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For a Cultural Vacation, Visit Chennai (South India)

Are you looking for a cultural vacation? India is the land of many exotic culture and ancient practices. Which country would be better to have a cultural holiday than India? Where to go in India? For a perfect cultural vacation, Chennai (South India) would be the top option.

Cultural activities in Chennai

You can find a lot of tourist destinations and activities with which you can enjoy the culture of the land South India. Chennai was ruled by various rulers in the past as a whole and in pieces. The kings built a lot of attractive monuments and temples to please the traders and commoners. Here are the top activities that you should perform in Chennai to enjoy the culture of the land.

Cultural Sightseeing – Mahabalipuram

There are a lot of temples built in various centuries inside Chennai. They all project the cultural effect of the city. But, the best of all is the heritage site that is located a little away from Chennai. Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram was a main coastal area during the 7th century and before. Traders used to enter Chennai area through this port. Kings wanted to welcome the merchants with cultural elements and built a lot of astonishing temples, rock cut monuments, monolithic statues and others. This collection of temples and sculpture is now an important tourist destination that attracts a lot of international tourists every year. Top attractions in Mahabalipuram are:
  • Thirukadalmallai – temple of Lord Vishnu
  • Bagiratha’s Penance – an open air rock relief
  • Varaha cave temple of 7th century
  • Shore temple on the Bay of Bengal shore
  • Five chariots – five monolithic structures
  • Lighthouse of 19th century
Full Day Mahabalipuram with Travelogy Read More : Top Places to Visit in Mahabalipuram Suggested Itinerary :

Madras Music Academy

MMA is located in Royapettah, Chennai. This academy was found in 1928 for setting standards for Carnatic music. This is the best place to catch a show of carnatic music or Bharatanatyam dance, the elegant dance of the state. The most common events in this academy are the Kutcheri season that starts in December and ends in January, December music festival and Dance festival. Madras Music Academy

Dakshinachitra

This cultural centre is located in Muttukadu in Chennai. This centre conducts several exhibitions for arts and crafts. This is the best place to buy many crafts items. During weekends, a lot of classes and courses would be conducted for crafts like weaving, pottery and others. There is a shop inside this centre where you can buy top craft items of Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka.

Kalakshetra

Kalakshetra is located in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. This is the centre for performing arts and crafts. There is a museum inside this centre which has a good collection of paintings, textiles, bronze icons, sculptures, ceramics and others. You can also learn a lot of crafts here based on the availability of the workshops. Kalakshetra-chennai

Film Industry

AVM Studio is located in Vadapalani. It is a place where a lot of blockbusters are produced every year. This is a large campus with a lot of permanent sets, artist area, make up area and others. If lucky, you can catch a film shooting in live.

Anna Centenary Library

This is a library in Chennai where you can find more than five lakh books on various subjects. There is a section for Braille reading too. There is also an exhibition hall, auditorium, conference hall and an amphitheatre.

Cholamandal Artist Village

This village is located a little away from Chennai. This village is spread for eight acres along the coast of Bay of Bengal. This village is filled with painters and sculptures who work together to create wonderful masterpieces like terra cotta objects, paintings, sketches, pottery, handicrafts, metal sculptures and others. Their works are displayed in a large exhibition complex here. There is a museum and an art gallery in this village too. Cholamandalam-Arts-Village-ECR-Chennai

Best Time for Cultural Vacation

The beauty of these cultural elements would be the same throughout the year. Since these elements need a lot of wandering around, it is better to skip the summer season. The summer starts in March and ends by end of May in Chennai. June starts the rainy season. The rain will be very mild and the temperature will be pleasant during June and beginning of July. Thus, it makes it easier for travelling and enjoying the masterpieces. July to October is the monsoon season when you can experience heavy rainfall. Unless you love rain and want to get wet often, it is better to avoid this time period. The sculptures would look fresh during the rains and the unique smell of terra cotta would fill the air during this period. October to February is the tourism peak time in Chennai. The climate will be mildly cold and would suite well for travelling, sightseeing and enjoying other tourist activities.

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