Chennai, the largest city in southern India situated on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, developed after 1639 when the British East India Corporation recognized a fort and trading post at the small fishing rural community of Chennai.
Over the past three and a half centuries, the small fishing village has grown into a bustling city which is especially known for its spaciousness which is lacking in other Indian cities, This characteristic is exemplified by the long esplanade called the Marina and which is lined by impressive buildings which remind the casual visitor of the long and inseparable association the city has had with the British.
Even elsewhere in the city, one cannot fail to notice the dominant British influence in the form of old cathedrals, buildings in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, wide tree lined avenues.