Chennai city is fully loaded with some interesting and amusing places. The metropolitan city houses all sorts of attractions, be it famous South Indian Temples, museums, monuments, parks, beaches or picnic spots. There is no dearth of attractions as such. The accredited mega city does not give any chance for a complaint to a globe trotter. And to add some spice, as is South known for, the place has a number of industrial and commercial hubs.

The popular places of interest in Chennai are the much crafted temples. These famous South Indian temples witness a great number of visitors every year. Next in line are the monuments, most of them built during the British occupancy. The monuments withhold the beauty of the past and some rich memories associated with them. The diverse wildlife of Chennai is featured by several parks and breeding centres. Beaches, likewise, pour in some more life in the city.

Golden beach fronts and enthusiastic beach activities makes up a nice curry to the tourists. The upcoming industrial zones are fast catching the attraction of the international crowd, the crowd of corporate big wigs. Laced with state-of -the-art technology, the city is one Techno-Utopian land in the South India.

Freemason's Hall:-

The Lodges or established houses of free masons were built in India during the time of the East India Company. Most of these houses used to be military lodges and protected by the foreign power. The construction of Free Masons Hall at Chennai commenced in the year 1923. The double storeyed hall makes up the headquarters of the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India. The structure has been given a symmetrical shape and composes of four circular chambers. The interiors are beautifully adorned with motifs, Italian tiles and marbles. The main section comprises of a large room called Lodge Room. This room has a capacity of accommodating 200 people, at a time. The main hall (Lodge Room) also contains the portraits of the past masters of the house. There is one more small room with the capacity of about 60 persons. The winding staircase from the ground floor leads to the dining room in the first floor. The dining room is quite spacious and can provide for 150 diners at a time

Madras War Cemetery

The Madras War Cemetery was set up in 1952 by the Imperial War Graves Commission to pay tribute to the valiant men and women who fought and died in the Second World War. The commisin that looks after the cemetry is popularly known as the "Commonwealth War Graves Commission" (CWGC) and in partnership with the Indian Government.

The cemetry bears the burial place of 855 people from the Common Wealth forces that died in the war commencing from the year 1939 to 1945. Besides, the graves of the people that died in the war there are three more graves who did not succumb in the war.
The entrance is marked by the Stone of Remembrance with inscriptions from the Book of Ecclesiasticus 'Their Name Liveth For Evermore'. The other memorial in the cemetry consists of what is popular as Cross of Sacrifice. The Cross of Sacrifice has an octagonal base bearing a bronze sword upon its shaft. These memorials are symbolic of all the cemetries that are under CWGC

Valluvar Kottam

Valluvar Kottam marks the memorial of one of the renowned poet and saint of the region, Thiruvalluvar. The monument stands as a massive auditorium on a dry lake that was filled with the garbage and debris. The auditorium was thrown open to public in the year 1976. The memorial is a revered place in the city as it is considered to bear the impressions of the Tamil culture.

In the construction of the memorial more than 3000 stone blocks were employed. Valluvarr Kottam has quite an extensive space. The auditorium can accommodate 4000 people in just one sitting. The auditorium is surrounded by granite pillars that have the incriptions taken from the famous work of the poet. The epic Thiruvalluvar, written by the poet consists of 1330 verses, all of which are inscribed on the granite pillar. There is a temple structure near the auditorium that rises to a whooping height of about hundred feet. The temple houses the life size image of the poet. The structure has been built in the shape of a chariot with its plinth displaying the 133 chapters of Thirukkural.

The memorial is open for public access on all days, except on Fridays and National Holidays.

Ripon Building


Ripon Building homes the popular municipal complex that lies to the West of Central Station in the city suburbs. The building was founded in the year 1909 by Sir Gilbert John Elliot M.K.M Bart and Carl Minto who happened to be the Viceroy and Governer General of India at that time. The building has been named after Lord Ripon, who made great contributions regarding local self government. In the year 1913 the municipal corporation of Madras started functioning from the Ripon Building.
The Ripon Building houses Nehru Stadium, Victoria Public Hall, Moore Market and a number of parks and gardens. The complex is a medley of Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian architectural styles. The construction of the complex was undertaken by four engineers and all of them were expatriates. The wall have been constructed from brick and the cementing agent used is primarily lime mortar. The ground floor is laid with marble and the cieling above stands as high as 5.6 metres. The foundation too stands to about 5.3 metres. Some 20 metres from the terrace is the popular West Minister Quarter Chiming Clock that was installed in 1913 by famous company Oakes and Co.

Theosophical Society

The Theosophical Society was founded by an expatriate named Annie Besant in the year 1875. The spiritual movement was originally formed in the state of America. The society originated from Chennai city and with in a short span of time spread to the whole sub continent and beyond. The society is located along the Adyar River. The primary objective of the society was to revive the Hindu culture that had been badly ravaged by the colonial rule.

The campus of the society is replete with forests. Amidst these grounds are located the buildings and popular worshipping places. The key feature of the campus is the presence of a very huge banyan tree. The tree alone covers some 40,000 sq. feets of area. The Theosophical Society Head Quarters lie on the banks of Aidyar River, in the campus. The environs contain a number of residential houses, Hindu Temple, Jain Temple, Church and a Buddhist Temple. The place also provides for a library bearing rich collections of manuscripts on all major faiths and sacred books. The Buddhist shrine contained in the campus is one of the key attractions.

Doveton House

Doveton House stands in the classic European style in the Nungambakkam region of Chennai. The house was built by a renowned architect named Benjamin Roebeck. The house presents the typical European style house that was primarily built for the Eorupean Officers. The Doveton House was acquired by many British officers including Lt. General John Doveton, after whom the place got its popular name. The house was constructed in the year 1798 and John Doveton acquired it after 39 years, that is in 1837. Many prisoners are said to having been detained in the house during British occupation. In 1916 the Doveton House was set on yet another course when Women's Christian College was shifted to the place.

The Doveton House represents European style of building during the time of its construction. The facade is marked with pillars, very typical of the colonial structures. On the back of the house is present the arched staircase that resemble the half moon in shape. The house as it exists today is forms the administration quarters of the Women's Christian College. The house is provided with a lush 20 acre park land. Devton House functions essentially as an education centre. The two century history of the house has seen a number of events, events like grand parties, custodial house, residential place of high officials and a great learning centre. Devton House is truly meant to last long, encompassing the glory of the past, its thriving in the present and survival to the upcoming challenges.