Vanakkam Chennai Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kodambakkam

"Koda" in Kodambakkam means horse in Hindi language,which answers the question.

Kodambakkam is now home for many people from the film industry. It also houses the AVM film studio and the Film Director's colony. This is also one of the reason why the Tamil film industry is being referred to as "Kollywood" (Ko from Kodambakkam).

Arcot Nawabs (Nawabs of Carnatic), as they were called, ruled the region of Carnatic which includes most of the present Tamil Nadu (TN) and Andhra Pradesh (AP) states in India.

The options Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam, Mambalam, and Saidapet also form important train stations (in order) when you travel on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram EMU (Electrical Multiple Unit) railroad.

EMU is commonly referred to as "Electric Train" by the locals. This is the suburban rail service that runs in and out of the city and as of 2011-2012, 1.46 million people use these suburban train services daily.

Answer: Royapuram

Royapuram in north Chennai was the first station, opened in 1856, fifty years before Chennai Central came into being. With an area of 28 acres and 26 railway tracks, it may one day become the third railway terminal for Chennai to decongest traffic at Central and Egmore stations.

There was also a plan of converting the station into a cement and fertilizer depot from where they can be loaded on to the train and sent to other places, but the idea was dropped after strong opposition from Royapuram residents. This is also an"Adarsh" station as announced by the Government of India. This means the railways would ensure that this station have basic facilities including drinking water, adequate toilets, waiting rooms, dormitories and other facilities.

Perambur has the ICF (Integral Coach Factory) which manufactures railway coaches not only for Indian Railways but also for Bangladesh,Thailand,etc.

Tambaram is an important EMU terminal.

Answer: SAF Games Village

The answer might surprise a few. The South Asian Federation (SAF) Games Village was built for the 7th SAF games in 1995, but was taken over by the Tamil Nadu (the state where Chennai lies) govenment after the games, to provide housing for officers from government institutions. Many IPS (Indian Police Service) and IFS (Indian Forest Service) officers also reside here.

Vishwanathan Anand, world famous chess player has also owned a flat here.

Aayakar Bhavan is the office of Income tax department.

Kalas Mahal once served as the home of the Nawabs of Arcot. It is located on the Marina beachfront. Despite Madras suffering bombing by a German warship during the First World War, the building still survives.

Ezhilagam is just the new name for Kalas Mahal.

Answer: Kamarajar Salai

Kamaraj died on October 2nd,1975. Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2 but you cannot see IGP Office along MG road.

Kamraj was a great politician and was referred to as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He was in the Indian National Congress (INC) party. After his death the INC did not won one election in Tamil Nadu for at least thirty years. He was so good in his governance that any good government in Tamil Nadu is fondly called as"Kamraj Government" even by the people from the DMK and AIADMK, though they are opposed to the ideologies of the INC.

The Kamaraj Salai or the famous Beach Road runs along the Marina (the second longest coast in the world) and many places like the Vivekanada House, the Madras Lighthouse, Senate House, Presidency College, Anna Square, MGR Samadhi, Gandhi Statue, Kannaki Statue, Secretariat building and the famous MA Chidambaram stadium can be seen on this road.

The May Day statue (Triumph of Labour) near the Marina is the first of its kind in India and the first Mayday celebration in India was organised in Chennai.

Incidentally, Maharastra and Gujarat day (day of obtaining statehood) also falls on same date as Mayday.

MG road (Nungambakkam High road), EVRamasamy salai (Poonamalle High road) and Anna Salai (Mount Road) are other important arterial roads in Chennai.

Answer: St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas was one of the twelve apostles of Christ. St Thomas Mount is a notable small hillock in Chennai and one of the important neighbourhood in Chennai. It is also proposed to be the integrating terminal of the Southern Railway, Chennai EMU, Chennai Metro Rail, Chennai MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) train services and the MTC (Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus services.

Some say that St.Thomas never came to Chennai and that the British made up the story to build a Church at Santhome and convert many Hindus in and around the region to Christianity. St.Thomas Mount is also known as Parangimalai in Tamil.

Fort St.George is the Secretariat Buliding.

St.Bede was a great scholar.

Saint James Nagar does not exist anywhere in Chennai.

Answer: Singapore

The Singapore embassy on North Boag Road is within the limits of Thiyagaraya Nagar neighbourhood. It is located near the G.N. Chetty Road.

T. Nagar is the most important shopping area in Chennai. There is a popular saying among people that you can purchase anything ranging from a small hairpin to aero parts in this place.

It is also known for its huge traffic jams. Sometimes it may take more than two hours to cross this two km stretch despite many flyovers and new roads built by the Chennai Metro Development Authority.

The Indo-German Chamber Of Commerce is also located near the Singapore consulate.

Answer: Semmozhi Poonga

Semmozhi Poonga is the first botanical garden in Chennai. The garden was named to commemorate the World Classical Tamil Conference held at Coimbatore in 2010. The name Semmozhi Poonga translates to "Classical Language Park" in English.

Answer: Race Course

The Guindy race course was the first race course in India. Races are being conducted at weekends, but the prize money the winner gets is very low.

The management also earns by lending the space for movie shootings.

Interestingly, the Equestrian Statue (horse with the rider) beneath the Anna flyover on the Mount Road was raised to mark the abolition of horse racing in Chennai.

The nearest bus stop for this race course is the Velachery Check Post. Interestingly there is no checkpost anywhere in its vicinity.

Answer: Valluvar Kottam

Valluvar Kottam was built as a dedication to the work of Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar for his work "Tirukural" which has been translated in many languages of the world. All his 133 chapters, which include 1330 verses, are inscribed here.

There is also a "Tiruvalluvar Calendar" which is 31 years ahead of the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar has been officially accepted by the Govt. of Tamil Nadu.

There is a giant statue for this man at Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India. That statue is also 133 feet high.

Rajinikanth is an actor of nation fame.

Answer: Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus

Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus.

This is the largest bus terminus in Asia. The Chennai Metro Rail Depot is also proposed near CMBT. Seven government owned transport corporations operate inter-city and inter-state bus services from CMBT.