Unlike many other cities around India, Chennai is not truly ancient with a plethora of historic points of interest.  Madras, as it was once known, is the capital of Tamil Nadu and a political and commercial powerhouse in its own right. Its 350-year history has left it with a handful of impressive Raj-era buildings, a British fort and colonial old town and a unique Tamil culture.

There is an interesting mix of Portuguese churches, British colonial remnants, Hindu temples and the world’s second longest beach. Unlike Mumbai and Delhi, Chennai doesn’t have much of a nightlife scene, but it does manage to preserve a traditional ambience that is increasingly hard to find in booming India.

Chennai is the perfect base for exploring two of India’s most amazing sites. The ‘city of a thousand temples’, Kanchipuram, is an easy day’s excursion away and truly an awe-inspiring environment. Even more famous is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mamallapuram, 2 hours to the south and arguably South India’s most popular historic tourist attraction.

The Tamil movie industry is rivalled only by Bombay’s Bollywood. In Chennai, the thriving film scene has been dubbed Kollywood in honour of the nearby town where most films are shot. This love of visual art is reflected in the city’s obsession with traditional dance shows, which culminate in December’s 5-week-long Music Festival. At any time of the year, however, you can watch some of the region’s most accomplished traditional dancers.

Enjoy the unique Tamil cuisine while you’re here as well. One of the advantages of being a bustling centre of trade is that people from all over the Tamil region have brought their own cooking styles with them, resulting in one of India’s best dining scenes. Chennai may not possess many architectural marvels in the city itself but as far as authentic local daily life is concerned, Chennai is about as real as it gets.

As early as the 1st century, the region of Chennai was an important centre of economics and politics for the South Indian kingdoms ruled by the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and finally the Vijaynagar. Everything changed in 1522, when the Portuguese arrived and built a trading port. The Dutch were the next European colonial power to assert its influence over the region, establishing a base near Pulicat in 1612.

It wasn’t until 22 August 1639 that modern Chennai was born. On this day, the British East India Company was given a small slice of the coast by the Raja of Chandragiri. There was already a tiny fishing village called Madraspatnam within their land boundaries, but the British built Fort George on the site, which soon after evolved into colonial George Town.

Throughout the 18^th and part of the 19^th centuries, the British and French competed for control over the whole of India. Chennai’s fortunes waxed and waned depending on the political climate, though by the middle of the 19th century, England had control over India and stability ensued. Chennai, or Madras as it was then known, became one of the four divisions of British Imperial India.

Under the British, Chennai grew into an important city and naval base. When the railways were introduced to the country in the late 19^th century, Chennai became fully connected to the other major urban centres of India such as Bombay and Calcutta. This propelled the city into even greater economic prosperity, which continued right through independence from Britain in 1947.

Chennai then became the capital of present-day Tamil Nadu province, although it continued to be called Madras. It wasn’t until 1997 that the government officially renamed the city Chennai. In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami pounded the shores around Chennai, greatly damaging the region and permanently changing the coastline.

Rain is the big troublemaker in Chennai thanks to its two rainy seasons which ensure the city is lashed by heavy precipitation for half the year. The hot and humid monsoon, which lasts from June to August, is followed by a north-easterly monsoon from September to December. Expect an average of 50cm of rainfall per year during this period.

Another time you may not want to visit Chennai is from late May to early June, the period known as Fire Star by the locals. The summer temperatures can average 40˚C . Chennai’s most pleasant weather typically comes during the winter months from December to March. January sees night-time lows of 20˚C, a welcome relief from the region’s reliably hot and humid conditions.