Chennai Tourism, Tamil Nadu
History of Chennai
In the year 1639, East India Company acquired a strip of land from Vijayanagar king to build Fort St. George, which still remains an important landmark and serves the Government secretariat today. The place acted as a nucleus for British settlements that started to expand in the region. Slowly, the surrounding villages like Triplicane, Purasawalkam, Egmore and Chetput slowly merged with the new developments, to form Chennapatnam, as it was known. The city was named Madras till 1996 and then renamed Chennai.
About Chennai
Chennai is a metropolis and the capital of state of Tamil Nadu, located on the west coast of Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth largest city of India with a population of around 8 million. Chennai is also known as a cultural capital for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage. Chennai is an important center of music, art and culture. Chennai hosts the Madras musical season, with hundreds of artists performing traditional Carnatic music. Chennai is also known for Bharatanatyam, a dance art that originated in Tamil Nadu.