Discovering ancient temples, vibrant art villages, pristine beaches, reptilian conservation centres near Chennai

Once home to the Chola and Pallava dynasties, the coastal town of Chennai and neighbouring regions are loaded with history, art, culture, nature. The British made the erstwhile fishing village into a major trading port and thriving settlement. The capital of Tamil Nadu is now a modern metropolis.

1. Exploring Chennai
2. Offbeat gems along East Coast Road
3. Cholamandal Artists’ Village
4. DakshinChitra Heritage Museum
5. Covelong Beach  
6. Madras Crocodile Bank  
7. Mahabalipuram: Carved on Rock
8. Puducherry
9. PS: Kancheepuram

Exploring Chennai

I landed in Chennai in 2001 for work and lived there for a few months. This was my first trip to the south of India and I was so fascinated by the coastal town. I have lived in the plains all my life.

As I had rented a room in Adyar, I would watch sunsets at Edward Eliot’s Beach. The famous Velankani Church at the end of the beach was a curious mix of Indian and Christian traditions. Dressed in their ethnic wear, people took off their shoes when entering the church; big sandalwood tikkas on their forehead, a symbol of their traditional Indian roots.

I also visited the Theosophical Society international headquarters, founded by Madame Helena Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott in 1875. I didn’t explore the ideology of the society but I was mesmerised by old banyan tree in the premises.

Another attraction that really floored me was the Snake Park. It was established in 1972 by the Chennai Snake Park Trust to spread awareness and for conservation of snakes and other reptiles. It houses venomous and non-venomous varieties in reptile-friendly enclosures. Visitors can observe these reptiles in their natural habitats and learn about their behaviour, ecology, and the importance of their role in the ecosystem. Every Sunday, there was a venom extraction ritual, which was quite a thing to watch.

On a weekend, I explored the more popular Marina Beach. Close to this beach is San Thome Basilica, built in the 16th century by Portuguese. Under this church lies the tomb of St Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

Offbeat gems along East Coast Road

Going by the recommendations, the wonderful attractions along the then newly hyped East Coast Road were high on my list. This road corridor connects Chennai with Cuddalore through Puducherry. Formed in 1998 by interlinking and improving small village roads connecting the fishing villages along the Bay of Bengal, this is a must-do scenic drive. We embarked on a group tour with a travel agency. En route were:

Cholamandal Artists’ Village

Known for introducing batik fabric to the country, this artsy village was created by those favouring the Madras Movement of Art (1950s–1980s). Heralded for bringing modernism to South India, the founders of this acclaimed international artists’ community were K. C. S. Paniker, the principal of the Madras School of Arts, and 39 other artists.  

Named after the Chola dynasty (9-13^th century) which promoted arts and culture, this village was established in 1966. It wasn’t an easy journey for the community, as the founders faced paucity of funds, and the region lacked electricity and infrastructure. The land was bought with the proceeds of the first batik exhibition.

Spread across 10 acres, the village is a treasure house of paintings, sketches, terracotta, stone, metal sculptures, batiks and handicrafts. A tree-shaded sand area houses an international sculpture garden. There is also an open-air theatre. Besides housing a museum, the centre has two galleries—Labernum and Indigo, an art book store, a craft shop and cafeteria.

Located about 9 km from Adyar, Chennai, along the New Mahabalipuram road,this artists’ residential colony is close to village Injambakkam. It is open from 10am-5pm and a 10-minute walk from the Golden Beach. To know more, click here.

DakshinChitra Heritage Museum

Living up to its name, this is a picture of the south, an open, living history museum or heritage village, as some call it. Spread over 10 acres, it has 18 heritage houses, showcasing the lifestyles of people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, North Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana. These houses are recreated by architecture students, carpenters and workers after dismantling the original houses, and come close to the Chettiar themes of the Nattukkottai Chettiars.

Managed by the Madras Craft Foundation, it was founded by Indian art historian of American origin, Dr Deborah Thiagarajan. British-born Indian architect Laurie Baker conceptualised the museum. His assistant Benny Kuriakose designed the public buildings. It opened for public in December 1996.

The museum has 4,220 artefacts, showing the art, clothing, contemporary aspects along with a collection of books and journals.

Keep some time to enjoy the art and craft activities such as necklace making, basket weaving, indigo dying. Watch the dance performances and puppet shows. You can shop at the Craft Bazaar and dine at Bekal restaurant within the premises.

Located at Muttukadu, 25 km south of Chennai. To know more, click here.

Covelong Beach  

Known for windsurfing and pristine environs, Covelong Beach is called Kovalam Beach in Tamil. Covelong, the fishing village, was developed as a port town by Saadatullah Khan I, the Nawab of Carnatic, in the early 18th century. The town changed hands between the French and British during the colonial period, with the French occupying it in 1746 and the British destroying it in 1752.

Covelong boasts a fascinating mix of historical and religious sites, including an ancient Catholic church, a dargah (Muslim shrine), and a temple. There are surf schools here as well. Parasailing and boating are also available.

This incredible beach is about 40 km from Chennai. To know more, click here

Madras Crocodile Bank  

Chennai introduced me to the world of reptiles. After the snake park in the city, this breeding and conservation space was a new revelation. It is home to 15 of the 25 crocodilian species in the world and is Asia’s first crocodile breeding centre.

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (or Croc Bank) was the brain child of the legendary Romulus Whitaker and Zai Whitaker along with a handful of conservation visionaries. It was established in 1976 to save India’s dwindling crocodilian populations, primarily marsh or mugger crocodiles, saltwater crocodiles and gharials.

Out of the 15 species of crocodilians, 3 are listed by the IUCN as critically endangered with a further 3 listed as threatened. Over the years, the Croc Bank increased its repertoire to include turtles, lizards and snakes. It now breeds several species of threatened chelonians, including two in the Critically Endangered status list of the IUCN.

Spread over eight and a half acres, covered by luxuriant coastal dune forest, it has large breeding colonies of water birds and a nesting beach for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. There are educational tours for children. The zoo sees close to half a million visitors per year.

Located around 45km from Chennai, at Vadanamelli Village, Mamallapuram, it is open from 9am-5pm. Closed on Mondays. For more, click here.

Mahabalipuram: Carved on Rock

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its sculptured rocks, dating to the Pallava dynasty. Mahabalipuram is also where Vishnu and Shiva unite.

The rock carved group here includes the rathas (chariot temples), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous ‘Descent of the Ganges’, Shore Temple and thousands of Shiva sculptures.  

Locally known as Mamallapuram, this was a bustling seaport during the times of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE).  During the Pallava reign in the 7th century, it evolved into a port city. Then, the British established it into a modern city in 1827.

Pallava kings, Narasimhavarman and successor Rajasimhavarman, built the famous temples. These temples inspired the Vathapi trilogy by Arun Krishnan.

With the worship of Vedic gods Soma and Indra giving way to the worship of Vishnu and Siva during this period, the temples are a time traveller’s dream. The Jala-Sayana Perumal temple, or the sleeping Mahavishnu or Chakrin, at the rear of the Shore Temple complex, is a stunning piece of art.  

The five rathas or chariots, monolithic sculptures (cut on a single rock), are inspired by the five Pandavas from Mahabharata. The five rathas are: hut like Draupadi ratha; dvitala vimana (two-storied vehicle) Arjuna ratha with a mukha mandapa; salakara wagon-vaulted roof Bhima ratha; tritala vimana (three-storied vehicle) Dharmaraja ratha having functional shrines; elevated Nakula-Sahadeva ratha.

The famous cave sanctuaries are Govardhanadhari, Mahishasuramardini, Varaha mandapa, Paramesvara Mahavaraha Vishnugriha (Adivaraha cave). There is a cliff with a bas relief of Shiva and some boulders depict scenes of Arjuna’s penance.

New excavations also revealed rock-cut figures showing religious rituals in the period prior to the construction to the temple. These include a monolithic Bhuvaraha, a reclining image of Vishnu, the base of Durga shrine with deer and a square socket to accommodate mahastambha or a huge pillar.  

Located around 60km from Chennai. To know more, click here.

Puducherry

Our final stop, we browsed around the shop at Auroville, took a quick round of the Aurobindo Ashram and plucked a fresh cashew fruit from the tree.

Located around 160 km from Chennai. To know more, click here.

PS: Kancheepuram

You can also drive to the pilgrimage town of Kancheepuram. Inhabited for over 1,500 years, Kancheepuram has been called the city of learning and moksha, housing over 1,000 temples. It is home to Adi Sankracharya, the founder of Hinduism.

We went for prayers to Varadraja Perumal temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Built by the Cholas in 1053, it is counted as one of the 108 holy abodes of Vishnu.

The famous temple has a holy pond close to the entrance in which an idol of Varadaraja is kept in a silver box, taken out on special occasions. An emerald atti tree (fig) caught my eye. With numerous statues, 32 shrines and a 100-pillar hall, this is the largest Vishnu temple in Kancheepuram.

Going by the reptiles in the region, the unique feature of the temple is gold and silver lizards carved over the main sanctum. The idol also wears an emerald necklace, called Clive Makarakandi, gifted by British General Robert Clive during the British rule in India.

After that, we headed to see how the Kancheepuram heirloom silk sari was woven.

Kancheepuram is a 72-km drive from Chennai but not on the East Coast Road. To know more, browse Tamil Nadu Tourism website.

• The ideal time for these day-long drives from Chennai is from November to March.
• The East Coast Road leads to Kanyakumari and a 15-day slow trip would be a grand idea. You can also take 2-3 days to explore the places I have mentioned.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla  in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.