The Greater Chennai Area

Points of Interest Near Chennai

Chennai and vicinity

Mahabalipuram

58 km south of Chennai is an ancient historic town dating to the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE), from whence ancient Indian traders sailed to countries of South East Asia.

• Shore Temple a structural temple with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed additional structures here.
• Five Chariots Pancha Rathas (Hindi) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled – each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.
• Krishna's Butterball Vaan Irai Kal – is a gigantic granite boulder resting on a short incline in the historical town of Mahabalipuram in India. The boulder is approximately 6 meters high and 5 meters wide and weighs around 250 tons.
• Descent of the Ganges or Bagiratha's Penance is a giant open-air rock relief.

Crocadile Bank

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (MCBT) is a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the city of Chennai. The centre is both a registered trust and a recognized zoo and is India's leading institution for herpeto faunal conservation, research and education.

• Crocodiles
  • Mugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
  • Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
  • Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
  • Common caiman (Caiman crocodylus)
  • Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare)
  • Dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)
  • and more!
• Snakes
  • Indian rock python (Python molurus)
  • Reticulated python (Python reticulatus)
  • Spectacled cobra (Albino) (Naja naja)
  • Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
  • Whitakers sand boa (Eryx whitakerii)

Brian Bird • Traveler and Instructor • Eugene, Oregon, USA