How to Explore Chennai's Spiritual Heritage

This guide will lead you to heritage sites which symbolize some of Chennai's Christian heritage. South India is known for its density of the country's Christian population, as well as being the place where St. Thomas lived some of his life and then died (landing on the Kerala coast and speared to death in Chennai)

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good walking shoes

1. 
   View from the Top

   Begin by climbing St. Thomas Mount. St. Thomas Mount is the place where Saint Thomas was supposedly speared to death. At the top is a church which is supposed to house some of his bones. The hill gives a 360 degree view of the city. The hill can either be ascended by car, or by steps. If you choose to take the steps, you will see the stations of the cross progressed all the way to the top of the hill. The bottom of the steps are located opposite to Wesley Church.

2. Visit the Cave of St. Thomas which is in Little Mount. This is an area which St. Thomas visited to spend time in prayer.

3. 
   San Thome Cathedral

   Take a trip across town to San Thome Cathedral, located in San Thome. This church, which was recently renovated, is magnificent in its architecture and definitely worth fighting through the traffic for. It is also the burial place of St. Thomas. Beneath the Cathedral is the tomb in an air conditioned chapel.

4. 
   Marina Beach

   Know that San Thome Cathedral is located near to the beach. After you have finished your visit, you can head down to Marina Beach, which is the second longest beach in the world. It is advisable to visit the beach after 4:30pm when the sun has started to set and it is cooler out. You can relax here at the beach and enjoy the various snacks and games provided here. This is not a swimming beach.