3. INTRODUCTI
ON
Mahabalipuram, also known asMamallapuramis a town
inKancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is around
60 km south from the city of Chennai. It is an ancient historic town and was a
bustling seaport during the time of Periplus (1st century CE)
and Ptolemy(140 CE). Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South
East Asiasailed from the seaport of Mahabalipuram.
By the 7th century it was a port city of South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas.
It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the
Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries : rathas (temples in the form
of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the
famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the Shore Temple, with thousands of
sculptures to the glory of Shiva. The group of monuments at
Mahabalipuram has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet). The modern city of
Mahabalipuram was established by the British Raj in 1827.[1]
4. History
Megalithic burial urn, cairn circles and jars with burials dating to the very
dawn of the Christian era have been discovered near Mamallapuram. The
Sangam age poem Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai relates the rule of King
Thondaiman Ilam Thiraiyar at Kanchipuram of the Tondai
Nadu portNirppeyyaru which scholars identify with the present-day
Mamallapuram. Chinese coins and Roman coins of Theodosius I in the
4th century CE have been found at Mamallapuram revealing the port as
an active hub of global trade in the late classical period. Two Pallava coins
bearing legends read as Srihari and Srinidhi have been found at
Mamallapuram. The Pallava kings ruled Mamallapuram
from Kanchipuram; the capital of the Pallava dynasty from the 3rd
century to 9th century CE, and used the port to launch trade and
diplomatic missions to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
7. Description of zoo
Chennai, the then Madras had the distinction of having the first zoo in
India, started in 1855. Factors like air and sound pollution, insufficient
place for accommodating the animals and highly dense human population
around the corporation zoo became health hazards to animals of the zoo.
Hence it was decided to shift the zoo from Moore market area to Vandalur
Reserve Forest in the out-skirts of Chennai city. Works for the
establishment of the zoo was started in 1976 and Arignar Anna Zoological
Park was opended to public in 1985. It is one of the largest zoos in South
East Asia sprawling over an area of 602 ha.
The existing landscape was utilized as it is and all the animals are
exhibited in large open moated island type enclosures with simulated
environment. The entire area of 602 ha. has been clothed with vegetation
both by natural and some artificial regeneration.
11. DESCRIPTION OF MARINA
Marina Beach is a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai, India,
along theBay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean.[1] The beach runs from
near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of
13 km (8.1 mi),[2] making it the longest natural urban beach in the
country[3] and the world's second longest.[4][5][6] The Marina is primarily
sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu
Beach in Mumbai. The average width of the beach is 300 m (980 ft)[7] and the
width at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,434 ft). Bathing and swimming at the
Marina Beach are legally prohibited because of the dangers, as the
undercurrent is very turbulent. It is the most crowded beach in the country
and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays[8] and 50,000
visitors a day during the weekends and on holidays.[9][10][11] During summer
months, about 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily.[12] In 2010, 18
percent of 5,000 respondents interviewed by a Tripadvisor Survey voted this
beach as a dirty beach, way behind Juhu beachin Maharashtra which was voted
India's dirtiest by 65% of the respondents
