The site Vacations India offers details on South India tour and holiday packages to Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. Chennai was formerly known as Madras. Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu is situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India is the fourth largest city in India. This city was a tiny fishing village in the olden times. Over the centuries it has developed into a bustling Metropolitan city. Commercial development in the area began around the year 1639 after the British East India Company set up a commercial trading post at the small fishing village of Madras or Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India.
During your tours and vacations to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India you are bound to notice the British influence on the entire city. The long Esplanade area in Chennai that is popularly known as Marina is an excellent example of British influence. The Marina has a series of impressive and well-constructed buildings. The Indo-Saracenic architectural style of most of the buildings in Chennai, India and of course the wide and spacious avenues lined with trees reflect the British influence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

While on a tour to Chennai or Madras, Tamil Nadu, India you will notice that inspite of the British impact and legacy the town still continues with its ancient traditions. The fact that this region was a center of Pallava art and culture is evident when one tours the ancient temples in the city.
Madras or Chennai has a rich cultural heritage and is known for its traditions of folk dances, music and other art forms. Bharatnatyam, a popular Indian classical dance form traces its origins to the ancient times in Madras or Chennai in South India.
Most South India tour packages include tours to small temple towns situated near Chennai, India. Some of these places are Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram and Pondicherry. Kanchipuram is known for its handicrafts and high quality silk saris. Both Kanchipuram and Mamallapuram are popular tourist destinations as a number of ancient temples are located in this area. The Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry is very famous.

There are a number of tourist destinations in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India that you can tour during your vacations and tours to this region. These are: the St. Mary's Church, Kapaleeswarar Temple, fort St. George, the Marine Beach, Santhome Cathedral and the Anna Zoological Park

The British East India Company constructed the Fort St. George that is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. This houses offices of the Tamil Nadu government today.

The Portuguese constructed the Santhome cathedral some time in the 15th century A.D. This cathedral is said to house the remains of Saint Thomas. This cathedral is an important Christian pilgrimage.

The Birla Planetarium is one of the most frequented tourist destinations that is located near Kotturpuram in Chennai.

The Kapaleeswarar Temple is dedicated to the deity Shiva and is an important historical and tourist site as it has inscriptions that date back to the early 13th century. This temple has a 37-metre gopuram that has inscriptions and carvings narrating tales from the Hindu mythology. The temple is the biggest in the city.

There are a number of other tourist destinations in Chennai, India such as the Sri Parthasarathy Temple that was constructed in the 8th century by the Pallava rulers, the Snake Park and the Children's Park, the Little Mount Shrine, the Kalakshetra that was established with the objective of reviving classical dance forms and ancient handicrafts, the Anna square, Marina Beach and the Elliots Beach are important place of tourist interest that you may tour during your vacations and tours to Chennai in South India.