T. Nagar
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T. Nagar
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  T. Nagar
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| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | [[{{{district}}} District]] |
| Coordinates | |
| Postal code | 600017 |
Thyagaraya Nagar (also spelled Tyagaraya Nagar, and abbreviated T. Nagar) is a large, primarily commercial, locality in Chennai, India. It is situated in the middle of the city, south-west of the Anna Flyover. It is named after Sir P. Thyagaraya, who was instrumental in starting the Justice Party, which played an important role in the Dravida Movement in Tamil Nadu. The place is an important centre for shopping and entertainment, and also a major hub for the intra-city bus service.
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[edit] Geography
T.Nagar is located at [1]. It has an average elevation of 13 metres (45 feet). It is located about 10 km from the Chennai Airport and about 8 km from Chennai Central and is well connected to both by local train and bus services. It lies to the west of Mount Road (Anna Salai), and is loosely bordered by Saidapet and West Mambalam to the west, Nandanam to the south, and Nungambakkam to the north.
Real estate prices are extremely high (among the highest in the city of Chennai) as space is inadequate. T.Nagar, like many other parts of Chennai, has often experienced an acute water-shortage in the recent years. Other problems include pollution and traffic congestions.
[edit] Economy
Pondy Bazaar, the main shopping area, stretches for around a kilometre on Thyagaraya Road. Pavement shops found in Pondy Bazaar sell a variety of items, including clothes, toys, and electronics, at cheap rates. Bigger stores often sell both indigenous goods and imported designer brands.
The area around Panagal Park is known for its silk saree shops. Many prominent jewellery stores are also found here. The variety in shopping options makes T.Nagar one of the most crowded areas in Chennai during the festival seasons (usually beginning in October before Deepavali and ending in January after Pongal). The area around Panagal Park has seen the oncoming of new clothing stores, including RmKV, Kumaran, and Nalli, over the past few years.
Ranganathan Street, located on the approach to the Mambalam train station, is forbidden to motor traffic as it is crowded with shoppers during the day time. Ranganathan St. contains Saravana Stores which bring a constant supply of shoppers hoping to buy its low cost products
[edit] Culture
T.Nagar offers a variety of entertainment options. It has recently grown to become a major hub for the Carnatic music festival-season, with a number of sabhas (such as Vani Mahal and Bharath Kalachar) hosting famous performers.
It also has a number of parks, cricket grounds, and other recreational facilities. The RKM cricket ground adjoining GN Chetty road hosts division IV and V city-league games.
[edit] Society
T.Nagar residents are an unusual mix of the traditional and the modern and this is reflected in the way the neighbourhood has been growing. Several new eateries have come up while at the same time, traditional restaurants are also packed. With the city extending its bed-time more every year, the locality has acquired a reputation of always being in the fast lane. The grand textile showrooms close very late at night, and their hoarding boards constantly illuminate the roads. Early in the morning, joggers and walkers take full advantage of the empty roads, with the fresh air thats so hard to come by in this area at all other times of the day. Panagal Park, Natesan Park and Jeeva Park all have their regular crowd and their walkers' associations are extremely active.
[edit] Temples
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam(TTD) is located on Venkatanarayana Road. It has a replica of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati. Darshan bookings and one-day trips can be arranged here itself.
A Shiva-Vishnu temple is located near the bus depot.
[edit] Food and Lodging
Recent years have seen a spurt of hotel constructions in T.Nagar. A few hotels have restaurants serving international cuisine, and facilities common in big hotel chains.
T.Nagar is known for its large number of affordable eateries. Many of these are located in Pondy Bazaar and most of them are vegetarian.
Food served is typically South Indian, though North Indian dishes are also available. Most restaurants offer meals during lunch hours and during dinner time. There are three typical kinds of meals on offer: Chennai Meals, Bombay Meals and Andhra Meals.
In a few South Indian restaurants, the food is served on a plantain leaf, the traditional way of serving food in south India. In some places, this leaf is placed on a plate, while in others, the leaf is doled out as such.
Bars are relatively rare, but some hotels have their own bars. Examples are the Hotel Aruna Bar and Raj Palace.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Bus
T.Nagar is easily accessible from most parts of the city by bus. The T.Nagar bus stand is a hub and is located off Usman Road. Regular services operate to Mylapore, Kodambakkam, Tiruvanmiyur, Annanagar and other areas.
The buses going through T.Nagar use one of these routes:
- Usman Road — Buses going towards Kodambakkam
- G.N.Chetty Road (routes 11, 13, 13A) — Buses going towards Anna Salai, and Marina Beach (Anna Square).
- Thyagaraya Road (route 12s) — Buses going towards Anna Salai
- Dr. Nair Road - Buses going towards Numgambakkam, Egmore.
- Thirumalai Pillai Road (routes 47s, 147s) - Buses going towards Anna nagar, Villivakkam.
Other important bus stops are Panagal Park, Pondy Bazaar, Power House, and Vani Mahal.
Specific bus routes starting at T.Nagar bus stand with their terminal stations (incomplete listing):
- 5A: Tambaram
- 9M: NGO Colony
- 5B: Mylapore
- 11: Broadway
- 11 Cut: Chennai Central
- 11A: Vallalar Nagar
- 11A cut: High Court
- 12: Vivekananda House
- 13: Triplicane
- 13A: Anna Square
- 19A, 19C: Kelambakkam
- 49A: Poonamalli
- M147
- M147A
- M147B
- M147C
- M47D: Palavakkam
- M7: Tiruvanmiyur
- M27C : Tiruvaerkadu
- 52C : Hasthinapuram
- G18 : Guduvancheri
Private buses operate from various points in T.Nagar, and connect Chennai to other south Indian cities. There are regular buses to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Trichy, and Madurai.
[edit] Train
T.Nagar is serviced by the two stations. One by a railway station located in Mambalam, off Usman Road and another one at Kodambakkam again off Usman Road serving the northern T.Nagar. Local electric-trains connect T.Nagar with other parts of Chennai.
Train services available in T.Nagar are good and connect all the places. The frequency of train services are good and are available in very regular intervals from Tambaram to Beach(via T.Nagar) which connects chennai central(Park Town)
[edit] Education
T.Nagar is home tRamakrishna Mission, Sri Sankara Bala Vidyalaya H. Sec School, Vidyodaya, and Venkata Subba Rao.
There are a number of private libraries with vast collections of books.
[edit] Landmarks
- T. Nagar Bus Stand is located off South Usman Road
- T. Nagar Head Post Office is located off Theyagaraya Road
- Vani Mahal is located at the intersection of G.N.Chetty Road and Dr. Nair Road
- Mambalam Railway Station
[edit] Personalities
- Ilayaraaja, music composer
- Sivaji Ganesan, actor
- A. R. Rahman, music composer
- Surya
[edit] References
