A Contemporary Now City Guide
Explore Chennai
Chennai's cultural life extends beyond its galleries and museums. It lives in its sabhas, temples, textile stores, artists' material shops, neighbourhood restaurants and historic institutions.
Explore Chennai is Contemporary Now's guide to the places that shape the city's artistic and cultural character.
Art. Music. Faith. Food. Material culture.
43 places
FeaturedAshvita's Campus
A working cultural campus bringing together exhibitions, archives, conservation, research and public programmes.
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FeaturedAshvita's Flagship
Ashvita’s principal gallery space for exhibitions, publications and programmes centred on modern and contemporary Indian art
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FeaturedMylai Karpagambal Mess
A traditional vegetarian tiffin restaurant on East Mada Street near Kapaleeshwarar Temple.
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FeaturedSathya Coffee Works
A small Royapettah coffee shop within the IOA Complex, conveniently paired with a visit to Hindustan Trading Company.
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Apparao Galleries
One of South India's oldest and most influential contemporary art galleries, founded in Nungambakkam in the early 1980s.
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Lalit Kala Akademi Regional Centre, Chennai
The Chennai regional centre of India’s National Academy of Art and one of the city’s principal public exhibition venues.
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Government College of Fine Arts
Founded in 1850, the college is among India’s oldest institutions for formal education in art and design.
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Government Museum, Chennai
A major museum complex with important collections of South Indian bronzes, sculpture, archaeology, art and natural history.
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The Music Academy, Madras
A landmark institution of Carnatic music and classical dance, founded in 1928.
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Narada Gana Sabha
A major Chennai sabha presenting music, dance, theatre and cultural programmes throughout the year.
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Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Founded in 1900, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha is one of Chennai’s oldest Carnatic music organisations.
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Kapaleeshwarar Temple
A living Shiva temple at the centre of Mylapore’s sacred, social and commercial life.
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Parthasarathy Swamy Temple
An ancient Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Krishna as Parthasarathy, the charioteer of Arjuna.
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New Woodlands Hotel
A longstanding vegetarian hotel and restaurant on Chennai’s Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai.
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Amaravathi
A longstanding Chennai restaurant associated with robust Andhra meals, spicy regional cooking and biryani.
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Hindustan Trading Company
A specialist art-material store serving generations of Chennai’s artists, students, designers and hobbyists.
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Tank Ambika Appalam Depot
A traditional Mylapore provisions store specialising in appalam (papad) and dairy products.
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GIRI - Giri Trading Agency Private Limited
A landmark "one-stop shop" for Hindu religious books, pooja items, temple jewellery and devotional media, beside the Kapaleeswarar Temple.
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Sri Anjeneyar Temple
Believed to be Chennai's oldest Hanuman temple, this compact shrine at Luz Corner dates back roughly 300 years.
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Sri Adikesava Perumal Peyalwar Temple
An ancient Vaishnavite shrine beside Chitrakulam tank, revered as the birthplace of the Alwar saint Peyalwar.
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Krishna Restaurant
A long-running vegetarian restaurant inside New Woodlands Hotel, known for traditional South Indian tiffin and filter coffee
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Rayar's mess
A tiny, hugely popular Mylapore breakfast institution serving only idli, vada and pongal since the 1940s.
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Ganapathy's Store
A neighbourhood home-goods store in the Chitrakulam area of old Mylapore.
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Santhome Cathedral Basilica
A Catholic basilica, believed to have built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle; one of only three such churches in the world.
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Church of Our Lady of Light
Reputed to be one of Chennai's oldest church, this 1516 Portuguese-era shrine gives the surrounding Luz neighbourhood its name.
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Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels
A business hotel on Cathedral Road blending Southern Indian design with modern comfort.
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Arulmigu Madhava Perumal Thirukovil
An ancient, east-facing Vishnu temple in Mylapore associated with the legendary marriage of Vishnu to Amritavalli.
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Ratna Cafe
A Triplicane institution since 1948, celebrated across Chennai for its distinctive sambar poured generously over idli and dosa.
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Basha Halwawala
A nearly century-old Triplicane sweet shop famous across Chennai for its "Dum Ka Roat" halwa.
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Semmozhi Poonga Botanical Park Chennai
Chennai's first dedicated botanical garden, a 20-acre green space on Cathedral Road with over 500 plant species.
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Taj Connemara, Chennai
South India's oldest hotel, blending Classic Colonial, Art Deco and Geoffrey Bawa "Tropical Modernism" architecture on Binny Road.
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Gallery Veda
A contemporary art gallery in Nungambakkam known for its regular exhibitions and public art workshops.
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Express Avenue
One of Chennai's first premium shopping malls, on Anna Salai in Royapettah, with retail, cinema and a large food court.
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Amir Mahal
The 14-acre Indo-Saracenic palace that remains the official residence of the titular Prince of Arcot.
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Walajah Big Mosque
An 18th-century granite mosque built by the Nawab of Arcot's family — one of Chennai's oldest and largest surviving mosques.
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Babylon
A neighbourhood juice shop in Royapettah's Durgapuram area.
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VTI Chennai
A charitable handicrafts institution and store on Anna Salai, promoting South Indian rural artisans' work since 1887.
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POOMPUHAR SALES SHOWROOM CHENNAI
The flagship Chennai showroom of Poompuhar, the Tamil Nadu government's handicrafts emporium, on Anna Salai.
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Ashvita's Community Art Centre
Ashvita's community-facing art space in Royapettah, hosting exhibitions and public programmes alongside its flagship Mylapore gallery.
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Nalli Silks
The flagship store of India's best-known Kanchipuram silk saree house, trading in T. Nagar since 1928.
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Kalpa Druma
A craft and décor store on Cathedral Road in Gopalapuram, near Chennai's Semmozhi Poonga.
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Rasi Silks
A historic Mylapore textile store known for Kanjivaram silk and South Indian sari traditions.
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Marina Beach
One of the world's longest urban beaches, Marina Beach is Chennai's iconic waterfront, where public life, history and the Bay of Bengal meet.
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