Align Dental Centre, Chennai

Dental Tourism - Chennai

Overview

Chennai, erstwhile Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. The city is a major metropolitan as well as cosmopolitan that is situated in the Coromondel Coast. It is one of the most important cities in south India as well as in the country in terms of commerce, culture, education as well as economics. In fact, Chennai is popularly known as the Cultural Capital of South India.



The history of Chennai is well recorded because it was always an important part of many south Indian kingdoms. The city played a major role in the political history during the British Raj, and colonial times is when the history of Chennai actually begins from. During the rule of the English the city was called Madras.



Arts and crafts, music and dance and entertainment in all its forms are the things that have always flourished in the city of Chennai. Carnatic music is an integral part of the lives of the people of Chennai. Carol singing is also very popular during the Christmas time.



The classical dance form Bharat Natyam originated from Tamil Nadu and is among the oldest dance forms of the country. Chennai is also home to the Tamil film industry termed as Kollywood.



The theatre scene in Chennai is very strong. The plays are mainly political satires, comedies, historical and mythological.



Places to Visit in Chennai



Marina Beach

Known as the Pride of Chennai, the Marina beach stretches for about 13 km making it the second longest beach in the country. The urban beach has white sand and is considered to be one of the cleanest and busiest beaches in India.

Marina Beach is very popular with the locals. The beach also has a skating arena, joggers track and aquarium. Pony rides, merry-go-rounds and giant wheels are also on the beach.



Mahabalipuram Beach

Mahabalipuram is an ancient port town, situated 60 km from Chennai. Mahabalipuram Beach also known as Mamallapuram Beach this beach on the shores of the Bay of Bengal has a coastline spanning a distance of over 20 km with beautiful beaches. The golden sandy beach is a picturesque place bounded by the shimmering sea and rolling hills. This Beach is identified as the most pristine beaches of Tamil Nadu; the beach attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. The beach is an idle place for sunbathing and lazing around. The sea is rough and swimming is not recommended.



Tranquebar

A former Danish colony, Tranquebar stands mute testimony to the struggle between colonial powers to gain control of the lucrative spice trade. Located in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, the Dansborg fort, the churches and the old monuments are the only remnants of the Danish heritage.



Tranquebar, also called as Tharangambadi meaning ‘Land of the Singing Waves’, finds place in the 14th century inscription by the name ‘Sadanganpade’. Before the Danish, the town was ruled by Cholas and the Pandyas between the 10th and 14th century. In the 15th century, it was ruled by Thanjavur king Vijaya Raghunatha Nayak. During these periods Tranquebar became a major commercial hub and did trade with the Arabs and Portuguese.



Elliot's Beach / Besant Nagar Beach

Elliot beach is also well-known as Besant nagar beach. The beach is in Besant Nagar in Chennai and starts from the point where the Marina beach ends. It is named after the former governor of Chennai Edward Elliot, during British times. The beach gets its other name from the famous theosophist Annie Besant, who also played an important role in India’ freedom movement. It is considered as the cleanest beach of Chennai. It is less crowded compared to Marina beach. The evenings here are cognizant as the young crowd gathers here socially. One can enjoy the tranquillity of this beach from the busy life of Chennai.



Some famous tourist attractions near the beach are the Ashtalakshmi Kovil and Velankanni Church. The beach is very popular among the tourists as well as the local population.



San Thome Church

San Thome Church was built in Chennai in the 16th century by Portuguese traders who invaded India. The Portuguese built it as a minor basilica, but the British rebuilt it in 1893 giving it the status of a cathedral. The structure that exists today was built by the British. The new structure was given a Neo-Gothic look that was very popular among the British architects of the 19th century.



Ashtalakshmi Temple

Ashta Lakshmi temple in Chennai is dedicated to eight Hindu Goddesses who are all believed to be the secondary manifestations of Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is believed that The Ashtalakshmi Goddesses should always be worshipped together in a group. The temple lies on the shores of the Besant Nagar Beach and has four levels.



Parthasarathy Temple

The Parthasarathy Temple is famous as being the oldest structure in Chennai. The Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Krishna and is in Triplicane in Chennai. The temple is believed to have been built in the 8th century and has been mentioned in glorifying terms in the works of the Alvar saints.



Parthasarthy is a Sanskrit word that mean ‘charioteer of Arjuna’. Lord Krishna played the part of Arjuna’s charioteer during the epic battle of Mahabharata.



Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple in Chennai was built mainly to save the devotees of Lord Jagannath a trip to Puri in Orissa. The temple of Lord Jagannath in Chennai is on the Reddy Kuppam Road and has the idols of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balaram.



The temple has been made to resemble the original temple at Puri and is built from black granite and white marble.



Birla Planetarium

Birla Planetarium in Chennai is situated at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre (TNSTC). It is in the campus of Periyar Science and Technology Center located at the Gandhi Mandapam Road. The planetarium was established in the year 1988 in Chennai. The planetarium got a 360 degree sky theatre that was the first of its kind in the country.



Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram, situated about 60 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, is an ancient port town known for its stone carvings and stone temples. Built largely between the 7th and the 9th centuries, the port city of Pallavas has been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Known by several names such as Mamallapattana and Mamallapuram, the town was known to ancient mariners as “Seven Pagodas” alluding to the Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram literally means ‘city of the Great Bali’. Derived from Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram is a modern name of the town.



The town got its name after the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I took on the epithet Maha-malla (great wrestler) and Mamallapuram was ‘the city of great wrestler’. Pallava kings ruled Mamallapuram from their capital Kanchipuram and used the port to launch diplomatic missions to Ceylon and Southeast Asia.



Mahabalipuram is a seafood lover’s paradise. Restaurants offering fresh fish, prawns, lobsters and crabs abound. However, finding vegetarian eateries is not a difficult proposition.



Dakshina Chitra

Dakshina Chitra in Chennai is an overwhelming place to visit. The name itself means the “Picture of South”. Dakshina Chitra is a heritage museum illustrating the picture of south. Exhibited into 17 houses, the museum has covered every single culture of the south. One can have a look at the the artisans of the villagers, observe the folk dances of south, connect with the craft articles and analyse the exhibitions. This heritage site gives a perfect review of the southern India. It was established by Madras craft foundation in 1996 to flourish the art-forms of south.



Sri Parthasarathi Temple

This temple is named after the hindu deity Lord Krishna. Krishna with a chariot of Arjuna in Mahabharat is carved which means parthasarathi in Sanskrit. This place is extensively visited by the devotees to worship the four avatars of lord Krishna in the temple. This temple is considered among 108 temples to worship lord Krishna. One can worship four forms of Krishna by stopping over at Parthasarathi temple.



Kapaleeshwar Temple

Located in the heart of the city, Mylapore, Kapaleeshwar temple is a very spiritual place to visit the shrine of Lord Shiva. It is believed that Shiva’s wife Parvati visited him here. The temple was first constructed on the sea shore and was destroyed later by the Portuguese. The other temple was constructed in 17th century by Dravidians. If you wish to witness artistic brilliance along with the magnificent spirituality of lord Shiva can have a stop here.





Excursions from Chennai



Covelong Beach

Covelong, a fishing village on the Tamil Nadu coastline, serves as a true delight for beach lovers. It is relatively close to Chennai.



Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur, an industrial town in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, is fast emerging as a popular tourist destination. The old name of Sriperumbudur is Boodhapuri.



Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram, now officially called Mamallapuram, is a town in the Kanchipuram district of the Tamil Nadu state. It is a 7th century port city of the famous Pallava dynasty. The Mahabalipuram Beach contributes extra splendour to the various significant monuments that were constructed between the seventh and the ninth centuries. It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the presence of these aforementioned historical monuments. The rock cut caves, silver sandy beach, casuarinas trees and temples cut from a single rock are some of the alluring attractions this historic town has to offer to tourists and pilgrims.



Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is perhaps the oldest city of Tamil Nadu that has still managed to retain its old world charm. The city is famous for not only its temples but also for having been the Capital city of the Pallava Kings. Even today the city is sometimes called by its old names of Kanchiampathi and Conjeevaram. Foreign tourists know Kanchipuram as the “The City of Thousand Temples”.



This holy city is visited all through the year for its famous temples like the Kamakshi Amman Temple, the Ekambareshvara Temple, the Devarajaswami Temple and the Kailasanathar Temple to name a few.



Vellore

Popularly known as the Fort City of Tamil Nadu, Vellore has a splendid past with a harmonious fusion of rich culture and heritage and an everlasting legacy of the early Dravidian civilisation.



The Ratnagiri Temple, the Aanaikulathamman Koil, the Roman Catholic Diocese, the Madarazaye Mohammadiya Masjid are some of the major places of worship that a visitor can come for a visit. Located at Sripuram near Thirumalaikodi, the Golden Temple of Vellore is said to have been built with 1500 kg of gold.



One of the temples inside the Golden Temple is devoted to Goddess Mahalakshmi and is a treat for the eyes and a must visit for travellers planning to come to Vellore. Popular churches in Vellore include the Assumption Cathedral and the 150 year old St. John’s Church.

Tourist Attractions

• Mahabalipuram Beach
• Marina beach,Chennai
• Meenakshi Amman Temple
• Rameshwaram
• Tanjore (Thanjavur)
• Valluvar Kottam-Chennai

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