The places of worship in a city indicate the spiritual inclination of the people residing in it. In case of Chennai, there is no dearth of such places as the city is spread with numerous places of worships for their devout followers. Chennai is a metropolis with the rich amalgamation of people belonging to different faiths and culture. Here, people of all religions co-exist and perform their religious duties as their religion prescribe. Over a period of time, all religious communities have developed and built their places of worship in different parts of Chennai/Madras.From Nawabs to British rulers, all have left their legacies in one form or the other, and religion is one of the prime legacies that were spread to the natives of the place. As a typical Indian city would signify with the multiethnic and multi-cultural places of faith, Chennai has a host of such religious places that allow their believers to follow their faith. It is quite a sight to see the people with fervent belief and veneration for such holy places. You can drop in any of the place of worship to unwind and pray or meditate.
In order to imbibe the spiritual side of the city, you can definitely go to any place of worship in the city and have a tranquil time in midst of divinity. Regardless of what religion you belong to, visit to these places of worship is simply mesmerizing. Such holy places help you not only to seek peace but it also helps to discover yourself. Major religious places of worship at Chennai are temples, churches, mosques and dargahs. Whether ancient or modern, these places of worship have one thing in common that is to connect to the divine. Let's have a quick look at different religious places of Chennai.
Temples In Chennai
Temples are the places of worship of the Hindus. Since Hindus form a large part of the population of Chennai, it is but natural that of all the religious places of Chennai, temples are largest in number. Many of the temples of Chennai/Madras city are so popular that thousands of devotees throng them to pray and worship every day. While it is incredible to see such multitudes of people coming in droves to the temple premises just to get the sight of their divine deities, do also notice the rich and intricate architectural style of these Hindu temples. Let's have a quick glance of temples of Chennai city. (Some temples only allow entry of people from specific religions, do confirm before entering into one.
Churches In Chennai
Built mostly by the colonial rulers, these churches bear the signature style of European design. Besides, the architectural aesthetics of these structures the peaceful experience inside these churches is simple divine. In Chennai city, there are many beautiful and magnificent churches, built over a period of time. Some of the important churches of Chennai/Madras are Anderson Church, Andrew's Kink, Christ Church, Chinnamalai Church, Santhome Cathedral Basilica and St. George's Cathedral.
Mosques
As you wander around the mosques of Chennai, divinity and mystique seem to pulsate in the air. The Chennai city is inhabited by quite a number of Muslims and over a period of time many mosques developed in the Chennai city. Makka Masjid is one of the important mosques in Chennai city. Masjid Mamoor is another important mosque, sacred to Muslims of Mannady area in Chennai. It was first built in 18th century. The Grand Mosque, in Red Stone, was built by Nawab Wallajah and is an important Mosque of Chennai. Thousand Lights Mosque is situated in the heart of Chennai city. This is a beautiful cream-coloured, multi-domed mosque with walls bearing recently- painted quotes from the Holy Koran.
Dargahs
Confluence of spirituality, mysticism and faith is literally visible in places of worship like Dargah. And the divine connection rather becomes infectious. Dargah is a Muslim shrine, the grave of a Muslim ascetic, where devotees burn incense and pray. Many of these Dargahs in Chennai are venerated and visited by people of different faiths. People, regardless of which faith they follow, come with true and pure heart to have the prayers heard and get their wish fulfilled. Some of the famous Dargahs of Chennai/Madras city are Anna Salai Dargah, Hazrat Baba Dargah, Mohammad Ismail Sahib, Qadri Baba Dargah and Thameem Ansari Baba Dargah.
