Central Chennai is the part of
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
city between the
Coovum River
The Cooum river, or simply Koovam, is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about in length, flowing in the city of Chennai (urban part) and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted ...
and the
Adyar River. While mostly grouped under
South Chennai
South Chennai is the new southern neighbourhoods of Chennai city, India. It is roughly the neighbourhoods and suburbs that lie south of the Adyar River. None of these places were part of Chennai Corporation before 1947 and became part of Chennai ...
, Central Chennai is a term which has gained currency in recent times due to the rapid expansion of the city southwards. Covering the eastern neighbourhoods of
Royapettah
Royapettah is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India.
Location
Royapettah is located at the central part of the city of Chennai, with an elevation of 9 m (29 ft.) above mean sea level. The neighbourhood comes under Teynampet Zone (numbe ...
,
Chepauk
Chepauk is a locality in Chennai, India. The name Chepauk is popularly used to refer to the M. A. Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium, also known as the Chepauk Stadium. It is also home to the Chepauk Palace, built in the Indo-Saracenic ...
,
Teynampet
Teynampet, also Teynampettai, is one of the busiest commercial localities in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Part of the city's central business district, it is surrounded by Gopalapuram in the north, Mylapore in the east, Alwarpet in t ...
,
Alwarpet
Alwarpet is a residential zone in central Chennai and is a part of the greater Teynampet region. It is surrounded by Teynampet in the north and east, Mylapore, Mandavelli and Abhiramapuram in the east, Raja Annamalaipuram in the south, Na ...
,
Mylapore
Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the cel ...
,
Triplicane
Triplicane, known in the vernacular as Thiruvallikeni, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres ...
and
Mandaveli
Mandaveli (also known as Mandavelli or Mandavelipakkam) is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is also termed usually as Mandavelipakkam which in the Tamil language "Mandhai" is 'herd of cattle' and "Veli" is 'grassland'.
Location
Mandaveli is ...
and the western neighbourhoods of
Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, to ...
,
Kodambakkam,
Vadapalani
Vadapalani is a neighbourhood in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its film studios and the Vadapalani Andavar Temple, which is an important pilgrimage centre. Situated in the western part of Chennai, Vadapalani is an i ...
,
Virugambakkam
Virugambakkam is a residential neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is an important residential area of and is famous for its schools, market, residential colonies and residences of film artists. Virugambakkam had some of Chennai's o ...
,
Valasaravakkam
Valasaravakkam is a neighbourhood in the Chennai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a residential suburb of the city of Chennai. It is located in the Poonamallee Taluk at a distance of approximately 15 kilometres from the Kilometer ...
,
Mambalam
West Mambalam is a residential and commercial area in Chennai, India. It is known for its shops, bazaars and Hindu temples. It is bounded by Kodambakkam to the north and Saidapet to the south. T. Nagar and Nandanam stretch all along its eastern ...
,
T. Nagar
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the ...
,
Nandanam
Nandanam is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is a busy location and is home to many commercial institutions. This locality also offers a calm residential location. Nandanam Arts College was established in 1901. Nandanam Junction, on the a ...
and
Saidapet
Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North ...
, Central Chennai is largely upper class-upper middle class. The eastern part is largely upper class with two of the costliest pieces of real estate - the
Boat Club Road and
Poes Garden being located here while the western part is mainly middle class. Kodambakkam is the location of the Tamil film industry or
Kollywood
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...
.
Central Chennai is made of old and well-established residential areas and is mostly overlooked by IT companies due to scarcity of vacant land and high real estate prices. The Central Chennai zone, with its head office at Ambattur, was included Ayanavaram, Aminjikarai, Maduravoyal, guindy and Egmore taluks. Mambalam is commonly called as one of the oldest village near Chennai.
Geography of Chennai
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