Fort St. George

The first bastion of British power in India now houses the Tamilnadu Legislative assembly and council and offices of the State's secretariat. The fort was first completed in 1654 but owes its present shape to the remodelling work that was undertaken in 1749. The 6m high walls of the fort have withstood several fierce sieges. The fort was attacked by Daud Khan, general of Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1701, by the Marathas in 1741 and by Hyder Ali on several occasions in the late 18th century.

In 1746, the British lost possession of their fort for two year period when they surrendered the keys to the victorious French admiral, La Bourdonnais. The keys were restored only in 1749, under the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Fort St. George's towering flagstaff is, even today, the tallest in India. Glimpses of early Chennai are preserved in Clive Corner, Wellesley House, Fort Museum and St. Mary's church.

Doveton House

The building that houses the Principal, Registrar and Bursar's office is celebrating its 200th year this year. The Doveton House was constructed in the year 1798 - the period when Wordsworth and Coleridge published their "Lyrical Ballads". A renowned architect Benjamin Roebeck, who built the house in the fashion of the day, built Doveton House. The colonial pillars in the front and the half moon steps at the back of the house resemble another famous building of the same period - the White House. It mainly served as a residential place for the English officers. The building was called after Lt. General John Doveton acquired it in the year 1837 (he arrived in Madras in 1783 and died in 1847). Lt. General Doveton was the soldier-in-charge for looking after Tippu Sultan's sons when Cornwallis held them as hostages in Madras.

Doveton House seems to have served as a place for keeping prisoners in custody. For, before Lt. General Doveton, Gaekwad of Baroda was kept here for trying to kill a British resident in his state. Many famous people continued to live, but the name Doveton House stuck on. The last person to live here was Sir Ralph Benson, a Madras High Court Judge, who left Madras in 1913. It was then in 1916 that the Women's Christian College moved into Doveton House, a 20-acre campus. It was quite famous in those days with parties being held often. The most admired was the "placid and silvery Cooum".

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is a small rural town about 75 kilometres from Chennai (Madras) in the state of Tamilnadu. It also serves as the district head quarters for the Chengalpattu district. Its economy is entirely dependent on tourism and the well established handloom industry. Silk sarees manufactured here are one of the best in the entire world.
Interesting tourist places include Kamakshi Amman Temple, Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Kailasanathar Temple, Ekambaranathar Temple, Ulagalandha Perumal Temple, Yathoktakari Perumal Temple, Deepaprakasa, Perumal Temple, Kandakottam Subramanya Swami Temple, Kachapeswarar Temple, Sankupani Vinayakar Temple, Pandava Thoodha Perumal Temple, Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple at Tirupputkuzhi, and Jain Temples at Tirupparuthikkundram

Valluvar Kottam

The Valluvar Kottam, on the corner of Kodambakkam High road and Village Road, honours the acclaimed Tamil Poet, Thiruvalluvar, whose classic work, the Kural, is reputed to be about 2000 years old. Established in 1976, Valluvar Kottam replicates ancient Tamil architecture with the 1330 verse Kural inscribed on panels. The Valluvar Kottam open daily 8 am to 6 pm.