The Raintree Hotel, Annasalai

Spencer Plaza

by radz about Spencer Plaza

Spencer plaza is main shopping center at Mountroad.Its fully airconditioned with all modern technologies &facilities.
All shops at one place.Only thing is dont have good restaruants in this plaza.Yah have one food court at ground floor,but only selling icecreams/coffee/samosa :).
To shopping or not,but nice place to do window shopping&chill out. Ajantha Art Gallaery at first floor can buy gifts&handicarfts.VBC Jewellers for shopping Jewells its ground floor.
West side for cloths,mens&womens wear.
Music world for latest to old Music Cds
Its big shop,they have good collection of all type of music.
Land mark is big book shop,corner of the bookshop nice small coffee shop is there.Tired of seaching books can relax here for coffee or applepie.:)

Need changeing of money,corner of the ground floor ,American express forign exchange is there.

The Name is Correct

by tayloretc about Eden

One of my favorites – absolutely delicious food. Eden is pure veg, with Indian dishes and a good selection of what’s called “continental,” although I think you’d be hard pressed to find some of the creative items offered here on the menu anywhere in Europe. It’s small, only room for perhaps 40 people, which means it’s always full and there’s usually a wait. It’s worth it though. The cottage cheese steak is one of them: two slices of fresh paneer in a peppery brown sauce with potato wedges and lightly boiled vegetables. There are several kinds of vegetable bakes that are all delicious.

The deserts have names like “Chocolate Fetish” and “The Last Time I Ever Saw My Waist,” and they’re fine; but if it’s not too late you could just as easily get some desert from Jelly Belly downstairs. Same owners, better variety.

Pondy Bazaar

by PierreZA

This is a very busy and colourful area. It is very lively, but also crowded, but worth taking a trip there.
There are many shops, but also a street market with many different items to buy.
It seems that is mostly locals doing shopping here.

CHENNAI ( MADRAS)- GATEWAY OF SOUTH INDIA.

by goutammitra

"Chennai : The Cultural Capital of India!!"

Tamilnadu( A rich Cultural Heritage)

The history of the Tamils presents an exciting pageant of a powerful civilization whose origin dates back to ancient times. It is clear that the Tamils, who belong to the Dravidian race, were the first major occupants of the country and settled in the North-Western part of India long before the coming of the indo-Aryans. Excavations have revealed that the features of the people of Indus Valley Civilization bore a strong resemblance to this race. However, with the advent of the Aryans, the Dravidians were pushed back into the Deep South where they ultimately settled. As is the case with most of the early history of the state, it is impossible to pin-point the exact period, when the great Tamil Sangam (Academy) flourished, though it can be said with some certainty that two Sangams were held before the Christian Era and the third between 100 and 250 A.D. The Tamil Sangam, which marks the Golden age of Tamil literature, is the one major source of knowledge about the administration, art, architecture, and economic conditions that existed then. Among some of the greatest compositions of the four centuries of Sangam age are Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural which consists 1330 couplets about morality in private life and public life combined with some of life’s greatest truths, compositions of the saint-poetess Avvaiyar, Pathupatu or ten Idyls which is a compilation of the work of several authors on philosophy, intermingled with descriptions of natural world and Ettuthogai or the eight anthologies. Of these, the last historically the most important as it contains a description of daily life of the people. This collection of poems is the earliest record record of its kind as far as the history of the Tamils is concerned. Even after the end of Sangam age, Tamil writers, under the patronage of the Royal Dynasties, continued to produce excellent literatures.

Chennai: (Madras)

Chennai (Madras) is the capital of Tamilnadu, besides being an important district. The first Grant of Damarly Venkatpathy Nayak makes mention of the village of Madraspatnam. Both Venkatapathy and his brother Ayyappa desired that the name Chennapatnam should be given to the new Fort and settlement of the English after their father Chennapa Nayak. The district city is one of the metropolises of India and serves as the gateway of the culture of South India. Inspite of being the capital of a Tamil speaking state, it has emerged as a Cosmopolitan city playing an important role in the historical, cultural and intellectual development of India, representing still the distinct components of the highest form of Dravidian civilizations. In addition, it holds out an interesting fare of South Indian architecture, Music, Dance, Drama, Sculpture, and other arts and crafts.

"Modern Chennai and Polite People."

Chennai is undoubtedly the cultural capital of India. This city used to be thought as one of the backward cities of India but this is now emerging as rapidly expanding cities of India, which is equally modern yet it has that orthodox values.
In my view the people of South India is more educated, polite, down to earth than rest of India. It has emerged as one of the great learning centres of India with it's modern collages, medical collages, engineering collages it offers very good education to Indian youth. Many boys and girls from East India travel to South India for education in Engineering, Medicine, Computer Science etc.

Not only this, besides being centre of education it also offers the best medical hospitals in the country. The hospitals of South India has earned the reputation of offering honest treatment to the people with care and value for money. Now many European coutries and US are also sending their patients to the hospitals of South India. The CMC Vellore ( Christian Medical collage) and Apollo Group of Hospitals are perfect examples of this. They are getting many patients from Middle East, South East Asia, Europe and America.

As is everywhere, no city can be always perfect, the general South Indian is very helpful, well educated, very respectful to women, speak English, and do not flaunt his wealth. It is always associated with an Indian traveller to visit South India at least once in his life time.

Many people complain about food there but it is due to ignorance. It is perceived that in South India you get only Dosa, Idli, Rasam, Sambhar and Rice. How untrue! We never had any problem ther as far as food is concerned. We had the best Dosa in Chennai and Pondicherry. There are two types of food you get mostly in South Udupi and Chettinadu. Udupi food is mostly vegetarian and Chettinadu is mostly Non-Vegetarian. It is spicy full of aroma and almost like North India. In our ten days stay there we had Chettinadu food almost everyday! We had the best Chettinadu food there!( more on Restaurant tip)

MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM