City guide

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48
Hours

in chennai

Kitschy film posters, plastic water pots in a queue, the overpowering aroma of filter coffee, these are endearing images of Madras or Chennai as it is called now.
WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S | K A l PA n A S u n D e R

Day One
8:00 AM Breakfast at Murugan IdlI shop
Start your first day in the city with a hearty breakfast at the Murugan Idli shop situated in the T Nagar area of Chennai. The shop has many branches around town. This is the place to have fluffy idlis with a spread of chutneys. Try their sweet pongal, vadais, masala dosa and onion oothappam. Finish your breakfast with a dose of typical filter coffee to give you a caffeine high! blueprints- a walk through the Indo-Sarcenic architecture of Chennai with its Gothic arches, minarets and stained glass domes all coming together in a pastiche of splendour. Get a glimpse of local history at the Senate House, visit the red sandstone High Court - a maze of spires and towers in the heart of one of the most crowded parts of George Town. It is said to be the second largest judicial building after

11:00 AM herItage Walk

Take a heritage walk with Story trails (www. storytrails.in), a company specialising in themed tours of the city. Do the British
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City guide

SpiceJet flies to Chennai. See schedule, page 190.

legendary silk sarees. Round up your shopping with a south Indian lunch at Saravana Bhavan. Try a typical thali with poriyal, koottu, sambar, rasam, buttermilk and appams.

4:00 PM spIrItual hIgh

Visit Kapaleeswarar Temple, a Shiva temple in Mylapore, from where this city actually started and walk the streets around, crowded with Brahmin priests, flower sellers and fruit vendors. The narrow lanes around the temple (called the Mada Streets) sell paraphernalia of pooja items as well as handicrafts. Check out the quaint shops selling herbal remedies and beauty products as well as Giri traders selling spiritual and religious items ranging from religious music to prayer beads and kumkum.

Clockwise from above: A vegetarian thali served at one of the many restaurants in Chennai; Birds eye view of Chennai city; Kapeeleshwar Temple in Mylapore

the Armenian Church constructed in 1772, one of the oldest in the city, built by the Armenian community here.

the London Courts. There is a grand central cupola once the first lighthouse of Chennai on the premises, exquisite stained glass and intricate windows shaped like jharokas. Follow it with a Steeples chase walk through the atmospheric churches of Chennai ranging from the historic St Marys Church inside the Fort St George (where Robert Clive got married) to

2:30 pM retaIl therapy

Head to Pondy Bazaar, the hub of street shopping in Chennai with its own lively ambience. Walk though the flower market and pavement shops filled with knick knacks from clothes and footwear to hair accessories, the famous Ratna stores with stainless steel vessels and head to iconic Nalli Silks for those
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7:00 PM thalI dInner

Have dinner at Vrindavan Multi Cusine restaurant in Mylapore. Situated inside the New Woodlands Hotel in the heart of the city, this has a typical South Indian ambience with paintings of Lord Krishna in various poses. An ordinary thali costs `160 and a lavish Maharaja Thali is priced at `225. You can also try their

Chinese and Continental dishes like spicy corn on toast (`120).

San Thome Basilica in Chennai

Day TWO
9:00 aM Culture Vulture
Take a drive on the picturesque East coast road and visit Dakshinachitra. Situated some 25 kms away from the city, Dakshinachitra is spread on 10 acres of land overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Heritage houses from all over South India have been dismantled and re- located here along with folk performances and demonstrations of crafts like glass blowing and basket weaving. On the way back visit the Crocodile bank, which was the first breeding centre in Asia for crocodiles. It was started by the herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and his wife Zai Whitaker to protect the dwindling crocodile population. The park is also home to an approved snake venom extraction centre, try and catch the daily venom extraction show for the public. Have lunch at Eden in Besant Nagar, one of Chennais best vegetarian restaurants. Have their garden style vegetarian bake with broccoli, carrots and mushrooms baked with a cheese sauce or try their vegetable Shashlikmarinated grilled vegetables served on a bed of garlic flavoured rice.

4:00 PM lIfe on the BeaCh

Spend time in Marina Beach, one of the longest urban beaches in the world, with a host of statues of Indian leaders and figures from history lining it. The beach itself is a mesmerizing melee of Sundal (a snack made of chickpeas) sellers and Chilli bajji stalls, ice cream carts and people dressed in their finery. An impressive row of old Heritage buildings line the stretch opposite the Beach, the most notable being the white building of the Police Headquarters.

12:00 pM south Madras

Head to South Madras, which has a completely different feel, and start with the sprawling headquarters of the Theosophical society, a universal Movement, which has a 270 acres wooded property and a gargantuan banyan tree. This is located at the mouth of the estuary of the Adyar river and has wonderful variety of birds! The Elliots Beach close by is smaller than the Marina, but a popular hang-out with the yuppie youth and it is sprinkled with shops and eateries with a very festive air.
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8:00 PM udIpI dInner

On your last evening in the city, head to Matsya, one of the oldest and best Udipi restaurants in the city, situated on the Halls Road in the Egmore area of the city. Try their specialities like rasa vadai, Mangalore bondas and crisp butter dosai. They also have a special Udipi Thali. The best thing about this restaurant is that its open till 2 AM!