The southern Indian city of Chennai is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai which was previously known as Madras is counted amongst the four most important and largest metros in India. Chennai is currently India’s fifth largest city which has a population of more than 8 million people.
Chennai was founded in the late 17th Century by officers of the British East India Company who were granted permission by the local ruler to establish a trading post in the city. This event occurred on August 22nd 1639 and it has ever since been commemorated as ‘Madras Day’. In fact Madras was one of the first outposts of the British in India and it here that they built one of their main fortifications in the form of Fort Saint George which is the administrative and legislative seat of the state until today.
In 1996, the Tamil Nadu government changed the name of the city from Madras to Chennai as they wanted to break with the city’s colonial past and have a name that reflected the original antecedents of the city. The name Chennai was derived from Chennapatnam which once was a neighboring area of Madras that merged with it over time.
Chennai is served by the Chennai International Airport which is situated at Tirisulam, located 7 km south of Chennai city. This international airport is the third largest and busiest international airport in India. The airport has two passenger terminals, a domestic terminal which is called the Kamraj terminal a...Read Morend an international terminal which is known as the Anna Terminal. Additionally the airport is also equipped with a third terminal which is a cargo terminal. A whole host of international carriers like Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Thai, Jet Airways and British Airways provide air links from Chennai to the rest of the world so getting to Chennai is not unduly difficult.
However if you are embarking on your journey from a US city you probably have to endure an extremely long fatigue inducing trans-continental journey which will most likely have one or two stopovers. An ideal way to avoid the mind numbing jet lag and exhaustion from such a journey is to consider traveling in business class to Chennai more so if you are a traveler of advanced years. Contrary to popular opinion, cheap business class tickets to Chennai do exist. In fact one of the cheapest business class fares to Chennai is offered by the country’s own airline, Air India in the form of its companion flies free scheme that it promotes ever so often. Air India, like other airlines promotes this scheme via email newsletters and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
However if you are technologically averse then you can also locate cheap business class air ticket to Chennai offers by working with an established airfares consolidator. Airfares consolidators often have business class discounts to various destinations. They manage to procure these cheap business class airfares by working directly with airlines. Airfares consolidators are large resellers of airline ticket who have an established record and do huge volumes. They can usually guarantee an airline regular, repeat business and for their efforts the airlines award them with exclusive consolidator contracts that give them access to heavily discounted business class tickets which they can then offer to their clients. So an airfares consolidator is then your best bet to secure a cheap business class airfare to Chennai and such a ticket will enable you to perform your journey in the comfortable environs of a business class cabin with all the luxuries associated with business class like fully flat beds, elevated levels of service and much good food and wine.
The travel advice for Chennai is quite similar to that of other Indian cities. The city experiences a hot, dry and humid climate throughout the year. The worst season to visit Chennai is during the ‘summer’ months of May and June for during this time temperatures soar to about 38 to 42 °C (100 to108 °F). The best season to take in the many delights of this Southern Indian coastal city is during its ‘winters’ which last during the months of January to February when daytime temperatures are a pleasant 18–20 °C (64–68 °F).
Your luggage should include cool, cotton clothing and a hat or sunglasses or even an umbrella to keep the scorching heat at bay. As for travel adapters, Chennai like the rest of the country has an electric supply of 240V and uses plugs with two rounded pins.
Chennai also has a well developed and extensive public transport system which consists of buses, trains and metered and private taxis though the city also has an Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) which currently links the area of Chennai Beach to Velachery and is connected with the rail network of Chennai which is one of the oldest networks in the country. Work is also currently underway for the construction of the Chennai Metro.
If you are a first time visitor to Chennai, then you will probably also want to take in its many sights. The city offers a wide array of diverse sights like Fort Saint George which has several landmarks ensconced within it like the stunning St Mary’s Church which is particularly know for its gorgeous stained glass windows, wall frescos and teak plaques. This Church is one of the oldest churches from British times in India. Also located here is the Fort St George Museum which has interesting displays from the colonial era and a statue of Lord Cornwallis, the first governor general of India. Perhaps Chennai’s most famous attraction is its Marina Beach which is reputed to be the longest beach in the world and is an important recreation center for the inhabitants of Chennai who congregate here in the evenings and on the weekend. Marina Beach is not really conducive to swimming and it is not quite pristine as it is hosts various street vendors and local fishermen though the beach is also adorned with several sculptures of famous Indian personalities like Mahatama Gandhi and Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar which are worth perusing. Other popular beaches in Chennai include Breezy Beach and Elliot’s Beach.
However if beaches are not your thing, you could always plan a visit to the Guindy National Park in Chennai which is one of the smallest National Parks in the country. This park is located within the city limits of Chennai and extends over two kilometers. Originally founded as a private game reserve that belonged to a British gent called Gilbert Rodericks, it was taken over on his passing by the Chennai government and now the park is a verdant enclave in the heart of the city which is home to much native flora and fauna including 350 species of plants and animals like black bucks, hyenas, jackals, the Indian mongoose, bonnet monkeys and civet cats. Other attractions in the Guindy National park include a Children’s park and a Sna Hide