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Photo: Destination8infinity, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The name Parthasarathy is derived from two Sanskrit names Partha and Sarathi. The former refers to Arjuna and the latter refers to his charioteer. Thus, Parthasarathy means "charioteer of Arjuna". It is considered to be the oldest temple in Chennai and its origins date back to the 8th century AD, the reference to which has been made in the Vaishnavite works of the Alwar saints. The existence of the Triplicane village is referred to in the Pallava records and before. The temple derived its name from the pond in front of the temple. It was built by the Pallavas. The temple was renovated by later dynasties, the Chola and the Vijayanagar kingdom. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Its architecture is a combination of several temple building styles. There are inscriptions of the Pallavas, Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire on the temple structure. The temple besides being dedicated to Parthasarathy is also revered for Venkatakrishnaswami and Ranganathar. The temple, when it was built, housed five avatars of the deity Vishnu. The structure, as it stands today, houses the shrines of popular deities like Venkatakrishnan with Rukmani, Balaraman, Satyaki, Anirudha, Pradyumna, Rama, Lakshmana, Barata, Sita, Shatrugna, Varadaraja and Hanuman.
The Parthasarathy Temple is a 6th-century Hindu Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Vishnu in Chennai, India. Located in the neighbourhood of Thiruvallikeni, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th to 9th centuries CE and is classified as among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. The name 'Parthasarathy' means the 'charioteer of Arjuna', referring to Krishna's role as a charioteer to Arjuna in the epic Mahabharata.
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Vivekanandar Illam
A colonial house where Swami Vivekananda stayed after his return from Chicago. Initially, it was an ice house. Ice was imported from Boston, USA and stored in an underground chamber in the house. used for storing house. It was also the location of the Ramakrishna Math for a decade before the Math was moved to its present location in Mylapore. The house now features a museum, painting gallery, photo gallery, book shop and video show (3D and 4D VR) on the life and teaching of Vivekananda. It is maintained by the Ramakrishna Math. Meditation and spirituality classes are arranged regularly at a nominal cost.
This is 12 km long and offers excellent opportunities for walks and has a very wide sandy foreshore. Its width is up to 300 m. Marina Beach is the second-longest beach in the world after Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. it is an elegant promenade with flower beds along its lanes. Along the shore, there are many buildings built during the British colonial rule. - It is the most popular gathering place for locals, especially in the evenings and on weekends. It can also get very crowded at those times. The beach is relatively less crowded in the early mornings and more pleasant. Walk along the Marina in the evening to cool off and eat crispy sundal and murukku. Watching the sunset and sunrise from the beach is an experience. It's not a swimming beach, though you will see people fully clothed taking partial dips.
Chepauk Stadium
Opened in 1916 and rebuilt in 2010, this has a capacity of 50,000. It hosts the Tamil Nadu cricket team and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. It's near Marina Beach and not remotely near Chidambaran city, so don't head there.
Wallajah Mosque; வாலஜா மசூதி Vālajā Machūdi
This is a historical landmark. Constructed by the Wallajah family in memory of Nawab Muhammad Ali Walajah, in 1795. It is an imposing structure of symmetry and form of architectural magnificence with an imposing facade. The Mosque stands on extensive grounds, which are being used as a forum for religious and cultural activities. The magnificent grey granite structure is built without steel and wood. This architectural marvel is one of the important mosques in Chennai. The Nawab’s descendants are still living in a mansion known as Amir Mahal. One distinctive feature of this mosque is that the chronogram engraved in stone and fixed on the inside of the western wall of the mosque is by a non-Muslim, Rajah Makkan Lal “Khirad”, a Persian and Arabic scholar of repute, who was the private secretary to the Nawab. It may be mentioned in this regard that, as far as is known, no other mosque in the world has a chronogram composed by a non-Muslim. The Mosque has two minarets at the front. Medieval architecture is clearly visible in the construction of this great mosque. The Eid Prayer timing remains the same, 10AM, since 1749 A.D. This historic mosque is under the management of H.H. Adjoining the Wallajah Mosque is the tomb of the great Islamic saint Maulana Abdul Ali Bahrul Uloom, a divine scholar of the days of the Nawab Wallajah. In this enclosure also are the tombs of the late Nawabs of the Carnatic, the Princess of Arcot and other eminent Muslim scholars and theologians. Wallajah Mosque can be reached either from Ellis Rd (backside) or the Triplicane High Rd.
The building near Marina Beach in Indo-Saracenic style was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855,.
A memorial dedicated to Dr M. G. Ramachandran and his protégé J. Jayalalithaa, both of whom were Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu.