The Adyar Banyan tree (Adyar Aala maram) is located in the campus of Theosophical society, in Adyar, Chennai. This tree is believed to be around 450 years old and is thought to be one of the largest banyan trees in the whole world. The total area occupied by the tree and its offshoots, is estimated to be around 40,000 square feet. Actually, the main trunk was uprooted by a big cyclone in 1989 and only the branches survive today along with a small portion of the main trunk.
I was quite unhappy that photography was not allowed in the Salar Jung Museum, to which I went before coming here. But then, this Chowmahalla Palace (Chowmahallat) more than quenched the visual thirst! Oh, what a treat this palace is to the eyes!!
Initially, I was quite skeptical about the entry ticket of 25 rupees and camera ticket of 50 rupees. This is the highest I have paid to take my camera anywhere till now, and I thought it better live up to the expectations.
And it did – In style!
Ok, people – I have been awarded yet again! This time, its the Versatile blogger award and I got it twice, from Bikram and Reflections. I always knew I was versatile, and it has now been confirmed with this award 
Tag: 7 random things about me -
According to the ticket – “At present, the museum has in its collection the art and antiques of European, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern origin, apart from the chronicles of the rich Indian heritage – dating from the Mauryan to the Mughal Dynasty and the rule of the Nizams. Navab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, the last patron of the family is responsible for the maximum collection and preservation”. Well, that says it all. Continue reading
Guindy Children’s park and Chennai Snake Park are a part of the Guindy National Park campus. They are a small extension of it, and is open to tourists. I guess the Guindy National park itself is a protected area and requires prior permission for tourists to visit, and it is one of the few national parks located within a major city in India. In case you don’t want to read everything below, just have a look at the above embedded short movie (1 min & 34 sec) I made on this place, to get an idea of what you can find here.
When I was studying in 3rd and 4th standards, I used to get repetitively asked by teachers and neighbors -
‘What’s your hobby?’
‘Reading books and listening to music’
Was my standard reply. But I was having a few problems with this approach. First, teachers used to ask so many students and almost all of them told the same thing. So, when the chance came to me, they suddenly become vexed with the answer and tell, ‘Don’t tell me the same thing’!! Continue reading
Besant Nagar beach is also called as Edward Elliot’s beach or Adyar beach and it is the second most popular beach in Chennai. Besant Nagar beach is an important tourist destination within Chennai (Its near Adyar) and it is one of the longer and more neatly kept beaches of Chennai. I have visited this beach more often than the very popular Marina beach. While the Marina beach looks neat now (after the recent renovation), this beach has always been neat.
