Climate (deg C) : Summer- Max. 37, Min. 22.1; Winter- Max. 32, Min. 19.8.
Season : Throughout the year (Preferably October to March).
STD Code : 044.
For the visitor wishing to explore southern India extensively, Madras, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, is the most convenient point of entry. Madras has an international airport, a sea port and a rail and road network that links it to all major towns and cities of the region. It also has several deluxe hotels and others to suit modest budgets. Tamil Nadu is a bastion of Hinduism, whose past endures into the present. Temples with towering spires called gopurams are a common feature of this state, seldom seen anywhere else in the country. Temples in Tamil Nadu were the fulcrum of society and even today art forms that have their origin in religious worship continue to colour daily life. Notable among these are splendid bronzes of deities, painting on glass and Bharatnatyam, an evocative dance form. Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram and Thanjavur are good examples of temple towns where within the temple fortifications grew a multi layered society that preached faith and grew from social harmony. Kanchipuram, also called Kanjeevaram, is famous throughout the country as the center where lustrous silk sarees are woven. Likewise Thanjavur is an important center for bronze figure casting. Mahabalipuram, with its wealth of sculptures, is located by the seaside and has excellent resorts.
The towns of Tiruchirapalli and Madurai also contain famous temples.
Quite a contrast to the temple heritage is provided at Pondicherry, for long a French colony. French is still widely spoken, and seaside villas and cobbled streets are more reminiscent of the south of France than the south of India! Yet another facet of this surprisingly diverse state is two hillstations Ootacamund and Kodaikanal. Both are little patches of England, being much loved by the expatriate population of the Raj. Both places provide delightful relaxation during an extended tour of the south, having a wide range of hotel accommodation. The cuisine of Tamil Nadu, more or less totally vegetarian, has become enormously popular all over the country, and few towns do not have at least one eatery serving popular snacks from the state’s extensive repertoire
Madras Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu is also its principal harbour and has one of the finest beaches in Asia. It was founded at Fort St. George in 1640 A.D. by Francis Day of the East India Company.
Infrastrucutre
Air : Madras is directly linked by Indian Airlines to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Goa, Bombay, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Port Blair, Madurai, Pune, Tirupati, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Puttaparthy, Vishakhapatnam and to Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore. East West Airlines also connects Madras with Bombay
Fare: Calcutta- Madras Rs.5458 (J), Rs.3917 (Y). Rail: Madras is connected by rail with Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kodai Road, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Ooty ( via Mettupalayam ), Rameshwaram, Trichy, Tirupati Trivandrum and Varanasi.
Fare: Calcutta- Madras Rs.1144 (AC-2A), Rs.919 (I), Rs.283 (II). Road: Madras is connected by road with all the major towns in India. Some of the road-distances from Madras are Bombay 1329 kms, Bangalore 334 kms, Hyderabad 669 kms, Kanyakumari 693 kms, Madurai 461 kms, Mahabalipuram 60 kms, Pondicherry 162 kms, Rameshwaram 619 kms, Kanchipuram 71 kms, Tirupati 143 kms, Ooty 535 kms, Kodaikanal 498 kms, Trivandrum 709 kms, and Thanjavur 334 kms.
External Transport: Regular buses available from Madras to Bangalore, Cochin, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Nagapattinam (Velankanni), Ooty, Pondicherry, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tirupati, Trichy and Trivandrum.
Tours Tours Days & Timings Fares Operator
Madras City Tour 0730-1330 daily Rs.75 TTDC 1330-1830 daily Rs.75 TTDC 0800-1900 daily Rs.125 (inclu veg meal) ITDC,TTDC
Shakthi Tour 0700-1700 Rs.135 (inclu veg meal) ITDC (Tue,Fri,Sun)
Mamallapuram Tour 0620-1900 daily Rs.150 (inclu breakfast ITDC,TTDC and veg meal)
Tirupathi Tour 0600-2100 daily Rs.250 (adult) ITDC,TTDC Rs.225 (child) Rs.300 (adult/ac) Rs.275 (child/ac) (inclu spl darshan fee Rs.40)
5 Day Mookambika Tour Leaves Madras Rs.1250 ITDC 0630 hrs (sun) Rs.1500 (ac) TTDC and returns 2000 hrs (thu)
5 Day South India Tour Leaves Madras Rs.1250 ITDC,TTDC 0630 hrs (sun) and returns 1830 hrs (thu)
8 Day Tamilnadu Tour Leaves Madras Rs.2100 ITDC 0700 hrs (sat) Rs.2200 (ac) TTDC and returns 1900 hrs (sat)
8 Day South India Bonaza Leaves Madras Rs.2000 (twin sharing) ITDC 0630 hrs (fri) Rs.2200 (single sharing) and returns Rs.1700 (child) 2030 hrs (sat)
7 Day Mantralayam-Goa Tour Leaves Madras Rs.1800 TTDC 0630 hrs (sat) Rs.2000 (ac) and returns 2000 hrs (fri)
14 Day Sunny South Tour Leaves Madras Rs.3300 (twin sharing) TTDC 0700 hrs (wed) Rs.3500 (single sharing) in 1st & 3rd week Rs.3000 (child)
. Reservation & Boarding Point
For ITDC Tour : Ashok Travels & Tours (ITDC), 29 Victoria Crescent, Commandar In Chief Road, Madras- 600 105. Tel: (044) 478884.
Calcutta Contact: 3-G, Everest House, 46-C, J.L.Nehru Road, Calcutta- 700 071, Tel: 242-0901, 242-5254, 242-5208. Fax: (033) 242-0922.
Calcutta booking: Travel India, 1-A, Hazra Road, Calcutta- 700 026. Tel: 74-5102.
For TTDC Tour : Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation, 143 Anna Salai, VST Motors Bldg., Madras- 600 002, Tel: (044) 830498, 830390.
Calcutta Contact: Diamond Tours & Travels, 30 Jadunath Dey Road, Opp I.A.Office, 2nd Floor, Calcutta-700012, Tel: 225-9639, 27-6714, 27-7384.
Places to see
Fort St. George & St. Mary's Church, Gandhi Mandapam, High Court, Anna Square, Kapaleeswara Temple, Light House, Marina Beach & Aquarium, Parthasarathy Temple, San Thom Cathedral, Snake Park, Theosophical Society, Valluvar Kottam, Ripon Buildings and War Memorial Fort Museum (0900-1700 hrs. Closed on fridays).and Govt. Museum & Art Gallery (0800-1700 hrs. Closed on
fridays).
Covelong 38 kms, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary 85 kms, Pulicat 61 kms, Kanchipuram 71 kms, Ennore Beach 18 kms, Muttukudu 30 kms, Red Hills 14 kms, Mahabalipuram 61 kms, Cholamandal Artists Village 20 kms, Elliots Beach 11 kms, Crocodile Bank 42 kms, Pundi Reservoir 60 kms, Thirukkalikundram 80 kms, Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur) kms.
Misc: Shankar Netralaya, 18 College Road, Madras-600 006. Tel:8271616 8271036, 8279435. Timing: 0800 hrs -1700hrs. (Approx. 3 km from Egmore Station. Madras Central to Egmore 2 km)
