The Best Things to See and Do in Chennai

The best time to visit Chennai is between December and January, which is the only time of year when the weather is comparatively pleasant. It is also the busiest time for cultural events in Chennai. During the two months, the city plays host to the Madras Music Season or Margazhi Festival, believed to be the largest cultural festival in the world in terms of sheer numbers and performances. With over 1,000 individual artists performing dances and music in a time span of 45 days, it truly is an extravaganza unlike any other.

Located inside the sprawling Theosophical Society Headquarters in Chennai is the popular Adyar Banyan Tree. With its aerial roots covering a breathtaking 60,000 square meters (646,000 square ft), the tree provides the society with a canopy that puts most modern auditoriums to shame. But the big banyan isn’t the only famous one in Chennai. A little farther south lies the Kalakshetra Foundation campus, where one can also watch students practicing Tamil Nadu’s age-old classical dance of Bharatanatyam in the morning, which surely is a sight to behold.

Chennai, much like other cities of colonial origin, still maintains much of its heritage buildings constructed in the unique Indo-Saracenic style of architecture that gives visitors a taste of what the erstwhile Madras Presidency looked like. Among the most notable are the High Court Complex, Ripon Building (Corporation Headquarters), Southern Railway Headquarters, and Chennai’s seat of power since the 17th century, the Fort St. George.

While its beauty alone warrants a must-visit tag to this cathedral, the real importance of it lies in its history. Said to be one of only three cathedrals in the entire world (and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere) to house the relics and remains of one of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles, the San Thome Cathedral was constructed by the Portuguese in the 16th century in place of a much older tomb containing St. Thomas’ remains. The city is also home to St. Thomas Mount, considered to be the hill where St. Thomas preached the gospel and where he was subsequently martyred in 72 AD.

San Thome Cathedral, 38, Santhome High Rd, Basha Garden, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004, India, +91 44 2498 5455

Be it the seafood fare at Taj Fisherman’s Cove or traditional “full meals” at Adyar Ananda Bhavan or a serving of “Chicken 65” at Buhari, Chennai is home to some of India’s much-loved cuisines and dishes. Renowned across the world for the choice culinary experience it offers, Chennai is a paradise for both vegetarians and meat eaters.