churches, who strive for the attention of the tourists along with the Hindu temples and the Marina Beach-reportedly to be  the world’s second longest city beach.

Though, Chennai is also known as the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage, the city is gradually emerging as an upcoming IT City. The Tidel Park spread over 1.28 million sq.ft of built up area is Chennai’s newest pride housing several large national and international software companies in its premises.