Napier Bridge is a bridge in Chennai, India, built over the Coovum River connecting Fort St. George with the Marina beach.
Napier Bridge is a very old structure and an iconic landmark in Chennai. It has about 464 special bulbs and light fixtures, all energy efficient, installed along the arches, pedestrian pathways, road surface and underneath the bridge. At night, it looks lovely, giving the iconic structure an illusion of floating on the waters. The lighting has been utilized to highlight the bridge’s unique structure. The swathes of color that wash over the bridge make for a pretty sight giving the bridge a three-dimensional effect.
The Madras Observatory was founded by the British East India Company in 1786 in Chennai. For over a century it was the only astronomical observatory in India that exclusively worked on the stars.
Madras Observatory may have lost its status but it offers an interesting slice of history. The monuments here hearken back to a bygone era. The first monument, which was fixed in 1792 on the southern wall of the observatory room, is a granite slab with an inscription in Latin.
The imposing 15-feet tall granite pillar was erected by Sir Charles Oakeley, and its original transit equipment is still there. There are Tamil, Telegu and Urdu inscriptions on the pillar which date back to 1792. The other four monuments are pillars too. Monuments 3 and 4 are granite pillars that were set up in 1860 for monitoring a new transit circle. Monuments 5 and 6 were erected for standard clocks in the observatory – one was built in 1792 and the other possibly in 1860.
The MGR Memorial house is situated in Arcot Street, T.Nagar and was opened for public viewing in 1990 by Mrs.JanakiRamachandran in the presence of Dr.N.C.Raghavachari, Shri.N.P.V.Ramasamy Udayar and the well wishers of Late.Dr.MGR. This house in Chennai was the official residence of Late Dr.MGR and was used by him for more than two decades. This house is open for public viewing from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Tuesdays.
MGR Memorial House has a rich assortment of memorabilia associated with the actor-politician. There are swords, spears and clubs, as also his plate and glass, his telephone, shirts that he wore, his books and medals that he won. Then there’s the camera and trolley and even the cloth bandage that was tied on him when he was shot! There are photographs, letters etc. Not to forget his famous cap and dark glasses that were so much a part of his persona.
MGR memorial is a memorial structure built on the Marina beach in Chennai, India. It was built in memory of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran.
MGR Memorial cannot be missed if you are in Marina Beach. The distinctive memorial is close to the Anna Samadhi. Both Anna and MGR are much revered in Tamil Nadu so both these monuments attract many visitors.
Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai is dedicated to the memory of the Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Gandhi Memorial Museum, established in 1959, is a memorial museum for Gandhi located in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. Known as Gandhi Museum, it is now one of the five Gandhi Sanghralayas in the country.
In front of the main building, a little towards south, there is “Gandhi Kutir”- a replica of Gandhiji’s hut in Sevagram.
The northern wing of this building, houses the Library, which contains books giving the cultural background of India, books on and by Gandhiji and allied literature. There are about 20,00 volumes in the library. Photostat copies of about 2,70,000 letters of Gandhiji and 62 reels of Micro-films are the very important and valuable part of the collections in the Library.
Madras Light House — The lighthouse is located on Kamarajar Salai (Beach Road) opposite the office of the Director General of Tamil Nadu Police and All India Radio’s Chennai station. The lighthouse marks the end of the promenade on the northern half of the Marina Beach. It is also the junction where Kamarajar Salai, Santhome High Road and Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai meet. The lighthouse and the surrounding areas are served by the Light House MRTS station located nearby on Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai.
Athangudi Palace, outside Karaikudi city, is a classic example of the traditional Chettinad architecture. Attangudi or Athangudi is a small village in Sivaganga District. The village has a population of about 2,000 inhabitants and is mainly famous for chettinad furniture, tiles and various foods.
At the entrance is a pillared veranda or thinnai, meant for receiving visitors. Heavy ornate wooden doors lead to the main hall. Typically, the Palace extends to courtyards, dining halls etc. Italian marble, Burma teak, stained glass and a fusion of colour and ornate wrought iron, handmade tiles and woodwork, light up this house. The people of the area learned the art of tile-making and made a trademark of their own in Athangudi.
The Amaravathi Dam is a dam constructed on the Amaravati River. It is located at Amaravathinagar, 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Udumalpet on SH 17 in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tirupur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
During the 1950s, the non-indigenous Tilapia fish was introduced here. As a result, Amaravathi Reservoir had the highest fish yield in Tamilnadu by the 1970s. Today, Tilapia accounts for a sizeable part of the fish caught in the reservoir. A fisherman can net over 20 kg of fish a day over here.
There are plenty of buses available from Coimbatore and Udumalpet to Amarabathi Dam.
Valluvar Kottam is a popular monument in Chennai, dedicated to the classical Tamil poet, philosopher, and saint, Thiruvalluvar. It is located at the intersection of the Kodambakkam High road and the Village road.
Thirukkural about 2000 years ago. Valluvar Kottam is at the busy intersection of the Kodambakkam High Road and the Village Road. Its massive auditorium is supposedly the biggest in Asia and can hold approximately 4000 people.
The Mettur Dam is one of the largest dams in India. Built in 1934, it was constructed in a gorge, where the Kaveri River enters the plains.
The Mettur Dam has received public attention since the latter half of the 20th century, and especially in the mid-1990s, due to the Kaveri River water dispute between the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Mettur Dam, which is in Salem District in Tamil Nadu, is scenically located where the River Cauvery enters the plains. The dam spans a length of 1700 meters (5,600 feet) and is 214 feet high. It creates the Stanley Reservoir and is a major power source for Tamil Nadu. It also provides irrigation to many areas including parts of Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur districts. Mettur Dam is a picturesque place and is ideal for a relaxed picnic.
The Ripon Building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is a fine example of the Neoclassical style of architecture, a combination of Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian It was named after Lord Ripon and constructed by Loganatha Mudaliar.
A colonial monument, Fort St George is the name of the first English fortress in India, founded in 1644 at the coastal city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai. It houses Fort Museum and also Saint Mary’s Church which is the earliest Anglican Church.
One of the main landmarks of Chennai, the Central, as it is more popularly known, is built in an impressive Gothic Revival style. It also has some Hindu and Itatianate nuances. It was originally designed by George Hardinge and then additions like the side towers and the central clock were done by Robert F. Chisholm.
One of Chennai’s oldest bridges, it is oft used by the media to represent Chennai. It was built by Francis Napier, the Governor of Madras in 1869. It is built over the Coovum River and connects Fort St. George and the Marina Beach. The bridge is one of the finest testimonies to the architectural skills of the British.
