About Chennai

Chennai, formerly Madras, is the southernmost Indian state and capital city of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is the first city of modern India. Founded on the 22nd of August, 1639, Chennai is considered to be the “Gateway of Southern India”. It is a major administrative and cultural centre of Tamil Nadu.

From tremendous Temples like the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple, Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple & Vadapalani Andavar Temple to mighty Mosques like the Triplicane Wallajah Mosque, Thousand lights Mosque & the Periamet Masjid and charming Churches like the Santhome Cathedral Basilica, St. Thomas Garrison Church & Christ the King Church, Chennai is home to religious institutions which not only entice devotees and religious enthusiasts but also anyone who enjoys exploring architectural wonders.

The “Shore Temple”, one of the oldest structural stone temples in Southern India, is one of the group of monuments at Mahabalipuram and has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.

The Fort St. George, Ripon Building, Victoria Public Hall, M.G.R Central Railway Station, Egmore Government Museum, Valluvar Kottam, Adyar Theosophical Society, Connemara Public Library are some notable locations that speak volumes about Chennai’s history and culture.

The IIT Madras is considered the most premiere centre of engineering education in India. Ranked among the best universities in India, Anna University and the University of Madras are the oldest state owned universities. The young minds at the IIT Madras and Anna University are involved in an array of medical healthcare research projects including ones involving the latest AI technology. Many start-ups also work with the IITM for innovation in medical technology. Chennai holds the third place with the highest number of medical colleges in India.

Both Government and private institutions provide healthcare in Chennai, with some hospitals functioning since the 1800s. Chennai is often dubbed as the “Health capital of India”. The city attracts nearly 45-50% of health tourists from abroad and about 40% domestically. The low cost, little to no waiting period and functional facilities available in the Multi- and Super-specialty hospitals contribute to an estimated 150 International patients every day.

With people from across the country and abroad preferring to get treated in the hospitals in Chennai, the city is increasingly becoming a hub of medical tourism.

The Coromandel Express, which connects Kolkata and Chennai, is nicknamed 'Ambulance Express' in Howrah since it regularly ferries a significant number of patients from the eastern region for medical treatment at hospitals in Chennai. Foreigners, especially those from developing countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Burundi, Congo, Malawi, Bangladesh, Oman and Iraq, to name a few, come to the city for advanced medical care in a cost effective manner.

Chennai has a strong base of healthcare non-profit organisations and non-government organisations.

Health Information Technology (HIT) is a crucial part of the ever growing healthcare as well as IT industries in Chennai and involves the design, development, implementation, usage and maintenance of software solutions and information systems in the healthcare industry.

Chennai is one of the key contributors in the HIT with companies providing services and solutions combining their strong application development skills and comprehensive knowledge of the healthcare domain to digitise the healthcare ecosystem.

Access to such advanced services and solutions enables Chennai’s healthcare providers to access and exchange medical data which improves communication and shared-decision making amongst themselves and with the patients.

Chennai is also the focal point of cutting-edge technology development like building virtual-reality based tools to support and guide clinical trial patients.

VALLUVAR KOTTAM

The Valluvar Kottam, located on the Kodambakkam high road. It was established in 1976 in honour of the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar who is famous for his classic wor , Thirukkural. Designed in the temple car of Thiruvarur, Valluvar Kottam comprises a massive auditorium large enough to accommodate up to 4000 people. Eliminating the pillar support, the auditorium has grid type roofing. Couplets from the Thirukural are engraved on the stones running inside and outside the auditorium. Considered as one of the largest auditoriums in Asia, Valluvar Kottam is a memorial created using over 3000 blocks of stone.

SANTHOME CATHEDRAL BASILICA

St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, also known as the Santhome Church, is the National shrine of Saint Thomas. It is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in India located in the Santhome neighbourhood of Chennai. The current structure dates back to 1523 AD when it was rebuilt by the Portuguese over the tomb of Thomas the Apostle. In 1896, it was renovated in the Madras province according to neo-Gothic designs, as favoured by British architects in the late 19th century.

GOVERNMENT MUSEUM

Established in 1851, the Government museum in Chennai is the second oldest museum in India. It is a rich repository of the finest masterpieces of art, archaeology, anthropology, numismatics and more. Spread across 16.25 acres of land it takes the second place in the largest museums in South Asia. It houses six independent buildings with 46 galleries. It has an art gallery, a museum theatre, the Connemara Public Library and the Department of National History. The Prehistoric South India collection includes some of the most valuable items in the Government Museum in Chennai.

SHORE TEMPLE

Located in Mahabalipuram, The Shore Temple is a complex of structural temples and shrines built with rocks of granite dated from the 8th century AD. During the reign of the Pallava Dynasty, this site was a busy port. This site has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. All the three temples of the complex are built on the same platform. Viewed from the northern end, the temples appear to be a replica of the Dharmaraja Ratha. The main Shore temple faces east so that the sun rays shine on the main deity of Shiva Linga in the shrine. It is a five-storied structural Hindu temple rather than a rock-cut structure.

KAPALEESHWARAR TEMPLE

The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple located In Chennai. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is known for being the temple where Shiva’s consort Parvati worshipped and is called Karpagambal (Goddess of the wish-yielding tree). Built around the 7th century CE, it is a classic example of Dravidian architecture with numerous shrines and those of Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal being the most prominent. The temple has 6 daily rituals at various times between 5:30 AM and 10:00 PM and four yearly festivals on its calendar.

RIPON BUILDING

Commissioned in 1909, the Municipal Corporation of Madras settled in the building in 1913. The Ripon Building is the headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation currently. The building itself is an example of neoclassical architecture, a combination of Ionic and Corinthian styles. It is an all-white structure located near the Dr. M. G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station. In 2012, a large-scale renovation was initiated to preserve the building’s original grandeur adding a building measuring 12,540 sq m alongside the main structure.