Madraspatnam or Madras as it came to be known later rose to its present grandeur because of European influence. Now renamed as Chennai, this city is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is the fourth largest metro city in India.The Gateway to the South; Chennai is located besides the Bay of Bengal is embraced by it from the east, while the state of Andhra Pradesh is beautifully located on its northwest. It has the famous district of Tamilnadu, Kanchipuram, on its south and the states of Kerala and Karnataka on its western side.
As per folk lore, the name ‘Chennaipattinam' arrived from the Chenna Kesava Perumal temple. It is also believed that the region was named after Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, who was the Nayaka of Kalahasthi and Vandavasi.
Chennai is famous for its temples and churches which are considered as fine examples of architecture and craftsmanship. Parthasarathy Temple, Kaapaleshwar temple, Ashtalakshmi temple, Santhome Cathedral Basilica, Velankanni Church, etc. are some of the famous religious destinations in Chennai.
Chennai is home to one of the longest urban beaches in the world, Marina Beach, which is 12 km long.
Some of the famous tourist destinations near Chennai are Mamallapuram, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari, Chidambaram, Tiruvallur, Tirupati, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Swamithoppe, Kanchipuram, Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruchirapalli .