Discerning on-site guide to the sights and monuments of Tamil Nadu and Chennai (Madras), with referenced maps, full background information on Indian history, culture and religions, and eating and accommodation tips.

This is a chapter from Blue Guide India: the best guide for the independent traveller to India's art, architecture and history.

According to William Dalrymple, who wrote the foreword: "I can vouch for its accuracy and novelty – the Indian guide which reaches the long-forgotten wonders ignored by other guides, and the best possible guide to off-the-beaten-track India."

Written by the BBC's Sam Miller. Highlights include Chennai, Pondicherry, the temples of Kanchipuram, Kumbakonam and Madurai, the hill-station of Ooty (Ootacamund), the fortress of Gingee, Tanjore, Tranquebar and Trichy. Includes the Andaman and Nicobar islands.