Mar 16 – Chennai Sightseeing

Photos from driving around Chennai.

Our first stop on the tour was the Basilica of St. Thomas.  Very pretty and pristine white.  According to legend, the apostle, St. Thomas, died here in Chennai.  This was built in his name.

Behind the church was the Tomb of St. Thomas Museum.  No photos allowed inside.  Supposedly St. Thomas is buried here.  The grotto where he is buried was in a small chapel.  There was a small service going on when we were there. 

There were a group of women and children at the door to the museum and we ended up having a major photo session with them.

In a little grotto next to the church was the statue of Our Lady of Mylapore.

We then stopped at the Marina Beach.  This naturally occurring sand beach on the Bay of Bengal is the second longest urban beach in the world (after one in Bangladesh…according to our guide).  It runs 8.1 miles and averages 980 feet wide.  It is 1,434 feet at its widest.

The water isn’t good for swimming as there are strong rip-tides and undertows.  So sad as this is a great beach.

There are a lot of vendors along the beach, so it is obvious that the citizens of Chennai spend time at the beach.  We were early so the vendors weren’t open. 

Sort of wonder about this vendor.  He will need to put “sandy rice” on his menu.

We then stopped at Fort George.  The British were here for many decades and established this fort to defend their interests.  Most of the fort is still in active use as a fort and no photos were allowed during our walk.  Only photos were allowed at St. Mary’s Church.

Outside of the church was a "paved" area.  The large stones were removed from an old cemetery and placed here in the churchyard.  It was noted that a widow was referred to as the "relic".   

From the church we stopped by the Fort George Museum. From there we went to the Georgetown Market.  The area of shops and street vendors was a blaze of color and a mass of humanity. 

The wooden "cage" is actually a cage is actually a Chinese torture device.  And was used on Captain Philip Anstruther, who was extremely tall and barely fit.  When he was released he obtained the cage.  

Chennai has made a good attempt at beautifying their city.  There is a lot of art, much of it as murals.

The Georgetown Market was a blaze of color and swirling humanity.  Almost too crowded.

The women in this area of India often wear flowers in their hair.  This lady was selling garlands of jasmine buds for hair.  We saw a number of women stringing the buds. 

We also stopped at the National Art Museum...

where most of the displays in the first building were of bronzes.  When the Mughals invaded India, they destroyed most of the Hindu art.  As they approached this area the priest buried the bronzes to protect them.  They were eventually lost.  Only as temples were being restored in recent years were many of the bronzes found. 

The second building had mainly paintings.  

We are staying at a very nice hotel with a well-known restaurant, the Raintree, so Tara made dinner reservations.  The restaurant specializes in Southern India cuisine.  During dinner they had a local dancer.  Our seats weren’t the best for viewing the dancing, but it was a nice addition to the evening.