Places to Visit in Adyar

Also known as Adyar Poonga or Adyar Eco Park, this restored 58-acre wetland along the Adyar creek was created to revive the native flora, fauna and tidal ecology of the estuary. Boardwalks wind through mangroves, ponds and grasslands rich in birdlife. It is one of the largest urban ecological restoration projects in India.

Tholkappia Poonga is best understood through its defining feature, its relationship with Adyar and the evidence that survives at the site today.

This Vishnu temple honours Chenna Kesava Perumal, regarded as the patron deity of Chennai, and the city's name 'Chennapattanam' is widely believed to derive from it. The original was built by Beri Thimappa, the dubash who brokered the 1639 land deal that created Madras. After the East India Company demolished the first structure in 1757, the present temple was rebuilt in 1762 by Manali Muthukrishna Mudaliar.

A Shiva temple built alongside the Chennakesava Perumal Temple by Manali Muthukrishna Mudaliar in 1762, the two are known together as the 'Twin Temples' or Pattinam Temples of Chennai and share an interlinking passage. It replaced an earlier shrine razed by the East India Company. The paired Vishnu-Shiva complex is one of the oldest surviving temple foundations of colonial Madras.

Originally the Banqueting Hall, it was built in 1802 within the Government Estate to commemorate the British victory over Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam. Designed in imposing Neoclassical style with towering Ionic columns, it later hosted state functions and lyings-in-state of Tamil Nadu leaders. It is named after C. Rajagopalachari, independent India's last Governor-General.

Two full days, planned around the traffic, cover the colonial core, the coast, the temples and the culture belt. This is the route, in order, with how to get between stops.

Eight places within about two hours of the city, sorted by what each one is for, with approximate road distances and a sensible way to fit one into a single day.

Three well-paced days in the Tamil Nadu capital: British-era Fort St George and the Government Museum, Mylapore’s temple quarter and the beaches, then a drive down the ECR to the Pallava stone temples of Mahabalipuram.