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CHAPTER 4

SOCIO-PHYSICAL AND LANDSCAPE PROFILE OF

CHENNAI REGION: A CASE STUDY OF THREE
SELECTED CORRIDORS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of two sections, one that describes the general
profile of the Chennai region consisting of part of Chennai City and northern
Kancheepuram district. It briefly describes the geographical location,
demography, infrastructure, climate, tourist centers and so on. The second
section describes six traversed landscapes selected for study and referred to as
vistas in the study. This section also observes, analyses and describes the
composition of four physical landscape components (namely, Vegetation,
Landform, Water and Built Form) in the existing landuses of the six vistas.
The six vistas are identified and characterized on the basis of the composition
of the above said physical landscape components, which are explained in this
chapter.

4.2 GENERAL PROFILE OF THE CHENNAI REGION

General profile includes the description of the geographical

location, administrative and political setup, infrastructure and socio-economic
characteristics of the region.
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4.2.1 Geographical Location

The selected case situated in the Chennai Region comprises of

Chennai city and the northern part of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, a
Southern State of India. The chosen six traverse landscapes as vistas are along
the roads that link three major tourist nodes, namely, Chennai (13 0 5'2"N,
80016'12"E), Kancheepuram (12 0 82’N, 790 71’E), and Mamallapuram
(12o 37' N, 80o 14' E, Longitude) and the three form an important tourist
circuit as well (Figure 4.1).

All three tourist nodes or destinations are connected by major

roadways whereas the National Highway, NH4, links Chennai and
Kancheepuram, State Highway, SH58, links Kancheepuram and
Mamallapuram and East Coast Road (ECR) links Chennai and
Mamallapuram. Further, NH4 and ECR connect other southern states of India
as well.

4.2.2 Administrative and Political Structure

Politically, India is divided into 28 states and 7 Union Territories.

Further, the states are divided into districts, taluks and blocks. The hierarchy
of the administrative setup is being managed by the elected representatives of
respective tier. In 1993, a three-tier local governance was introduced to
strengthen the Panchayat Raj system as per the 73rd and 74th amendments of
the Indian constitution. Tamil Nadu is politically divided into 32 districts
(including 2 newly carved districts Ariyalur and Tiruppur) and Chennai city as
its capital, further divided into taluks and blocks. Kancheepuram District
constitutes of 10 taluks with headquarters at Kancheepuram town and is
further divided into 13 blocks (Figures 4.2 and 4.3).
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Figure 4.1 Geographical Location of the Study Area

Figure4.2 Political and Administrative Structure

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Figure 4.3 Administrative/ Political Setup of the Study Area

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The planning and development units of the Kancheepuram region

and Chennai are listed in the Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Planning and Development Units of Kancheepuram Region

and Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Units in
S. Political and No. Units in Units in
Study
No Administrative Unit Kancheepuram Chennai
Region
1 District Panchayat 1
2 Panchayat Unions/
CMDA,
Community 22
CMA
Development Blocks/
3 Village Panchayat 649
4 Town Panchayat 29
5 Municipality/Corporation 6 1 Municipality,
Source: Kancheepuram District Regional Plan, TNTCP, Chennai and Draft Chennai Master Plan

4.2.3 Population

Kancheepuram region, ranks fifth in density of population in

comparison with the other districts that constitute around 4.61 percent of
Tamil Nadu’s population with last decade (1991-2001) growth rate of 19.15
percent. Population Distribution within the taluk, especially in the study
corridors that include Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu (12 0 42’N,
800 01’E) and Sriperumbudur (12° 58' 8" N / 79° 56' 56" E) taluks are high as
34, 14.53, 14.33, 11.01 per cent respectively than of the other four taluks
(Figure 4.4) as a result Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu,
Sriperumpudur taluk have recorded high rate of urbanization, due to its
location, proximity to Chennai metropolitan city with mass transport
facilities. In Kancheepuram district 56 per-cent of the population lives in
urban centers where as rest of the 44 percent lives in rural villages. The work
force consists of 1/3rd agricultural laborers, cultivators, workers in household
industries and other type of workers.
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Figure 4.4 Population Density in the study Vistas

Figure 4.5 Transportation Network in the study Vistas

Figure 4.6 Police Stations and Fire Stations in the study Vistas
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4.2.4 Socio-Economic Profile

The sex ratio improved in Chennai and Kancheepuram district from

957 to 986 and 975 to 985 females per 1000 male population in the period of
2001 to 2011. Literature rate in Chennai as high as 90.33 percent with
Kancheepuram 85.29 percent. Besides Kancheepuram region bestowed with
public health facilities, and educational facilities like primary and secondary
schools and colleges for general and medicine engineering and other
professions as well for public safety and communication there are several
police station and telephone exchange offices are present. Beside agriculture
being basic economic activity there are several industries present to engage
the literate population around.

4.3 INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure facilities like transport network, power supply,

communication, water source and supply, waste disposal, educational and
health institutions are basic necessities of the modern society. As noted
before, the study area being part of Chennai region (CMA) and being adjacent
to Chennai metropolitan city, services and facilities are easily accessible
within 2hrs duration by road. This has intensified urbanization of adjacent
taluks like Tambaram, Sriperumpudur, and St. Thomas Mount block,
especially along the highways, railway network with 32 railway stations,
Indira Gandhi International airport and Kamaraj Domestic Airport and
Chennai Sea Port provide access to all parts of the study region.

4.3.1 Transportation Networks

4.3.1.1 Roadways, railways, airways and waterways

The roads of Kancheepuram district region constitute National

Highways, State Highways, Radial and Circular roadsThe study region has
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three national highways (NH4, NH45, ECR) that act as access routes to
adjacent States such as Kerala, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Chennai City being a coastal town developed around the sea port,
all major roads in the region lead to the city as radial arteries. Important ones
among them are:1) East Coastal Road (ECR); 2) Old Mahabalipuram
Road(OMR); 3) Saidapet-Valecherry-Medavakkam-Mambakkam Road;
4) Grand Southern Trunk Road / National Highway(N.H.45); 5) Mount-
Porur-Poonamlee Road; and 6) Grand Western Trunk Road/National
Highway 45 (NH-4) (Figure4.5).

Other radial roads of the city also contribute to development of the

region, providing an access to strategic locations in their service area. Few
othersecondary roads in the region serve as radial roads providing access to
the city through the major road, for their interior service area.

The circular roads developed, helped in connecting the radial roads,

and played an important role in providing the much-needed transport facility
to the region. All the radial and circular roads along with few other district
roads provide good access to almost all part of the study region. The
radial,national highways, East Coast Road, N.H.45, Chennai-Trichy-Dindugal
road and N.H.4 Chennai-Chittur-Bangalore road are being improved to cater
to present day traffic demand. The National Highway 4 and 45 are being
developed with two-way, two-lane roads with median in between to prevent
head on collision between the vehicles moving in opposite directions.

East Coast Road (ECR) provides access to all coastal villages, and
a major tourist centre Mamallapuram, Atomic Power Station at Kalpakkam.
A number of major recreational centers like the V.G.P. Golden Beach and M.G.M.
are developed along this road. The tourist attractions of Kovalam, Muttukadu boat
house, and crocodile farm are also along this road. The ECR is one of the radial
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roads passing through Pondicherry, Cuddallore-Chidamabaram-Karaikal-

Nagapattinam-Pattukottai-Ramanathapuram-Tuticorin-Tirchendur and
Kanyakumari. And this road is expected to have heavy traffic, especially
along the stretch thatis passing through Kancheepuram region. The part of
ECR in the study area is being developed on B.O.T. basics by a Singapore
Company with state of the art road engineering, facilities and signs.

The Southern RailwaysDivision of the Indian Railways is the sole

authority to develop and maintain railways in the region. Totally about 142
km of a railway line exists in the region, including 49 km of Chengalpattu-
Kancheepuram line. There are 32 railway stations providing access to the
region. The branch line between Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram was laid in
1881 as a meter-gauge. Electric locomotive lines between Tambaram and
Chennai beach were laid in 1930, covering a distance of about 29 km. The
sub-urban railway lines were commissioned. Now, the Meter Gauge line has
been changed into a broad Gauge line and entire track in the region has been
electrified. The Sub-urban line service from Tambaram to Beach is also
being converted to broad gauge alone. The meter Gauge line is being
maintained to continue the operation of through trains up to Tambaram.

Kancheepuram region is blessed with the presence of both the

domestic and international Airport at Meenambakkam of St.Thomas Mount
Panchayat union in Tambaram taluk. The airport is located on Grand
Southern Trunk (GST) Road. It has the suburban railway service facility with
Thirusulam railway station between Pallavaram and Meenambakkam. The
domestic terminal and the international terminal are named after the former
chief ministers,as the Anna International Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic
Airport. The region has the Chennai harbour that carter to waterways
transportation. Besides, the Buckingham Canal along the eastern coast stretches
inland. It was used as an effective inland waterways transportation by the British
in the pre-independence period.
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4.3.1.2 Goods transport

A part of Chennai City Metropolitan Area forms a part of the

Kancheepuram district region. Due to the existence of a major harbour in
Chennai, the roads leading to the city experience heavy goods transport both
in terms of volume and tonnage of the transported materials. A goods vehicle
forms a major component of the vehicles moving along the National
Highways, namely,NH4 and NH45.

4.3.1.3 Commuter facility

Road and rail are the main commuter facilitiesinthe Chennai

Region. There are three pairs of passenger train services from Arakonam to
Chengalpattu and two pairs from Kancheepuram to Chennai. Further, the
establishment of a number of major industries along with industrial estates
has also increased mass transport demand of the area, particularly along the
Chennai-Bangalore Road Corridor(NH4) and Sriperumpudur-Chengalpattu
Corridor(NH45).

The Chengalpattu-Tambaram-Chennai beach segment has regular

sub-urban railway services. Establishment of a number of Arts and Science
Colleges and Engineering Colleges all over the region led to a considerable
increase in the demand for mass transport. Now private and public transport
buses also carry a major part of the daily traffic.

4.3.2 Other Infrastructural Facilities

4.3.2.1 Electricity and power

ll towns, villages and hamlets (4,297 as in 1991) are connected with

electricity lines in Kancheepuram District. Electricity is generated at the
Kalpakkam Atomic Power Plant, which is the third largest atomic reactor unit
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in the country, with two units of capacity 235 MW each. The power generated
here is being shared between all the southern states. It is directly linked to the
400 K.V. sub-station at Pennalur in Sriperumpudurtaluk for distribution. This
is the only 400/230 K. V sub-station in the region. Two other 230/110 KV
substations are at Singaperumal Koil and Acharappakam.The 110/33/11 K.V.
sub-stations are located at Demal and Kaliyampoondi in Kancheepuram
Division and at Tidel Park in K.K.Nagar Division. The 110/11.K.V.
substation located at (1) Kandambathur and (2) Perumbakkam in
Chengalpattu Division and Ramapuram in K.K.Nagar Division. Six, 33/11
K.V. small substations and fifty high-tension transformers cater to the
electricity needs in the region. There are several petrol pumps along the
highways that cater to energy demands of motor vehicles.

4.3.2.2 Post and telegraph and telephones

Post and Telegraph services in the region are carried over by

different postal divisions. Chennai division cater to Chennai city and its
precincts, while the remaining part of Chennai Metropolitan area comprising
parts of Tambaram, Chengalpattu and Sriperumpudur taluk are served by
respective postal headquarters. They venture into finance and insurance
sectors as well.

The Government of India separated the telephone services from the

Postal andTelegraph Department and this service is being extended through
the B.S.N.L. (Bharath Sanchar Nigam Limited) a company registered for that
purpose, by introducing privatization to improve efficiency. Apart from this
Government sponsored company, there are other private operators like the
Airtel and the Touchtel providing telephone services in the region. All the
companies now provide the mobile phone services also for the region.
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4.3.2.3 Police stations and fire stations

This region has two police districts to maintain law and order. First
division, Chengalpattu East District, with headquarters at St. Thomas Mount
controls the entire sub-urban areas of Chennai city (Pallavaram, Tambaram
and parts of Sriperumpudur: excluding Anna Nagar West and Ashok Nagar).
It is controlled by the city police commissioners (Figure4.6).

Kancheepuram Police District (earlier Chengalpattu West) manages

the remaining parts of Kancheepuram district, that is further divided into five
sub-divisions. Each division has a separate all women police station, to cater
to gender specific law and order issues in the region.

The district level fire prevention and protection wing is functioning

at Kancheepuram. The region is divided into nine divisions as noted below for
efficient fire prevention services at: 1. Kancheepuram, 2. Chengalpattu,3.
Sriperumbudur, 4.Maraimalai Nagar, 5. Tambaram, 6. Uthiramerur,
7.Thirukazhukundram, 8.Mathuranthakam, and 9. Acharapakkam.

4.3.2.4 Health and education facilities

In the process of Government’s economic liberalization and

modernization policies, health and educational services have opened up for
privatization, anticipating fast and free access to goods and services. In
consequence, in the recent years, several private educational institutes and
health facilities cropped up in the region, apart from Government managed
health and educational facilities.

The health facilities can be broadly categorized as Primary Health

Centers (PHCs), Taluk Headquarters Hospitals, District Headquarters
Hospital and General Hospitals that are managed and maintained by
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respective administrative setup. The study region consists of almost forty

PHCs, which cater to rural population with various health camp programs like
family welfare, child health care, maternity, immunization, epidemic control
programs and so on. Further, the health programs are introduced or
terminated by the government as and when it is notified.

Furthermore, the status of health facilities areupgraded to higher levels

such as the primary health center to community health centers, taluk
headquarters hospitals to district headquarters hospitals, considering the
demand for their services. Besides the above, there are special wings for the
traditional Indian systems of medicine like the Siddha, Unani, Ayurveda and
also for the German-oriented homeopathic health remedies, established to
cater to the special needs of the people.

Several medical facilities owned and managed by the private and

voluntary organizations also operate in this region. The study region consists
of many veterinary facilities in the form of veterinary centers and veterinary
hospitals to cater to animal health, both the domestic and the wild. The health
facilities in the region and the study area are shown in Figure4.7.

Facilities for education are provided both by the government and

private institutions at various levels. The school level of education can be
broadly classified as primary, middle, high and higher secondary. The higher
studies after the school level education are provided for by various types of
educational institutions with diverse fields in the form of Arts and Sciences
Colleges, Engineering Colleges, Poly Technics, Medical Colleges, Dental
Colleges, Physiotherapy Colleges, Pharmacology Colleges, Nursing Colleges,
Siddha andAyurvedha Colleges, and Homeopathy Colleges, as shown in
Figure 4.8.
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4.3.2.5 Trade and commerce

Availability and proximity of necessary infrastructures for

industrial development pave way for the establishment of several industries of
different scales and types in the region, besides the liberal policy adopted by
the government in general. Major industries, which include automobile,
electrical, engineering, chemical, textile, fertilizer and agro-based industries
are observed in this region. There are about hundred large scale industries in
the region.

A few important industrial estates like the SIPCOT (State

Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu), Hyundai, Ford and
Hindustan Motors Companies, Saint Gobin Glass India Ltd. are situated along
the NH4. Besides, the region also contains several cottage and village
industries which are involved with the handloom products, stone carvings,
basket makings, bleaching and dying, and other handicrafts.

Supporting facilities for trade and commerce such as the regular

markets, weekly markets and banks are observed in the region (Figure4.9).
The study region is vulnerable to growing demand for industrial and
residential developments, above and beyond the presence of several natural
landscape components in and around. Further, to note, the presence of lakes,
hills, wetlands are perceived as ‘development constraints’ (page 165,
Chaptera-8, 9.2. Development Constraints, District Regional Plan,
Kancheepuram DTCP, Government of Tamil Nadu 2004) and not as
development potentials.
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Figure 4.7 Distribution of Health Centres in the study Vistas

Figure 4.8 Educational Facilities in the study Vistas

Figure 4.9 Commerce and Trade in the study Vistas

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4.4 IMPORTANT URBAN CENTERS AND NODES

Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning (TNTCP) Department has

identified 56 settlments as urban centers of the region in its report on district
regional plan of Kancheepuram District(2004). The size of towns are decided
by the distribution of urban population in any settlement or urban centers.
About 38 percent of the population is living in urban centers of above 100,000
persons, whereas 52 percent is accommodated in urban centers of 10,000 to
50,000 persons, due to affordable infrastructural facilities. Further, the
TNTCP Department has studied the heirarchy of settlments on the basis of
development potentials, weighing various parametersof growth of settlements
(size,growth rate and density), acccessibility, amenities, trade,
communicationand adminstrative status. Having screened 10 settlements from
the 56 identifed urban centers and ranked on the bases of their development
potentials as growth pole, growth centre; and service center, identified the
nodes beyondthe Chennai city limit like Kancheepuram as growth pole,
Sripermpudur asgrowthcenter,Chengalpattu as growth center and
Mamallapuram asone of the growth centers with special conditions. The study
region consists of different types of urban centers as per the population scale,
urban centers of different population scale, specific to study corridor (Vista)
are illustrated in the Figure 4.10.

Six important urban nodes are identified in the traversed landscape

study, namely, Chennai City center, Porur in CMA area, Sripermpudur town,
Kancheepuramtown, Chengalpattutown and Mamallapuram town. The urban
nodes observed as a threshold where the visual character of the landscape has
changed gradually. Landuse character of the urban nodes differ to an extent
on its scale of urban activity. Breif description of the identified
urbancenters/nodes within the selected corridor are explained in the following
pages.
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4.4.1 Urban Node 1: Chennai City Center

Chennai cosmopolitan city is the capital of Tamil Nadu and the

fourth largest metropolitan city of the country, with an area of about 1,189
km2, located between the latitudes of 12o 50’49” N and 13o 17’ 24” N, and
longitudes of 79o 59’53” E and 80o 20’12” E at Coromandel coast in southern
India. It has a population of 7.04 million as on 2001 Census and is anticipated
to rise further. The land is predominantly a flat coastal plain, with a few
hillocks: St. Thomas Mount, Thirusulam, and Pallavaram area. It has three
rivers - the Adyar, Coouum, and Kosasthalaiyar rivers converge at the Bay of
Bengal on the east, and has three major lakes that go by the names:
Sembarambakkam Lake, Sholavaram Lake and Red Hills Lake. It is an
important, well connected, transportation hub, with airports, seaport,
roadways and railways, to travel to other regions of the country and abroad. A
man-made canal, Buckingham Canal of the post independent British period,
runs north to south and has historic value. Predominantly, it is a dense built up
area with a diverse mixture of modern urban built form catering to activities
that include residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and recreation.

A few historic structures, ranging from ancient temples to British’s

Indo-Saracenic style buildings, are observed in the city. Guindy reserved
forests are also located in the city. The adjacent areas are also fast urbanizing,
further to Sriperumpudur Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu taluks and
demarcated as Chennai Metropolitan Area(CMA) by the CMDA, that shares
infrastructure and services of the city.
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Figure 4.10 Important Urban Centres in Study Vistas

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4.4.2 Urban Node 2: Porur in CMA

Porur is considered to be a battle site for the Palava kings of 6 th to

8th A.D. with an area of 3.78 Sq. Kms, above 16m MSL. Due to its proximity
to Chennai, its population rose to 28,782 as per 2001 censes density 7,614per
Sq Kms. Porur is known for its vegetable markets, chemical industries,
manufacturing plants. Porur Lake is an important landmark as it supplies
water to the surrounding areas. It is connected by the Arcot road to
Nungambakkam and Mount –Poonamalle High Road from the St. Thomas
Mount road area. It is observed as an important urban center, junction and a
threshold to the semi- urban areas of the region.

4.4.3 Urban Node 3: Sriperumpudur Town

Sriperumpudur town with an area of about 19.39 km 2 (1,939

hectares), sited 45 km down southwest of Chennai city lies 37m above MSL.
It has a strong religious, cultural and historic significance being a birth place
of the Hindu vaishnavaite saint Sri Ramanujam and with numerous religious
structures like theAdhikesava Perumal temple, namely, the
Boothabureeswarar Temple, Manavala Maamuni Temple, Thaan Thondri
Amman Temple and many Mandapams (pillared halls) of heritage value. The
town evolved around the temple. It is located adjacent to one of the three
industrial development corridors, that is, electronic hardware corridor (other
two corridors being theOld Mahabalipuram Road-Information Technology
(OMR-IT) corridor, GST-logistic and Industries corridor), with electronic and
automobile industries and estates. Several tanks and natural ponds surround
the town. Sriperumpudur Lake irrigates a large area of the surrounding
croplands (like paddy, groundnuts and sugarcane) and plantations. The soil is
predominantly brown clayey soil. It has a few undulations, too. Madras Motor
Sports Club (MMSC) with racing tracts is situatedT 5km from the town at
Irrungattukottai. The population density of the town is 15 people per hectare
 136

(pph). It is well connected by roadways (NH-4, SH-57, SH-113, SH-110) to

Chennai and other parts of the State. Considering its development
potential,the TNTCP Department has identified Sriperumpudur as a growth
center.

4.4.4 Urban Node 4: Kancheepuram Town

Kancheepuram town, an internationally renowned temple town

(area 11.72 km2), is located at 76 km form Chennai city above 83m MSL. It
has cultural and religious significance,being an architectural showcase of the
Dravidian style temples dating back to the 6th century A.D. During 6th to 8th
A.D., it was a capital of the Pallavas and later turned as a citadel of the
Cholas, Vijayanagar kings and Muslim rulers, till the British took over.
Traditional silk weaving and handloom produce are still the backbone of the
economy, in addition to tourism. A tributary of the river Palar, the Vegavathy
passes at the western side of the town and is surrounded by numerous lakes
and ponds. It slopes towards the south with soil types such as the black and
red loams, and clay and sandy soils. It is classified as a Class I town with
13,280 persons/km2of population density (152,984 population in Census
2001) with a District Headquarters that administers the District. It is also well
connected with highways (NH4, SH58) and railways to other major towns.
Further, the TNTCP Department has identified Kancheepuram town as the
growth pole for the region, considering its development potential.

4.4.5 Urban Node 5: Chengalpattu Town

Chengalpattu town is situated 56 km southwest of Chennai city.

The term ‘Chengal pattu’ came from the early Tamil word ‘Sengalunirpattu’.
It was a part of many early empires from the Pallava to Vijayanagar kings till
it came under the regime of the British rule in 1801 A.D. Traditionally it is a
commercial center for agricultural produce and small trade activities.
Population density increased from 8,888 personsto a km 2 to 10,284 people
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to a km2during 1991-2001. It is well connected with roadways (NH45) and

railways to other parts of the State. It has a medium west to east slope with
Kolavai Lake and wetlands on the north, prominent inselbergs of hill outcrops
on the west, and reserved forestson the southwest. Hard clay soil types and
hard rock beds are observed within 1 meter depth in some parts of the town.
Absence of any industry or any production unit indicates that Chengalpattu
town has been neglected for a long period of time in spite of its central
location and despite its potential as a nodal center for tourism development
around major lakes and hills and wetland landscapes. The TNTCP has
identified Chengalpattu as an important growth centre, considering its
development potential.

4.4.6 Urban Node 6: Mamallapuram

Mamallapuram is a coastal town located at 55 km south of Chennai

city, at an average elevation of 13m above MSL. It is an important tourist
destination to both domestic and international tourists. It is historically
significant for its rock cut monuments, the nine rock cut temple, five rathas,
shore temple and the tiger cave, which are listed as world heritage sites by
UNESCO. It is a showcase for ancient Dravidian style rock structures built in
the Pallava period, around 7 th and 9th century A. D. It is also a popular
recreational site to weekend visitors around the region. The town population
is a mere 12,049 people. It is well connected with roadways – the East Coast
Road from Chennai and also the Old Mahapalipuram Road. The economics of
the town depends primarily on tourism related products and services.

4.5 LANDSCAPE PHYSICAL FEATURES

4.5.1 General

This Chapter deals with the measurable physical landscape features

like water bodies, soil, geology, rainfall and slope that facilitate the visual
landscape perception as a resource, in regional scale and along the selected
vistas.
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4.5.1.1 Water

The availability of water in the ponds and wells depends on rainfall

in the region; the groundwater storage depends on the recharge capacity of the
soils. The ponds are filled during the monsoon months and often go dry if the
monsoon fails. There are 1,942 ponds and tanks, 5,059 tube wells and
103,410 open wells in this region. The rivers in the region are also seasonal.
The water demand for irrigation and domestic purposes is met by
groundwater during the drought periods. Hence, a majority of the water
bodies is dry, except for a few major ones such as the Porur,
Chembarambakkam, Sriperumpudur, Thenneri and Kolavai Chengalpattu
lakes which are observed along the selected vistas.

In Kancheepuram Region, groundwater is available in almost all

parts of the district within 3m and 15m of depth. In this connection, it is also
noted that Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) with the
assistance of Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University has made a
detailed study about the groundwater recharge conditions of the region.

The quality of groundwater depends on rock types and irrigation

practices. Kancheepuram region has varying geological environs from hard
crystalline, semi-consolidated Gondwana and unconsolidated coastal sand,
which reflect on the groundwater quality.

4.5.1.2 Physiography, drainage, slope and runoff

The region has varied physiographic features of which the plains

are the most prominent ones. High relief areas occur in blocks of
Acharapakkam Kattankulathur, Thirukalukundram, Thirupporur, Kumdrathur,
and St. Thomas Mount. The series of inselbergs and residual hills are with
elevations up to 276 m above mean sea level and are aligned almost parallel
 139

to the coast, and the general slope of the land is towards east-southeast. Thus,
the land that is at elevation in the western part gradually decreases towards
the sea level on the east.

The River Palar flowing through Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu

confluences with the Bay of Bengal, chiefly draining Kancheepuram district,
Venkadu in Lattur block. The river in its lower reaches has a vast floodplain
but is dry for most part of the year. The River Cheyyar, a tributary of the Palar
confluences with the Palar at Mukkudu near Walajabad. The next important
river flowing through the area is Adyar.

The Slope in the vistas varies between nearly level (0-1%) and very
steep (>35%) sloping category. The terrain in almost a major portion of the
district is flat, with the slope varying between nearly level (0-1%) and gently
sloping (2-3%) category. Very little pockets of Kattankulathur and
Thirukazhukundram blocks have slopes varying between moderately sloping
(5-10%) to very steep sloping (15-35%) category as shown in Figure 4.11.

This region receives major showers during the southwest monsoon,

followed by the northeast monsoon. The daily rainfall data was collected from
13 rainfall stations. The quantum of runoff was computed on a sub-watershed
basis. It is considered as one among the many inputs for groundwater
recharge. Each sub-watershed is considered as a polygon and suitable ranks
and weights are given for integration in the GIS analysis, as shown in
Figure 4.12.

4.5.1.3 Distribution of rainfall over Kancheepuram region

The normal annual rainfall over the district varies from about 1,105
mm to about 1,214 mm. It is minimum in the western and the north-western parts
of the district, around Uthiramerur (1,105 mm), Sriperumpudur (1,116.3 mm),
 140

Vayalur (1,148.3mm) and Kancheepuram (1,146.2 mm). It gradually

increases towards east and southeast. It is maximum around Kovalam
(1,214.2 mm) (also see Plate 6). The probability of occurrence of normal
rainfall over the district has also been studied. It is observed that the chances
of receiving normal annual rainfall are in the range of 40-50 percent over the
entire district.

The coefficient of variation of the annual rainfall, from the normal,

ranges from 25 percent in Kanchipuram to 30 percent in Chengalpattu. It is
the minimum (20-25 percent) in the north-western part of the district. It is
maximum in the central parts, around Chengalpattu (30 percent). In the rest
of the district, it is in the range of 25-30 percent (Plate7). The percentage
probability of receiving excess rainfall (that is, 25 percent or more in excess
of the normal) varies from 16 percent at Kancheepuram to 22 percent at
Mathuranthakam and Uthiramerur.A Study of the negative departures of the
annual rainfall from the normal reveals that the probability of occurrence of
moderate drought ranges from 11 percent at Kancheepuram to 18 percent at
Sriperumpudur.

Small area in the central part around Chengalpattu and a very small
area around Sriperumpudur experienced moderate and severe drought
conditions for 20 percent or more than 20 percent of the years. Hence, these
areas come under the Category of “Drought Area”. Time-series analysis of
annual rainfall has been carried out by the Central Ground Water Board. From
the results, it is observed that there is a rising trend (0 to 2 mm/year) in low
portions in the northeastern part around Sriperumpudur and in the north-
western part of the district experienced declining trend in annual rainfall,
ranging from 0 to -4 mm/year. The declining trend is maximum (-2 to -4
mm/year) in the northern part around Vayalur and in the western part around
Uthiramerur. In the remaining part, the declining trend is in the range of 0 to -
2 mm/year.
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Figure 4.11 Slope and Drainage in the study Vistas

 142

Figure 4.12 Distribution of Normal Annual Rainfall

Figure 4.13 Geological Formations in the study Vistas

Figure 4.14 Soil Types in the study Vistas Vistas

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4.5.1.4 Geology

The district has a varied range of rock types, mainly charnockites,

gneisses, granites, sedimentary rocks like shale, sandstone and recent
alluvium and beach sand, along the sea coast.

The southern and south-eastern parts of the region are exposed to

Charudicit Archaean group while in the central and western parts of the
region upper Gondwana rocks are seen. Along the coastal tract are sand and
continental alluvium. Generally, the upper sediments are a thin layer. The
upper Gondwana sediments in the southern parts and the marine sediments in
the central and north-eastern parts along with part laterite capping over part of
both the upper Gondwana and marine sediments are noticed in the region as
shown in Figure 4.13.

The district has a combination of hard rock and sedimentary

formation and hence the landforms occurring in these formations are also
varying. There are residual hills formed by inselbergs. Floodplains along the
course of the River Palar are of hard rock area.

Kancheepuram district is predominantly underlined by hard

Archaean crystalline rocks and, to a smaller extent, of sedimentary
formations. Because of the geological diversities, groundwater occurs in
different aquifer. The groundwater in hard rock occurs under water table
conditions and limited to shallow weathered mantle. This water is explored
through open wells and bore wells where the deep fracture systems are
encountered. The depth of open wells ranges from 3m to 15m and bore wells
go up to 40m – 60m deep.

4.5.1.5 Soils

In the region, there are four major soil orders, technically named as
Entisol, Inceptsol, Allisol, and Verlisol, comprising of red, black, river
 144

alluvial, and coastal alluvial soils. The red soil occupies around 64 percent of
the area followed by 15 percent of the black soils and 11 percent of the river
alluvial. The coastal alluvial soil occupies about 10 percent of the total area.
The soils of the region are generally not rich in nutrition or fertility. Only land
near banks of the rivers has fertile alluvial soils, used for agriculture. The
soils of ferruginous types, found in major part of the region, are less fertile.
The sandy soils mixed with soda or other alkaline traces along the coast are
unsuitable for cultivation, other than for growing casuarina and coconut
plantations. The availability of different soils in the region, taluks covered by
the case study corridors, are given in Table 4.2 and represented in
Figure 4.14.

As reported by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) kankery

limestones, are derived from igneous or sedimentary rocks by solution and re-
deposition, exist around Thirukazhukundram and Chembarambakkam part of
the vistas. They occur generally below the laterite soil layer.

Table 4.2 Taluk-wise Soil Classification

S. Place of Occurrences in Study Region

Soil Type
No (Taluk)
1 Red Soils Thirukazhukundram, Chengalpattu,
Kancheepuram and Sriperumpudur
2 Brown Soils Thirukazhukundram, Chengalpattu, and
Kancheepuram
3 Mixed Soils Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram
4 Black Soils Thirukazhukundram, and Kancheepuram
5 Alluvial Soils Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram

Source: Statistical Handbook Tamil Nadu

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Soils in the region can be grouped, hydrologically, into four soil

groups. The soil group ‘A’ with high infiltration and low runoff potential is
found in a large area in St. Thomas Mount and Thirukazhukundram blocks of
this district.

The soil group ‘B’ with moderate infiltration and moderate runoff
potential is found in Kundrathur, Sriperumpudur, Tirupporur, Kattankulattur,
Uthiramerur, St.Thomas Mount, Acharapakkam and Chithamur blocks of the
district.

The hydrological soil group ‘C’ with slow infiltration and moderate
runoff potential is predominant in Kancheepuram, Lattur, Mathuranthakam,
Walajabad and Chithamur blocks of this district.The hydrological soil group
‘D’ with very slow infiltration and high runoff potential is found in a very
small area of the district.

4.5.1.6 Climate

The region falls under the tropical hot and humid climate type. An
oppressive summer and good seasonal rainfall characterize the climate. It can
be distinctly categorized into four seasons. The dry hot summer season from
March to May is followed by the southwest monsoon season from June to
August. September constitutes the post-monsoon season or retreating
monsoon season. The period from October to December is the northeast
monsoon season, with the associated rains being confined to October-
December. January and February form the winter season. Places near to the
sea experience land and sea breezes as a result the weather turns pleasantly
moderate at evenings.
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During January, the mean daily temperature over the district is

around 25oC and the weather is pleasant in January and February. The period
from April to June is generally hot. The daytime heat is oppressive and the
temperature is as high as 43oC. There is a regular drop in the temperature of
day during the northeast monsoon period, stretching from October to
December. On thewhole, climate in the district is tropical.

High relative humidity is between 58 percent and 84 percent,

prevailing throughout the year. The relative humidity is maximum in the
mornings and minimum in the evenings. Higher rates of relative humidity are
observed between November and January, that is, 83 percent to 84 percent. In
the month of June, the humidity is lower, that is, around 58 percent. Average
relative humidity in the mornings and evenings is 74 percent and 64 percent,
respectively.

The mean wind speed ranges from 9.0 kmph to 16.4 kmph. Wind
speed is minimum during the month of January and February and maximum
during June. Annual mean wind speed is 11.8 kmph.

Average annual rainfall in the region is 1,155.4 mm. Generally the

rainfall decreases from the east coast towards the interior parts of the region.
The rainfall during the southwest monsoon season is 35 percent of the annual
normal rainfall. About 55 percent of the annual normal rainfall is received
during the period of October to December. The variation in the rainfall from
year to year is appreciable. On an average, there are 53 rainy days in a year.
The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded was 457.2mm at Kancheepuram in
October 1943.

On an average the climate of this region ranges from moderate to

hot humid.
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4.5.1.7 Wildlife

Wild animals are rare in the forests of the Kancheepuram region.

Leopards in small numbers can be seen along the hills. Moreover, spotted
deer, wild dogs, jackals, foxes, hare and grey squirrels are other animals
found in the region. Birds of more than 100 species are also found in this
region.

Vedanthangal, a bird sanctuary, is in Mathuranthakam taluk of the

region. The shallow tank here gets filled even with moderate rains.
Thousands of water birds such as stork andhircine are attracted to the area
during the months of September and March for nesting and breeding.

The amphibians and reptiles of the region comprise of 10 species of

frogs and toads, 2 species of turtles, 11 species of lizards and 15 species of
snakes. The fresh and brackish water fishes available in the regions include
170 species belonging to 57 families of the fresh water group. The brackish
water fauna constitute the perches, glass fishes, groupers, pony fishes,
sillagoes, snappers, silver-biddies, beans croaers, goat fishes, sickle fishes,
leaf fishesand rabbit fishes.

4.5.2 Landscape Components Along the Vistas

The Kancheepuram region is more or less a plain, with residual

hills extending parallel to the coast ranging in elevation between 16m to
230m. This forms the zone of pediments and buried pediments with maximum
number of surface/storage tanks. The coastal tract is marked by three beach
terraces ranging in elevation between 4m and 12m with broad inter-terrace
depressions. Geographically, the region consists of plains, lagoons, hills,
coastal belt, rivers, the lakes and tanks. The region has diverse landscape
components, potentially a visual treat at glance.
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4.5.2.1 Vegetation

The selected study region (Chennai City and northern part of

Kancheepuram district) is restored with vegetation component in the form of
forest, agricultural lands, plantations, parks and avenue of street trees along
the roads of urban centers. The composition of this vegetation conspicuously
varies within the identified vistas in the study region. This displays variety in
the landscape character types observed.

The flora of the region has about 1,150 different species of about
131 different families, according to Botanical Survey of India. The vegetation
of the region is broadly grouped in to five major types: (1) Scrub Jungle;
(2) Psammophytic Vegetation; (3) Halophytic vegetation; (4) Mangrove
vegetation; and (5) Aquatic Vegetation.

Similarly, the grasses in the region belong to about 150 different

species, which is nearly 13 percent of the total flora. Extensive cropland,
plantations, numerous water bodies and open scrub jungles offer excellent
habitats for grasses in the region. However, only 3 percent of the total area of
the region is available for grazing. This is reported to be quiet inadequate for
cattle population of the region. Larger salt affected land parches are also
observed. Different types of vegetation patches such as scrub, Crops,
individual trees etc are found in selected vistas

Scrub Lands in the form of scrub jungles of the region harbors

many medicinal plants. The siddha medicine system uses number of native
plants growing in this region.

Croplands of this region and the vistas also includes economically

important species like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, flowers, spices and
condiments, plantation crops and plants used in cottage industries.
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Plantations are either grown by private owners purely for

commercial purposes or by the Forest Department for economic gains or
social needs and environmental protection under social forestry programs that
have also extended to the coastal stretches as casuarina and eucalyptus
plantations. The most noticeable trees in the study region are the palmyra and
casuarina. Banyan, mango, tamarind, neem, karuvelam (prosopis) and eucalyptus,
bamboo and coconut are the other important trees grown in the region.

Forestlands are predominantly a designated reserve forest areas.

The forest cover of the study area is about 2 percent (24 km2) of the CMA
area. There are several forest designated and reserved by the Ministry of
Forests and Environment. Forest cover of the designated forest areas is
predominantly open and with few patches of dense forests and open scrubs
(Figure4.15). Forest areas are spotted in the selected vista, the fourth, fifth and
sixth, which constitute forest lands, especially Vista 5 (Chengalpatttu to
Mamallapruam) which consists of several designated reserved forests (R.F.) such
as Manumanthapa R. F., Vallam R. F., Nimmeli R. F., Tirukazhukundram R. F.,
and Oragadam R. F. They are observed as adjacent to Anjur R. F., Sirukundram R.
F., Sengundram R.F. and Salur R.F. which form the backdrop of the Vista
scenes (2nd Master Plan for CMA, 2026).

Street Trees are the observed roadside trees and trees within the plots of
the city center are considerable and potentially a major visual relief in the urban
centers. They form the major parts of the vegetal cover of Chennai city.

4.5.2.2 Landforms

Landform character of the region is predominantly flat. However,

several physical reliefs in the form of undulations and hilly areas occur, which
are threatened however by the pressures of development and the insensitive
planning policies.
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Plains

The general level of the area ranges from the mean sea level (0m) to
about 90m above it. Chennai to Sriperumpudur and Kancheepuram are
predominantly flat plains. The Bay of Bengal is the eastern boundary of the
region. Generally, the coastal belt is with a gentle slope towards east-southeast It
is dreary near the sea and undulating and hilly elsewhere. The coastal stretches
are flat and dreary consisting of marshes, lagoons, small bays and backwaters.

Undulations are observed in Thirukazhukundram and Chengalpattu

taluks, traversed by several ridges of low hills stretching parallel to the coast for
about 32km at a distance of about 12km to 14km inland. They are ridges or
conical or ellipsoidal hills rarely exceeding 185m in height. The hillocks of
very ancient crystalline geneissic groups are also observed in Kancheepuram,
Sriperumpudur, Tambaram, Chengalpattu and Mathuranthakam taluks.

Hills, the southern part of the region is hilly, which forms a part of
the Eastern Ghats. These hills and hill ranges rarely exceed an elevation of
210m. They do add to the scenic beauty; though they do not affect the climate
appreciably in the region. However, its potential as a tourist visual resource is
overlooked. Generally, the cliffs are seen without vegetation while on the
slopes grasses and bushes can be encountered.

Coastal Dunes a major part of this coast has sandy beaches. Along
the coastal belt we can see casuarina groves, lagoons, backwaters and coconut
groves. There exists a good, freshwater aquifer in the sandy coastal belt. This
part is getting developed faster and exploitation of groundwater in the belt is
greater and dangerous to the extent of attracting sea water intrusion. The
Buckingham Canal is parallel to the sea coast in this partof the region.
Mamallapuram, Sadras, Kovalam etc. were some important ports in early
history of the region with trade links to European countries. The Bay of Bengal
is the border of the district in the east and the district has a coastal belt of about
87km.
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Figure 4.15 Forest Cover

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4.5.2.3 Water Bodies

Water components found in the region are the rivers, lakes, tanks,
ponds, swamps, lagoons or marshes, salt pans and canals. Though lakes and
rivers are seasonal and depend on monsoon showers for water; however they
serve to recharge the aquifers underground. Lakes and ponds are observed as
highly vulnerable to development pressures. The city center is bestowed with
two rivers, namely, Adyar and Cooum and a few other drainage channels and
backwaters, and lakes and tanks whereas Kancheepuram is bestowed with the
Palar and Vegavathy rivers and a large number of ponds and tanks of various
sizes.

Backwaters and/Lagoons of different sizes are observed along the

coastal stretches of the region. A major lagoon in the region exists near the
historic coastal village of Kovalam. Other lagoons are down south, at
Yedayan Thittu, Kalinelli and Kalivelli tanks. Muttukkadu backwater plays a
major role in sustaining the marshland and the Buckingham Canal.

Rivers, there are five rivers in the study region, namely, Adyar,
Cooum, Palar, Vagavathy and Cheyyar. The river Adyar originates at
Guduvancheri village but assumes the appearance of a stream only after it
receives the surplus water from the Chembarambakam tank. This collects the
storm waters of the catchment area and flows through the northern part of the
region, before entering Chennai city district near Ashok Nagar.

The river Palar, one of the major rivers of Tamil Nadu, is running
through this district, Cheyyar, Vegavathy and Adyar are other important
rivers in the region. The Palar, the chief river of the region, rises on the
Nandidurg of Karnataka State and runs for about 295 km, through Vellore,
Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts before joining the Bay of Bengal at a
place about 5 km south of Sadras. The river Vegavathy which runs in
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Kancheepuram district also joinsthe Palar river and it supports the socio-
economic activities of Kancheepuram town. The river Cheyyar originates in
the Javadhu hills of Vellore district and flows through the region and joins the
Palar about 13km east of Kancheepuram at the Thirumukkudal.

Tanks and Lakes, the Kancheepuram region is sometimes referred

to as the “District of Lakes,” due to numerous tanks and lakes including
the major ones at Chembarambakkam, Sriperumpudur, Thenneri,
Mathuranthakam, Uthiramerur, and Chengalpattu (Kolavai Eri). There are
1,942 tanks in the region, maintained by the State P.W.D. and the local
bodies. The tanks are mostly harnessed for irrigation purposes. The
Vedanthangal and Karikill tanks are situated in the Mathuranthakam taluk and
are of importance as they attract water birds from all over the world. The
shallow tanks get inundated even with moderate rains and are teemed with
micro-organisms and food for the birds.

Buckingham Canal: During the 19thcentury,a water transport

system for movement of goods and materials (trade commodities) was in
vogue in the coastal area of the region. The existing canals in the coastal area
were deepened and linked by the Duke of Buckingham during his
Governorship of Madras Presidency in 1877-78. Since then this canal was
known as the Buckingham Canal and was used to transport trade commodities
like salt and firewood. Now it is not suitable for communication as it is very
shallow and broken in continuity due to silting. It serves now as a drainage
channel and flood distribution canal during the rainy season. To revive the
canal to its old glory is a matter of concern to many scholars.

Salt Pans in the backwater regions of the coastal belt such as

Kovalam, Chunnampet and Cheyyur is utilized for making salt in the vast
expanse of saltpans. Traditional art of salt making is still a part of an
economic activity in this region.
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4.5.2.4 Built forms

The built-up or the builtform of this region is both urban and rural
in character. The urban builtform employs modern construction technology
and processed materialssuch as cement, burnt brick, wood and glass. On the
contrary, rural builtforms are yet huts and hutments that consist of traditional
raw materialssuch as the mud walls and thatched roofs and modern materials
are used sparingly. Modern buildings are also common in the villages,
although they are not built with modern amenities as in urban areas. The
amount of urban builtform can be an indicator of urban character of a
landscape. The observed landuses show a predominantly urban built-up area
in the region, which is radiating and spreading from the urban centers and
stretches along the major road networks in need for quick access to other parts
of the region. Individual builtforms (of urban and rural character) in
comparison to the rest of the selected vistas are discussed in Chapter V: The
Observed Landscape.

4.6 LAND USE

In India, the quality of the urban, rural and the forest landscapes are
developed, regulated and protected by various institutional authorities such as
the city corporations, municipalities, and development authorities, focusing
on the maintenance and management of civic utilities of the metropolitan and
smaller cities. Further,Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)and private
and public institutions are also involved in the development process.

4.6.1 Existing Land Uses

Town and Country Planning Organizations (TCPOs) in the State

and the Center affect the regional and rural development processes by
monitored regulations such as the District Regional Plans and the Master
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Plans. Further, local authorities like the Panchayat, Unions, Block Panchayats
and Village Panchayats regulate the landscapes of the rural areas. Moreover,
governmental agencies such as the Urban Art Commissions (UACs),
Municipalities, and City Corporations and ward committees regulate
development activities in the urban areas. These organizations are in the
process of finding good mechanisms to incorporate public involvement. The
Ministry of Forests and Environment focuses on issues of designated reserved
forests. Further, there are several NGOs which are also actively involved in
the development process, meticulously identifying the issues and bringing to
the notice of the government and the public. There also seems a lack of
mechanism to coordinate among the agencies and reach consensus among the
end-users. Visual potential of the scenic resources are yet to be included in the
general land use policies and development programs. Therefore, it is
necessary to highlight the importance of visual landscapes through guidelines
and policies at difference scales of street and local level, site, city, regional
and national levels (Table4.3).

It is also observed that the changes in the landscape due to landuse

policies adopted by the developmental organizations and other institutions
and the resultant landscapes also affect the experience of the travellers
(tourists, commuters and locals) who traverse through the landscapes.

4.6.2 Urbanization and Landscape Change

Increase in the density of population and urbanization of any region

or an area also affects the landscape perceived by the landscape users. There
is an increase in the rate of urbanization and growth of urban population to the
total population from 19.90 percent to 27.78 percent between 1971 and 2001,
especially in and around the urban centers of India.
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Table 4.3 Variations in Land Uses in Blocks

Landuse Varieties (in %)

1 Sriperumpudur 37.20 1.21 0.21 46.15 3.99 2.51 2.0

2 Kundrathur 29.85 4.67 0.23 37.39 5.51 4.98 2.2
3 St. Thomas Mt. 21.75 0 0 56.28 5.34 1.98 2.0
4 Kattankulathur 36.10 19.49 2.53 36.29 1.20 5.19 0.9
5 Thiruporur 41.18 18.15 3.68 29.31 0.65 6.43 3.3
6 Kancheepuram 26.97 0 0.58 39.34 3.55 0.46 1.5
7 Walajabad 35.55 0 1.11 33.90 4.03 2.67 2.9
8 Uthiramerur 41.63 4.43 3.42 28.42 1.48 3.07 2.8
Thirukazhu-
9 35.30 6.39 2.73 32.76 0.47 4.37 3.4
kundram
10 Chengalpattu 44.32 5.38 2.47 32.39 2.41 4.41 3.2
Source: Center for Ground Water Board, Chennai 2008

Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanized States of India with slow
increase in population in the urban areas. Its rate of growth has decreased
from 17.53 percent to 11.19 percent between 1971-81 and 1991-2001 (District
Regional Plan Kancheepuram by DTCP, Chennai), which indicates a spill-
overeffect to urban fringes and adjacent rural areas due to the growing,
modern automobile culture. Further population growth for the period 2001-11
is addressed under the heading ‘population.’ Hence, there is a change in the
land utilization due to urbanization and population growth, resulting in
changes in the landscape characteristics and components observed in rural,
semi-urban and urban areas around an urban center.
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4.6.3 Corridors in Kancheepuram District

The study area, comprising of a major urban centre, Chennai and

the region of Kancheepuram, also experiences changing population densities
and urbanization in and around the region. Chennai ranks first in urbanization
(100 percent) within the State of Tamil Nadu and Kancheepuram ranks the
eighth (53.48 percent) in comparison to all other districts. On the contrary,
places adjacent to Chennai city are urbanizing fast and are threatening the
existing natural landscape components that may disappear in course of time.
Hence, the study area selected is appropriate for this landscape study.

4.6.4 Land Use along the Vistas

Chennai region till its city limit is predominantly covered by

builtforms with various typologies of vegetation in the form of street trees,
parks and medians along the road. It is predominantly flat with hills in some
places such as St.Thomas Mount and Thirusulam areas. Major water bodies
are in the form of rivers like Adyar, Cooum, and beaches are present within
city limit as well. The various land use categories identified beyond the city
limit, CMA area, are agricultural plantations and croplands observed
intermittently between built-up areas. Beyond the south of the city limits, the
north of Kancheepuram region has agricultural lands, which include crop
lands and plantations, forest lands, wastelands, water bodies and rural
settlements. Vegetation in the form of agricultural lands is in excess, in major
portions of the district, covering blocks of Walajabad, Uthiramerur,
Sriperumpudur, Kancheepuram, Kattankulattur and Kundrathur. Builtforms
are in excess in St. Thomas Mount block of the district due to proximity to the
city. Barren scrub lands are also found in Thirukalunkundram block. Water
bodies in the form of drainage courses, rivers, streams, and lakes are also
present. Small to large tanks are predominant in almost all the blocks of the
 158

district. Reserved forests occur in Kattankulathur, Tirupporur and

Thirukazhundram blocks of the district.

4.6.5 Changes Due to Urbanization

Landuse changes, especially beyond the urban centers, are observed

as a consequence of urbanization. In case of India, the recent census (2011)
reveals that the urban population has increased from one-sixth to more than a
third of the total population since independence. In comparison with other
districts of Tamil Nadu, urban population in Kancheepuram district
(27,483,998), is more than one-twentieth (5.58 percent) of the total population
and is increasing phenomenally. Within the selected study area, especially
beyond Chennai city with cent percent urbanization, urbanization of the
adjacent taluks of the Kancheepuram district that include Tambaram,
Sriperumpudur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu are 93 percent, 24 percent,
49 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Rapid industrialization is also
observed on the GST road and the NH4 of the study corridor. As a
consequence, there is a change in land utilization types observed and
described in detail in the following chapters.

4.6.6 Land Use Changes for Non-Agricultural Use

There is a steady increase in land utilization for non-agricultural

purposes in Kancheepuram district, except for the designated reserved forest
area (23,856 ha), which are controlled by the Ministry of Forests and
Environment, Government of India. There is an increase in land utilization for
non-agricultural purposes (31.94 thousand ha to 14.35 thousand ha), but
decrease in pasture land (19.01thousand ha to 18.33 thousand ha) in the
period 1997-2003. In addition, several residential plots are observed along the
study corridor of NH4, during the site reconnaissance survey. This will
 159

change the landscape character and visual variety presently experienced by

the travellers and commuters.

4.7 TOURISM AND TRAVEL

Tourism is an important activity that fetches foreign exchange and

adds to the exchequer of the Indian Government and State Governments that
include Tamil Nadu. The foreign exchange earnings in India has increased to
two and a half fold (US $ 66,110 to 170,490million) during the period 1993-
2003. In the State of Tamil Nadu it rose three fold (US $ 6,280 to
19,130million), during the same period, which is above national standards
(Figure4.16).Recently, the WTTC report (2012) on Travel and Tourism says
that tourism has direct contributions to Indian GDP, which rose to
Rs. 1,939.30billion from Rs. 703.13 billion in the period of 2003 to 2012, and
leisure travel and tourism spending rose to Rs. 3,862.92 billion from 1,654.25
billion during the same period.

Source: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai

Figure 4.16 Comparison of Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism

in India and Tamil Nadu
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The selected case study corridors of the region are located in

Chennai City and in parts of north Kancheepuram district. Chennai is the
gateway of southern India, and a national transit point with international
airport, seaport and national highways, Kancheepuram district holds a little
more than one-third of the total number of tourists (both domestic and
international), who visit Chennai, during the year 2005-08. Further, the
number rising proportionately has suggested that almost one-third of the
tourists visiting Chennai make a visit to Kancheepuram district (Figure 4.17).
Other possible reasons for the rising inflow may be due to: Firstly, the
proximity of tourist attractions to Chennai, where most attractions are within
the 70km radius and are well linked by road networks. Secondly, tourist
attractions, being of national and international importance, are visited on
journeys to visit the other south Indian tourist attractions. Thirdly, due to its
proximity to attraction it often attracts visitors within the region as an outlet
for weekend outdoor recreation.

Source: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai

Figure 4.17 Tourist Arrivals in Kancheepurm District (2005 – 2008)

 161

The Chennai Metropolitan and Kancheepuram region has wide-

ranging tourism attractions that are cultural and natural as well. Several
historic monuments, religious places and recreational places attract both
domestic and international tourists to Kancheepuram region. Tamil Nadu
Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), a State Government
Undertaking, regulates, develops or coordinates with other administrative and
developmental organizations such as the PWD, TNTCP, CMDA, and Chennai
Municipality to develop infrastructure to meet the demand of increasing
tourist inflow to the State and the study region.

4.7.1 Tourists’ Inflow

Chennai city, Kancheepuram town and Mamallapuram town are the

main unban nodes with strong historic, cultural and religious significance.
The link between these nodes is characterized as the Six Vistas in the study.
Chennai city is a transit point to reach other destinations down south. In
addition to Kancheepuram and Mamallapuram, there are several tourist spots
along the vistas that connect the three chosen nodal points. So the vistas are
important tourist corridors with an increasing tourist inflow into these three
destinations (Figures 4.18 a, b and c) and, in consequence, is attracting and
further would attract more tourists and road travellers in the near future. This
would demand for more intermediate tourist spots and attractions and for road
attractions. In such situations, the natural landscape components like the hills
and valleys, rivers and lakes, canals, forests and croplands would make an
added variety to regional travel and touring experiences.
 162

Source: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai

Figure 4.18a Tourist Arrivals in Chennai

Source: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai

Figure 4.18b Tourist Arrivals in Kancheepuram

Source: Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai

Figure 4.18c Tourist Arrivals in Mamallapuram
 163

4.7.2 Important Tourist Places

The region is bestowed with a number of places of touristic

importance. They are valued for their historic, religious, archaeological and
recreational importance, in particular the study vistas. The importance of
places for tourism and travel is shown in Figure 4.19.

4.7.2.1 Temple town of Kancheepuram

Kancheepuram or Kanchi is considered as one of the seven sacred

cities of India. There are more than one hundred temples here that make it a
city of temples. The famous temples are the imposing 14th century Sri
Kamachiamman Temple, Sri Varadharaja Perumal Temple, the majestic Sri
Ekambareswarar Temple and Lord Murugan Temple; known as
Kumarakkottam. This ancient, sacred city of Kancheepuram, like Varanasi in
North India, continues to attract thousands of visitors throughout the year.
Those visiting the temples also shop for the famous Kancheepuram Silk
sarees. Kanchi, which means ‘girdle’ in Sanskrit, is the girdle of the earth
according to the Hindu faith. Besides Hindu religion, some other religions
have had their own period of royal patronage in Kancheepuram. Jainism and
Buddhism entered Tamil Nadu via Kancheepuram. The history of
Kancheepuram is recorded in the form of paintings, sculptures, inscriptions,
panels and murals on the walls and pillars of the temples in Kancheepuram.

4.7.2.2 Historic monuments of Mamallapuram

Situated at a distance of 55 km south of Chennai City, on the shores

of the Bay of Bengal, Mamallapuram is a place of archaeological and
architectural interest, a meeting place of world tourists. From the view point
of architecture, this is one of the most important tourist attractions in south
 164

India. Among the well-known monuments of tourists’ interest in

Mamallapuram are Arjunan’s Penance, the nine rock-cut temples, the Krishna
Mandapam, the Five Rathas, the Shore temple, the Tiger Cave; and the
Krishna’s Butter Ball. There is a historical light house also. The government
has set up a training center of sculpture also. The shore temple here has a
world heritage listing.

4.7.2.3 Temple town of Tirukkazhukkundram

The town is located on the road from Chengalpattu to

Mamallapuram, a distance of 12 km southeast of Chengalpattu. It is also
known as Pakshitheertham, where a rock cut ancient temple was dedicated to
Lord Siva at the top of the 152m high hilltop. It is popular for its great
religious festival called Sangutheertha Puskara Mela and the Laksha Deepa
Vizha, conducted once in twelve years.

4.7.2.4 Sriperumpudur

Sriperumpudur, one of the religious centers in the district, is about

42 km from Chennai and 17 km from the nearest Thiruvallur railway station,
lying on the Chennai-Bangalore road (NH4). Originally, this place was called
“Bhoothapatnam” or “Bhoothapuri” after the Bhoothapureswarar temple,
which is now in a ruined state.

Renovation of the ancient temple was done in 1982. The presiding

deity here is Sri Bhoothapureeswarar and his consort is Soundara Nayagi
Amman. There were several inscriptions describing the greatness of the
temple but they could not be discernible.
 165

Figure 4.19 Important Tourist Place in the Study Region

 166

This is also the birth place of the Hindu Philosopher Sri Ramanujan
who was born in 1017 A.D. A temple was built here for Sri Adhi Kesava
Perumal, which is the presiding deity along with Sri Ramanujan. The temple,
which is an architectural beauty with stone and pillars, was built by the
Vijayanagar kings.

4.7.2.5 Rajiv Gandhi Memorial

Located at the junction of the bypass and the NH4 at

Sriperumpudur. It is a memorial for the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi has been built at this spot where he was assassinated. Hundreds of
people pay a visit here daily, on his birth and death anniversaries,

4.7.2.6 Kovalam (Covelong)

Covelong, which is popularly known as a Kovalam in Tamil, is

about 40 km south of Chennai city on ECR on the coast of Bay of Bengal.
This erstwhile village, which has the Bay of Bengal in the east and
Buckingham Canal as its western limit is now a desolate sleepy town: this
non-descript looking town was a bustling port and a major trading center of
the Thondaimandalam. Covelong was originally a Dutch Settlement and the
Imperial East India Company of Ostend built a fort and a training center
which in due course disappeared. The fortifications were then blown up. An
old Roman Catholic Church, about one kilometer from the bus stand, could
still be seen now.

At present there is no trace of any trading in Kovalam except the

fish trade the local fishermen are involved in. Another point of activity in
Kovalam at present is the Ansari Dargah, which is located near the shore on
the southern end of the town. This dargah is of recent construction but the
spot has been held sacred for quite some time.
 167

There is a Roman Catholic Church complex in the north across

Kovalam. The church of the 1770s has as much as 14 ha of land. The church
at present, houses a school, an orphanage and an old age home. The cathedral,
built sometimes in the 19th century, is an impressive structure. It may be
appropriate to quote Bajaj and Mugundan (no dates): “Besides the hotel, the
Durgah, and the Church, Kovalam today seems to have nothing else.

4.7.2.7 St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount, a Cantonment area, is 13 km away to the south

of Chennai city, on the GST Road. The St. Thomas Mount Railway Station is
at a distance of about 3 km from the town and in fact very near to Alandur
town. St. Thomas Mount town is under the foot of the hillock bearing the
same name, which is derived from St. Thomas, the Christian missionary who
is said to have attained eternal rest at this place. This mount is familiarly
known as Big Mount as it is an isolated cliff of green stone and granite about
100 m above the sea level. The ascent to the hills is made comfortable by a
nice motorable road. A beautiful Church, at the top of the hill that adorns the
place, attracts a large number of Christians and tourists. The Meenambakkam
Airport near the southern side of the hills is an attraction to the visitors as
there is a panoramic view of the airport terminal and the runway where the
landing and take-off could be beautiful to the visitors’ eyes. The birds-eye
view of the city with all important places and structures in the backdrop of the
Bay of Bengal is also an attraction.

4.3.7.2.8 Thiruporur

Thiruporur, one of the important religious places in Chengalpattu

district, is situated about 58 km from Chennai and 25 km from Chengalpattu.
Good roads connect this place with Kovalam, Mahabalipuram, Chengalpattu,
Thirukazhukundram and Chennai. At a distance of 18 km lies Mamallapuram.
 168

Thiruporur, Samathalanur, Uddalapuri, Cheruvar and Porinagar are

the other names by which this place is known. Tradition has it that Lord
Murugan fought with Soorapadman, a giant (asura) and destroyed him after
the battle. It began to be called Thiruporur (Por + ur = Porur; Por in Tamil
means war). An ancient temple - the Kandaswami temple - belonging to 7 th
century B.C. is present. The inscriptions in the temple describe the donations
and manyams made by the Pallava and Chola Kings. The sanctum-sanctorum
is being adorned by Lord Kandaswami with his consorts, Valli and
Deivayanai.

4.7.2.9 Madras Crocodile Bank, Mamallapuram

Madras Crocodile Bank is a an important tourist spot located on the

ECR; it is a privately funded research and crocodile breeding institution,
established on 24 August 1976. It is run by a Board of Trustees consisting of
10 members of whom, three are ex-officio members from the Department of
Tourism and Forests of the State and Central Government. It is managed with
financial assistance from several agencies including the WWF for Nature,
Zoological Society and TNTDC.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department issued necessary license and

permits to the Crocodile bank. This breeding shelter has over 10,000
crocodiles and ten different species of lizards and over 200 freshwater turtles
and 26 species of tortoises. The bank has supplied over 1,000 crocodile
offsprings to various States in India.
 169

Table 4.4 Places of Significance along Selected 6 Vistas

Importance

Traversed
S.
Landscape Places of importance
No.
Vistas

1 Vista 1 x Mount Road,

x Shopping Centers
Institutions,
x Movie Theaters
x? Adyar, Cooum Rivers
x Raj Bhavan
x St.Thomas Mount
2 Vista 2 x Porur Lake,
x Mangadu Temple
x Poonamalee Market
x Ramachandra Medical
x College Industries
x Sri Perumbudur Temple
3 Vista 3 x Rajiv Gandhi Memorial
x Sriperumbur Lake, Fields
x Chembarambakkam Lake
x Tenneri Lake
4 Vista 4 x Temple Complexes
x Market Lakes, Fields,
x Major Palar River Front,
x Fields and Forest
5 Vista 5 x Hills and Hilly terrain
x Lakshmikanthan temple
x Fields and Forests
6 Vista6 x Coastal Stretch
x Theme Parks Beaches,
x Sun and Sand dunes
x Kovalam, Muttukadu
x Salt pans
x Buckingham Canal
 170

4.8 PRIMARY LANDSCAPE COMPONENTS OF ALL VISTAS

At a glance, the vistas and their primary components also display

the distribution of primary landscape components among the six vistas as
shown in Figures 4.20a, 4.20b, 4.20c and 4.20d.They give us an idea of
vegetation, water, landform and builtform compositions

4.9 SELECTED VISTAS OF THE STUDY

As explained in the literature review earlier, the traversed landscape

vistas are classified on the basis of the components observed in between the
urban nodes or tourist destinations such as Chennai, Kancheepuram and
Mamallapuram as per the case-study, and termed as First Traversed
Landscape Zone (FTLZ), Second Traversed Landscape Zone (STLZ) and
Third Landscape Zone (TTLZ). The composition of land use categories
within the zones broadly referred to as landscape units are defined by the
landuse compositions as urban, semi-urban and rural landscape types, river
front landscape types, hills and hilly landscape types and coastal landscape
types within the selected traversed zones. The details of the traversed zones
are given in detail in the following pages.

4.9.1 First Traversed Landscape

This one links Chennai city to Kancheepuram temple town. Both

are prominent tourist destinations. This zone with a buffer of 10 km along the
link passes through political boundaries that include Chennai city, Madras
Metropolitan Area (MMA), Sriperumpudur taluk, and Kancheepuram taluk
with a variety of landscape components and types. Important historic built
forms, in addition to the potential tourist spots, are also found in
between: historic Metropolitan Magistrate Court, War Memorial 1939-45,
Governor’s Bungalow, and Rajiv Gandhi Memorial and several modern official,
 171

Figure 4.20 (a) Landscape Component of Vistas - Vegetation

 172

Figure 4.20 (b) Landscape Component of Vistas - Landform

 173

Figure 4.20 (c) Landscape Component of Vistas - Water

 174

Figure 4.20 (d) Landscape Component of Vistas – Builtform

 175

commercial and educational institutions and buildings along the Mount Road
such as the LIC buildings, Spencer plaza, Nandanam Arts College and
Chennai Trade Center. A few natural landscape components like the lakes,
hills, rivers, St. Thomas Mount are present; nevertheless they are hidden
behind the hoardings and dominant built forms despite their proximity to the
travel routes. The landform is predominantly plain and a few undulations are
observed in Sriperumpudur taluk. Water bodies, with or without water, in the
form of lakes are observed, built forms dense along the city and intermittent
in open spaces along the MMA and least dense in Sriperumpudur taluk till
Kancheepuram town, industries and institutions are spotted along this zone.
Therefore, it is necessary to divide it into units considering landuse patterns,
population density and areas of vegetation seen along the routes and so the
First traversed zone is classified into three vistas/units as Urban, Semi-Urban
and Rural and description of the same is given as follows:

4.9.1.1 Landscape vista 1: urban-plain (Chennai city center to Porur)

This landscape Unit1/ Vista1 mostly displays an urban character,

even though they have the potential to be further sub-classified as city center,
intermediate city and fringe city. The sub-unit city center,Mounts road as
typified by multi-storey structures, diverse in scale and functions. Roads and
lanes are defined by the built forms, open spaces as parks are also
predominantly defined by the built forms and are a few in numbers.
Vegetation, wherever existing, is the product of man’s manipulations as
avenue trees and median shrubs. This unit stretch is predominantly
commercial and institutional along the traversed routes. Highly enclosed by
built forms, incidental open spaces around, lie the prime landscape features
like the rivers, lakes or hills. The intermediate city character is defined by the
horizontal built forms and open spaces, secondary industrial and small scale
commercial developments and institutional buildings occur intermittently.
 176

This sub unit is a predominantly densely distributed built form;

residential is in function on a moderate scale and the spaces are partially
enclosed and moderately open.

Fringe city is characterized by spaces around the structures,

predominantly strip developments, single family dwellings and shop at the
ground floor. A few shopping centers occur on the way on the journey to
industrial parks, and memorial parks, generally, open and partially enclosed
by vegetation on the roadways.

In case of designated Madras Metropolitan Area, beyond the city

boundary, the character is mixed with intensive residential developments.Mostly
low rise buildings are at a moderate scale, modern in style, and in linear
organization along the route till Porur junction and spill-over to Poonamalle
junction.A few agricultural and plantation patches occur in this stretch. The
stretch between Porur and Poonamalee is less maintained and clustered with
roadsideinformal and unorganized shops. Stretches beyond Poonamlee
toSriperumpudur come under the designated Chennai Metropolitan Area
(CMA), predominantly a mixedresidential area with majority of the shops at
ground floor and residences above and this stretch is under intensive
urbanization due to adjacency of the Chennai city catering to the residential
and commercial demands of the city.

The new proposal by the CMDA to meet the demand for

commercial requirements, area to a depth of 30 mon both sides, of 12 m and
above width roads are zoned as commercialized and may have an impact on
the landscape character observed by the travellers. The map indicates that
commercialization is much, adjacent to the road that does not cater to the
deeper part of the block and on a long term it affects the visual variety observed
along the roads. Existing landscape components observed on each landscape
vistas are detailed and explained in the following chapter (Table 4.5).
 LANDSCAPEUNITS/TYPES

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
Percent of total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
Percent of total

PREDOMINANT CHARACTER

177
 178

4.9.1.2 Landscape vista 2 Suburban-Plain (Porur to Sriperumbudur)

The landscape vista2/unit2 is the corridor between Porur and

Sriperumpudur and predominantly semi-urban in character. It starts from the
Porur junction adjacent to lake and just before Poonamlee junction where the
GST road meets and proceeds along the National Highway (NH4). From
Porur to Chembarambakkam Lake, the area comes under Chennai
Metropolitan Area (CMA) and is regulated by CMDA, Chennai. Unlike the
landscape unit one, the prime landscape features openly seen are undulations,
seasonal ponds and the Chembarambakkam Lake. Low but high-rise built
forms predominantly consisting of institutions, factories and industrial estates,
and residential plots inbetween are observed. Unorganized shops are very
near to the road till Chembarambakam Lake and rarely spotted after the lake.
The corridor is predominantly open and a few partial enclosures by plantation
patches are also observed. Spatially open corridor at the Chembarambakkam
Lake and barren with a backdrop of the distant hills and forests are observed
at the other ponds. Palm tree clusters are also found after the lake. Density of
population is low with 50 to 75 persons per square kilometre. Till
Chembarambakkam, it is partly urbanized and beyond it the areas are in the
initial stages of urbanization. Vegetation is predominantly grass that grows
seasonally with isolated tree clusters. Most of the agricultural fields are fallow
with a few patches of lands sown. From Porur, it passes through Poonamallee,
Nazaratpet and small villages around the Chembarambakkam. After the lake /
reservoir, there are places such as Thandalam and Irunkattukottai, where
Hyundai Car factory is prominent. Till the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial, it has a
semi-urban character, more or less an hour’s travel to the city by the national
highway (NH 4). Description of this unit as per the chosen traversed
landscape component is given in Table 4.6.
 179

4.9.1.3 Landscape vista 3: rural-plain (Sriperumpudur to

Kancheepuram)

This unit links Sriperumpudur and Kancheepuram town with the

national highway (NH4). It passes through various villages which include
Irungulam, Mambakkam, Sendamangalam, Siruvedal, Sekkankulam and
Egadur and divert then from the NH4 to a link road leading to Kancheepuram
town through Papanguli and Thirumalpadithangal. Suffixes to name of the
villages such as Kulam refers to ponds, bakkam, ur, patti refer to different
types of village settlements in the early sangam literature of the region
(‘tamizhagam”). The landscape type is predominantly rural and the vegetation
is agricultural fields, plantation crops, and palm tree rows and clusters are also
an indigenous character of this vista. Ponds in this unit are partially filled
compared to the landscape unit 2, because of the channels and drainage
surface sloping towards the Vegavadhi and Palar Rivers. This corridor is at
the initial stages of urbanization with new factories. and industries coming up;
important ones are Nokia, SIPCOT Industrial Estate and Saint Gobin.
Institutions such as Meenakshi Medical College, other private colleges, health
clinics and resorts are also observed along the route. Undulations are but a
few. Partial enclosures of the road are observed due to thick shrubs which
occur intermittently and predominantly an open space. Residential plot
developments and farm houses are also observed. Large water bodies like the
Thenneri Lake can be observed at a distance with plantations and reserved
forests in the backdrop. The prime component characters are listed in the
Table 4.7.
 LANDSCAPE UNITS/TYPES

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

PREDOMINANT CHARACTER

180
 181

4.9.2 Second Traversed Landscape

This Zone links Kancheepuram temple town and Mamallapuram,

both are prominent tourist attractions and connected by the State Highway
SH-58. The zone consists mostly of open-agricultural farmlands and partially
enclosed by vegetation and low rise dwellings, hutments, forests and wild
lands in combination. Two major regional level landscape components
observed are the river Palar and the hills and hilly terrain as the background
that are stretching from Kancheepuram town to Chengalpattu town along the
highway. Population density varies from 800 persons to 1000 persons to a
square km. Besides, the reserved forests beyond the buffer at vista 4 are seen
as a backdrop of the landscape and vista 5 has also many Reserved Forests
(R.F.) such as Thiruman R.F., Manumantap R.F.,Kankayean Kuppam R.F.on
the one hand and Vallam R.F., Nimmeli R.F. and Oragadam R. F on the other
hand. Further, the hills and hilly terrains are visible on the sides in proximity
and forest town of Thirukazhukundram. The zone is divided into two
landscape units (landscape units 4 and 5) on the basis of the major landscape
components observed as the Palar River front and the hills and hilly downhill
plains, between Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu and between Chengalpattu
and Mamallapuram, respectively. The detailed descriptions of these units are
in the next page.
 LANDSCAPE UNIT TYPES

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

PREDOMINANT CHARACTER
182
 183

9.2.1 Landscape vista 4: Rural -Plain (Kancheepuram – Chengalpattu)

This unit is distinct for being adjacent to the Palar River and its
tributary, Vegavathi, is located at the western side of Kancheepuram town.
The vista 4/unit 4 links two towns namely Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu.
Excluding these, urban centers are thickly populated and dominated by a
number of built forms and enclosed spaces that are defined by built form such
as low rise residences and high-rise commercial structures along the path. The
corridor is situated along the state highway (SH58) that links Kancheepuram
and Mamallapuram via Chengalpattu. From the town, it passes through
various villages partially enclosed by vegetation such as trees like tamarind,
neem, wild mango and thorny tall shrubs (prosopis). The stretch is weakly
defined by traditional residences. However, a plenty of hoardings occur all
along this stretch. The river front is not seen till Ottivakkam and Venkudi
villagesfrom the road, but after Walajabad junction, where the road from
remote part of the villages meet, glimpses of the River Palar are observed.
After the Walajabad market along the route, the road opens with frequent
views of the Palar river bed on one side and agricultural fields and distant
reserve forest at the other side. From Palayasivaram meandering road and
panoramic view of the river bed with hill background, and agricultural fields
and plantations with reserved forest at the backdrop are observed. Railway
lines along the corridor are prominent from Palayasivaram to
Villayambakkam and diverted away from the scene. A few hillocks are also
observed along this corridor. This corridor is thickly vegetated in comparison
with unit 2 and unit 3 due to its proximity to the river bed. The entire stretch
is dominated by the river Palar with hillocks and plantations at the
background on the one hand and thick vegetation of tall shrubs partially
enclosed with fields, plantations and forests as the backdrop. The traversed
landscape component details are in Table 4.8.
 184

4.9.2.2 Landscape vista 5: Rural -Hilly (Chengalpattu- Mamallapuram)

Chengalpattu, referred to as Chengalput also, is a historic town,

where commercial activities take place and urban centre leads to southern
districts such as Kanyakumari and Nagarcoil. The landscape unit 5 is distinct
for its hilly terrain, elevated uplands and winding roadways through villages
such as Allapakkam, Nimmelli, and Kirapakka. It links Mamallapuram with
theState highway (SH-58) and the national highway (NH45) crosses before
Chengalput town by a flyover.

Moreover, this route crosses many reserve forests which are open
to moderately dense forests such as Thirukazhukundram reserve forests and
Oragadam reserve forests. The road condition is observed to be poor and
badly lit. Several forms and institutions are observed along this route. Smaller
lakes are spotted between the agricultural fields and plantations. This route
has rich spatial variety, and is partially enclosed with vegetation, and few
complete enclosures occur. Thick shrubs and avenue of tamarind trees appear
along the route. The character of the middle of the route is distinct -
remoteness due to absence or negligible builtforms and little settlements that
are primitive in nature. At Oragadam, the road splits to move towards
Mamallpuram, with junctions meeting link roads and old Mahabalipuram road
between Vedakedampadi and Punjeri, and lead to touch the East Coast Road
(ECR) with an open view and Buckingham canal and bridges to
Mamallapuram town. The density of population is very low except around the
junctions and urban centers. The traversed landscape components details are
shown in Table 4.9.
 LANDSCAPE UNITS TYPES

Category in Study Area

Components in number

Area in Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study Area

Components in
number

Area in Percent

Perimeter in percent of
Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in Percent

Perimeter in percent
of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent
of Total

PREDOMINANT CHARACTER
185
 186

4.9.3 Third Traversed Landscape

This zone links two major destinations, namely, Chennai and

Mamallapuram by old Mahabalipuram road and in parallel East Coast Road
(ECR) that lead to Pondicherry and Kanyakumari along the sea coast of the
Bay of Bengal. Mamallapuram is an important tourist destination listed by
UNESCO and WTO for its historic, cultural monuments such as the sea shore
temple, five rathas, tiger caves and the hilly monolithic sculptures depicting
cultural arts of the Chola dynasty lie near the sea shore. Recent excavations
also strengthen its cultural tourism potential. Arrival of tourists to
Mamallapuram has also increased manifold since the last two decades. This
corridor caters to many recreational activities for the tourists, as well as for
the urban population of Chennai. Population density of the stretch is low
prior to1996 and has increased since the ECR’s construction started during
1996. In view of the increasing traffic flow, a four-lane road is proposed for
the future.

This stretch can be potentially divided further into several units as the
coastal urban, coastal semi-urban, coastal rural, coastal dry land, coastal
wetland and backwaters. This investigation is limited to the coastal semi-
urban within the stretch between Mamallapuram and Muttukadu so as to
avoid the repetition of other landscape types considered for investigation and
for clear distinction from other landscape typologies. There are several
attractions observed between Dhakshinchitra, Crocodile Park, Kovalam
beach, theme parks such as the Mayajal, MGM and the Dizzy World. The
major natural landscape elements observed along this route are the sea and
beach on the east and Buckingham Canal on the west and the intermittent
backwaters and plantations. Buckingham Canal and the sea views are
disappearing due to extensive land encroachments by the outsiders for
commercial purposes, endangering the very potential of this zone.
 LANDSCAPE UNITS
/TYPES

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number

Area (in
per-cent)

Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of Total

PREDOMINANT
CHARACTER
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4.9.3.1 Landscape vista 6: coastal semi-rural (Mamallapuram-Chennai)

This landscape (unit 6) is distinct from others with the potential sea
and beach view attracting the tourists. This zone links Chennai city and
Mamallapuram and is frequently visited by both the foreign and the domestic
tourists and their number is increasing day by day due to the scenic potential
of the East Coast Road (ECR). Besides, the environmental issues, there are
socio-economic problems existing in this zone such as land alienation,
enclave tourism and commercialization. This has deteriorated and shortened
the scenic views, otherwise enjoyed by the public. To cite an example, the sea
beach view is open from Thiruvanmayur to Mamallapuram during the 1970s
has shortened from Muttukadu to Saluvankuppam. The unit 6 of traversed
landscape zone 3 has plenty of sea view on one side and wetlands with
BuckinghamCanal, a historic channel for transportation during the pre-
independence period, on the other. It is blessed with coastal landforms with
sand dunes, and water components of beaches, backwaters, saltpans, and a
few lakes. It is also vegetated with naturally grown cashew and coconut
groves and commercial plantations such ascasuarina,coconut groves, and
agricultural fields near the Buckingham Canal stretching on the west of the
traversed corridor and sea views on the east form the traversed landscape
view. Till Muttukadu, there is backwater connecting the sea and Buckingham
Canal and water recreational activities and fishing related activities. The
Kovalam beach also attracts the tourists. A little before and after
Nithyakalyani Perumal Temple at Thiruvedanthi, the sea opens due to
elevated road sloping at seaside and canal side. Built forms are predominantly
recreational and residential in character. Recreational constructions like the
theme parks such as the VGP and the Dizzy World, residential plots and
farmhouses are plenty and commercial activities along the route such as
hotels, motels,and restaurants serve the tourist population.
 LANDSCAPE UNITS TYPES

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in
Study Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent
Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number
Area in
Percent
Perimeter in
percent of Total

Category in Study
Area

Components in
number

Area in
Percent

Perimeter in
percent of Total

PREDOMINANT HARACTER
189
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These developments also lead to deterioration of the coastal

landscapes and their ecology. Beach committees have been formed to protect
the beaches from further destruction. The description with respect to traversed
landscape components are shown in Table 4.10.

4.10 REGIONAL LANDSCAPE CONNOTATION: TAMIL NADU

CONTEXT

As it is explained in the chapter the landscape connotations vary

according to the regional semantic in India as well. The case study is currently
in the region located in the state of Tamil Nadu referred as ‘Tamizagam’ ever
since the early ‘sangam’ period (500BC to 200AD). A brief cultural history of
the landscape characterization is an interesting fact that cannot be overlooked.

During the samgam period, the landscapes were classified into four
broader categories as ‘tinaikal’, and included the fifth one as ‘palai’
(refereeing to degraded condition of any four types). Further, in the
‘tolkappiam’, an early ‘sangam’ literature of 500BC characterized the
landscape types on the basis of various aspects like the physical character and
components of the land, and socio-cultural aspects of inhabitants and
associated seasons as well, The ‘tolkappiam’ further describes the vegetation,
water source, landform type, and name of the settlements and wild life
observed in these landscape typologies. Furthermore, it describes the
ephemeral condition of few landscape types that go dry barren without any
greenery , ‘palai’ and not a desert condition, since deserts do not exist in
Tamil region. On the contrary it refers to end part of forest areas, ‘mullai’ and
the beginning of hilly areas, ‘kuringi’, that are affected by drought. And so the
people engage in metal and steal works, as we pass through the ‘palai’
landscapes as per the Samgam literature.
 191

The above aspects have thrown some light on the cultural

connotation of the regional landscape types of Tamil Nadu, can be used as
tourism product.

4.11 SUMMARY

This chapter has described the overall regional profile, its

demography, infrastructure, chosen urban nodes that link the vistas, Regional
landscape features like major rivers, lakes and hill areas of the Chennai region
and existing land use pattern within the buffer of 5 Km along the highways
(NH4, SH 58 and ECR). Also it describe has been the tourism scenario of
Tamil Nadu in respect of the selected tourist circuit and places of tourists’
interest in the region where also explained in detail.

The described landscape units are also referred as landscape

character type or vistas or Route in some situations. So six vistas in the region
are identified (Three in the First Traversed Zone, Two in the Second
Traversed Zone and One in the Third Traversed Zone) and their landscape
compositions have been elaborately described and discussed. Further the
landscape composition as vegetation, landform, water and builtform within
each vistas in terms of their frequency, area and perimeter of the components
are graphically illustrated in the Fifth Chapter.

The composition of these components are also interrelate to the

landscape character types of the vistas. Further the respondents’ preferences
are influenced by the components and landscape types of each vista. Use
preferential appraisal of the landscape types as vistas are also explored in the
following chapter.