Chennai : our final stop.

Our trip through Southern India comes to an end at Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai has an estimated population of 8.9 million (2014). The city has a rich pre and post British history and is now on the same dynamic path of growth that's being shared by so much of India.
The chaotic road into this metropolis passed a huge Hyundai plant, and a series of ultra large colleges and Universities. There was a clear emphasis on medical and engineering universities; interesting as these are the areas that Australia puts low emphasis upon!


Our hotel is near the beach which runs north towards the river estuary, port and the old colonial centre. The sea front includes Fort St. George, built in 1644 and now a museum showcasing the city and its roots as a British military garrison and East India Company trading outpost, when it was called Madras. The name Madras is still in use in places and the international airport code is MAA.

Many of the old British buildings along the beach front have been taken over by similar Indian government roles; great location for the staff. A British Royal Navy mast with crows nest is clearly recognisable at the Naval Offices.

I caught a glimpse of the recognisable style and layout of a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery located near the sea front and close to Madras University. India made significant contributions to the Allies in WW1 and 2, and there are 8 CWGC cemeteries in Chennai varying in size from 1 to 860 casualties; the smallest are adjuncts to various Christian Denomination churches.

In the centre of old Madras stands a formal statue of King George V, right next to where major earthworks are underway for the new Chennai Metro. The statue was crafted by an Indian working from a photograph, and funded by locals. When King George saw a photo of the statue he said it was a better likness than other statues that he had sat for on multiple occasions.

In Chennai as in so many other towns throughout India you will see gold statues of local politicians. Some lessons have been well learnt.

The group of photos to the left is of Tuk Tuk drivers washing their clothes and proudly washing their vehicles on Sunday morning. One had strung a line between two poles in the medium strip (in front of a white Christian church) and was laying out the balance on the concrete barrier's top. One driver proudly showed me how clean his single cylinder, two stroke engine was after his attention.

Living and washing on the streets is a common sight and must be tough, however many of the people we saw and met appeared cheerful! The 3 young girls (left) broke away from their work to "act the goat" and pose for photos.

The very proud mother in the photo to the left, was taking her baby to the temple for the first time, dressed in a very warm way, we thought, for a 30 degree day.

We visited St Thomas's church on a Sunday when an English Mass was underway; one of 9 Masses on a Sunday (not all in English) and there are also multiple services during the week. The singing and liturgy had a Pentecostal overtone.

There is a legend that St Thomas visited Madras in the First Century. There is no direct evidence of this, however Roman traders did visit the Indian coast in the first few centuries AD, and it is probably that some were Christian.

The Beach is wide and long. We were told that in the evenings local people flood to the beaches, the small kiosks open, and a festive atmosphere prevails. However our guide, always protective, warned against joining in, saying they were "not good people"!

The Mylapore Temple is a real gem, with masses of colourful figures. It's history is paraphrased in the photo to the left. It is another typical Dravidian architectured structure to compare with the great example in Tricky. Again there were many happy family groups, with many smiling faces wishing to engage with us.