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Although Portuguese and Armenian communities already inhabited India’s eastern coast, it was the British who shaped the town they called Madras.

Colonial history

Arriving in 1639, the British turned a strip of local villages into India’s major southern city, leaving an eclectic blend of architecture ranging from the 17th century Fort St George to the railway station, a fine example of Indo-Saracenic Victorian construction.

Kapaleeshwarar Temple and the Government Museum

Of course, Tamil Nadu’s history predates its colonial heritage and the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, with its towering gopuram of brightly painted figures and busy shrines, or the collection of 9th-12th century Chola bronzes in the Government Museum, exemplify this legacy.

But Chennai is also a city of today, as you’ll see if you stroll along Marina Beach or through the center.