page_title: List of tourist attractions in Chennai
section_title: Places of Worship
hierarchical_section_title: List of tourist attractions in Chennai / Attractions / Places of Worship
caption_attribution_description: Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai.Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Temple, Chennai
context_page_description: Chennai is the capital of the Indian state Tamil Nadu. With its historic landmarks and buildings, long sandy beaches, cultural and art centers and parks, Chennai's tourism offers many potentially interesting locations to visitors. A notable tourist attraction in Chennai is actually in the neighbouring town of Mahabalipuram, with its ancient temples and rock carvings of the 7th century Pallava kingdom is an UNESCO World Heritage site
  Chennai was ranked 9th in travel guide Lonely Planet's 2015 top 10 cities ranking.
context_section_description: Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore estimated to have been built in the 7th century by the Pallavas and has inscriptions dating back to 12th century is one of the most visited worship places by tourists visiting the city.
  Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane, an 8th-century Hindu Vaishnavite temple dedicated to the god Krishna. The temple is one of the oldest structures in Chennai.
  St. Thomas Mount, the site where St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, was believed to have been martyred. A shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of Expectation" (Mother Mary) was built in 1523 on top of the mount.
  Santhome Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Santhome. It was built in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of Saint Thomas. This church is one of the only three known churches in the world built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus, the other two are located in Vatican City and Spain.
  Armenian Church of Virgin Mary, is located on the Armenian Street in Parrys. Constructed in 1712, it is one of the oldest churches of the Indian subcontinent and is famous for its belfry of six.
  St. Mary's Church located at Fort St George, is the oldest Anglican church East of Suez and also the oldest British building in India. The church is popularly known as the 'Westminster Abbey of the East'.
  Thousand Lights Mosque, a multi-domed mosque opened in 1810 and spread over an area of 3 acres, it is one of the largest mosques in India and is situated on Anna Salai Road. It is said that 1000 lights needed to be lit in order to illuminate the assembly hall and hence it was named Thousand Lights Mosque. It is also believed that the lights were lit by the Indian National Congress to mark their first visit to Madras.
  Triplicane Big Mosque, constructed in the Mughal architectural style, the mosque was built in 1795 by the family of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, the Nawab of Arcot. It is considered as the largest mosque in the city of Chennai.
caption: Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore
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