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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.
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. |
