Must Visit Places In Chennai Inspired by Dr Kausthub Desikachar

It’s Madras Week, and with Chennai observing its 381st birthday, Dr Kausthub Desikachar takes you on a stroll through the modern Chennai and shares unusual must-see attractions in Chennai and the best things to do in Chennai.

Kausthub Desikachar begins by saying, Chennai is his Hometown. His Father, TKV Desikachar’s also made it his city of choice to settle down, despite being born in Mysore. Despite travelling around the world, most of the time each year to teach Yoga and share the knowledge acquired from his Grandfather Sri T Krishnamacharya and his Father TKV Desikachar, Chennai always has his heart. 🙂 Let us find out why.

In this article, you will find 
A brief history of ChennaiSeven beautiful temples in Chennai you must visitTen must-see attractions in ChennaiThree best libraries for the book lovers

A brief history of Chennai

The city of Chennai, earlier known as Madras, was founded on 22 August 1639. Chennai is the capital city of Tamilnadu, and is remembered as ‘The Gateway Of South India’. Chennai is recognised for its tropical and humid climate. It experiences a scorching hot and a wet environment and also boasts of a vast coastline, the Marina beach and is the 2nd most elongated seashore in the world, located on the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal. With a population estimated around 10.9 million, it is India’s fifth-largest city and the 30th largest city in the world. Geographically, Chennai is well connected with all modes of transport by road, rail, air, and sea. It has an international airport and seaport. Tamil is a broadly vocalised language in Chennai with 78% and the rest followed by other languages like Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, etc. 

Chennai is famous for being a hub for industries and IT. Chennai attracts many visitors as tourists from many parts of the world and a significant role as a workforce. Kausthub adds by saying, there’s more to the city than you think and shares some of the things that Chennai is famous for. This metropolis is often termed the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions, varied cultures, vibrant festivals, rich heritage, Carnatic music and Bharatnatyam dance, bustling markets, south Indian food, filter coffee, the most exquisite silk and jewellery boutiques, etc.

Seven beautiful temples in Chennai you must visit

Chennai has many temples, and they are artistically built with towering gopurams( large pyramidal tower) at the entrance followed by inner sanctums where the deity is worshipped. One must visit the temples, especially during the festive season to witness the special pujas(worship) and the offerings to the Lord in full swing.

Kausthub’s recommendations of the best temples in Chennai are

1. Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore
2. Ashtalakshmi Temple, Besant Nagar 
3. Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane
4. Marundeeswarar Temple, Thiruvanmiyur
5. Madhya Kailash Temple, IIT
6. Cathedral Church, Santhome
7. Annai Velankanni Shrine, Besant Nagar

Ten must-see attractions in Chennai

Chennai is a city of abundance when it comes to sightseeing. From beaches to malls, resorts, historical buildings, museums, theme parks, shopping streets and so on. But, Kausthub shares a list of places one must not miss no matter what when they plan a visit to Chennai.  

1. Explore the historic lanes of Mylapore and their markets
2. Get a bird’s eye view from the Chennai’s lighthouse, Marina Beach
3. Cholamandalam artist village, Pallavakkam
4. Breezy and Serene Thiruvanmiyur Beach
5. Dakshin Chitra, ECR
6. Muthukkadu Boating, ECR
7. Madras Music season in Dec – Jan is not to be missed
8. Theosophical Society, Adyar
9. Mahabalipuram
10. Finally yet importantly, plan a visit to Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation, Greenways Road, an academy that was found by TKV Desikachar and Dr Kausthub Desikachar in the year 2006 to spread the viniyoga teachings of Shri T Krishnamacharya. Currently, their family lineage is continued by Menaka Desikachar and Dr Kausthub Desikachar. 

Three best libraries for the book lovers

Kausthub Desikachar says, most people don’t have much time to balance between their professional commitments and personal life in this contemporary lifestyle. Hence, people seem to have lost touch with reading books. In this fast paced era, Kausthub recommends having a library membership which will get you back in the habit of reading books, which will bring you immense satisfaction and reduce your stress levels too. Chennai has no shortage of libraries. The below-mentioned libraries have stayed around for ages, and they offer everything from research books to textbooks and a whole bunch of fiction and whatnot, to drive you into a different world!  

Check out the 3 best libraries that Kausthub recommends;

1. Connemara public library, Egmore
2. Anna centenary library, Kotturpuram
3. British council library, Anna Salai

Enjoy…and let us know your own views on Chennai, through comments below.