Chennai: India's Hidden Treasure
─Mike Corsini
Located near the southern tip of India, Chennai is a lively coastal city that exhibits South India's rich culture. For thousands of years, it was the seat of powerful kingdoms. In the seventeenth century, British colonizers began to settle there. Signs of the city's colonial past are still visible today. These, along with an outstanding food culture and relaxing natural areas, make Chennai a destination not to be overlooked.
When the British East India Company arrived in Chennai, one of the first things it did was build Fort St. George. This fort, composed of several buildings and surrounded by six-meter-high walls, became the center of a growing city. Today, a main attraction of the fort is its museum, which contains weapons, coins, uniforms, and other objects from the city's colonial history.
The colonial period also brought thousands of Christians to Chennai, which is why the city has numerous churches. One of the most interesting is San Thome Church, named for Saint Thomas the Apostle. According to tradition, Saint Thomas introduced Christianity to India when he went there in AD 52. The cathedral has a beautiful stained glass window, and it houses a bone that belongs to the saint. 印度瑰寶：清奈 清奈位於印度的南端，是個生氣勃勃的沿海城市，展現南印度豐富的文化。數千年來，它是強盛王國的所在地。十七世紀時，英國殖民者開始在那裡定居。今天仍可見到該市殖民歷史的痕跡。這些加上出色的飲食文化和令人放鬆的自然風情，使清奈成為無法被忽略的景點。
當英國東印度公司來到清奈，它首先做的事情之一就是建造「聖喬治堡」。這個堡壘由幾棟建築物和六公尺高的圍牆所組成，成為這個發展中城市的中心。如今，堡壘主要吸引人的一個地方是它的博物館，其中包含武器、錢幣、軍服和其他城市殖民歷史留下的物品。
殖民時期也為清奈帶來了成千上萬的基督徒，這就是為什麼這個城市有許多教堂。其中最饒富趣味的一座是「聖多默聖殿」，以門徒聖多默來命名。根據傳說，聖多默在西元五十二年來到清奈時將基督教引進印度。這座教堂有一片美麗的彩繪玻璃窗，並收藏了一塊屬於這位聖者的骸骨。 |
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