Guindy
National Park
Once a distant suburb which was nearly twice its current size, Guindy
has now been engulfed by the fast growing metropolis. Guindy Lodge,
a portion was officially declared as Guindy national park in 1977.
This Predominantly dry deciduous scrub jungle of acacia is interpersed
wirh larger trees such as sandal wood banyan and jumun. Its most
famous residents are the herds of endangered blackbuck, introduced
in 1924. Among its 130 species of birds are raptors such as the
honey buzzard and the white believed sea eagle. Winter is the best
time for birdwatching, when migrant birds visit the forest. Also
located within the park is the Madras Snake Park
established in the 1970s by Romulus Whitaker, the American Zoologist,
who also set up the Crocodile bank outside Chennai. Today, the well
maintained Snake park houses numerous species of snakes, among them
are king cobras, vipers and pythons. Other reptiles include crocodiles,
turles and lizards. Large information boards, strategically placed,
provide interesting details on the various species. For those who
are interested, there are live demonstrations of venom extraction;
the venom is used as an antidote for snake bites.
The historic 300-years-old Guindy Lodge, to the west of the Park,
is now the Raj Bhavan the residence of the Governor
of Tamilnadu. Built as a weekend retreat by the city's British rulers,
this handsome white building was renovated and expanded in the mid-1800s
by the then Governor, Grant-Duff. Today, Guindy has some of the
city's most prestigious institutions. The area also has many impressive
memorials to modern India's leaders, Mahatma Gandhi, K.Kamaraj and
C.Rajagopalachari.
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Anna
Park
The walk starts from the victory War Memorial which marks
the north end of Kamarajar Salai. This memorial originally commemorated
the victory of the Allied armies during World War I, and was later
dedicated to the memory of those soldiers from the Madras Presidency
who lost their lives in World War II. To its south, in Anna Park,
is the Anna Samathi a memorial erected in honour of CN Annadurai,
the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who introduced significant
political and social reforms in the state. Further south is the
MGR Samathi, a commemorative garden with gateways and pathways,
built in honour of the popular Tamil film icon and chief minister,
MG Ramachandran. An array of souvenir shops and eateries can be
found along this stretch of the beach, attracting tourists from
the rest of the state. Particularly interesting is the Sunday market,
with its curious jumble of goods. |
Snake
Park
It is at Sardar Vallabhai Patel Road. Visit : Wednesday to Monday
from 0830 to 1730 hrs.Tuesday holiday. There are more than 40 species
of common snakes are found here. The crocodiles, chameleons, monitor
lizards and tortoises can also be seen in their natural setting. |
Crocodile
Bank
Not far from Mamallapuram, 42 km from Madras, this crocodile breeding
and research centre is run by Romulus Whittaker. It was set up in
1976. This bank was started to protect India's dwindling crocodile
population and to preserve the Irula (Snake catching), tribe's way
of life. This bank has already produced more than 6,000 crocodiles.
There is also a snake farm where anti - venom is produced. Several
species of Indian and African Crocodiles and Alligators bred in
captivity are kept here in open pools. The snake venom extractions
are a great attraction to the visitors and it help the Irulas (tribe)
to maintain their way of life.
Open from 10.00 to 16.00. Wednesday to Monday. Tuesday holiday.
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