Purasawalkam

Purasawalkam Purusawakkam புரசைவாக்கம்
Neighbourhood
Website	www.chennai.tn.nic.in

Purasawakkam (Template:Lang-ta), also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai, is a residential area and shopping district in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations. Purasawakkam is considered a perfect mixture of commercial and residential hub.

Etymology

The name "Purasai" came from the name of a tree called 'purasai maram' in Tamil. In olden days this area was abundant with these trees. The Gangatheeswarar temple near the Purasaiwakkam tank speaks about this history. The tank belongs to this temple.

Landmarks

Shopping

Abirami Mega Mall, one of the main attractions in Purasawakkam, is a Multiplex including four main cinemas and many shopping outlets. Tana Street, the heart of Purasawakkam, is one of the busiest streets in Chennai. It is famous for its jewelry, vegetables, clay cooking pots and pharmacies. It also features a busy grocery market. There are also many textile showrooms, including Madhar Sha, Deensha, Sree Krishna Collections, Textile India, Ranjanas, Rathna Stores and Saravana Stores Super Shopping Mall. The Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College's boys hostel is also situated here opposite to Motcham theater.

Restaurants

Popular Restaurants here include Hotel Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Raaj Bhavan, Hotel Welcome(Famous for its unique Sambar), The Hot Chips, Doveton Cafe and Hotel Sanmaan along with a umpteen number of Biriyani shops. There are a significant number of wine shops in Puarsawakkam.

Educational institutions

Purasaiwakkam is a center of education in Chennai

Colleges

• Madras Veterinery College
• Chengalvaraya Polytechnic College
• Guru Shanthi Vijay Jain College for Women
• Government College of Arts and Crafts

Schools

Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram, J.M matriculation school,Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School, St.Joseph's Anglo Indian Boys Higher Secondary School, St.Aloysius Anglo Indian Girls Hr.Sec School, Sir MCTM Boys Hr.Sec School, Sir MCTM Girls Hr.Sec School, Kola Saraswathi Senior Secondary School, Bentick Girls Hr.Sec School, St.Pauls Hr.Sec School, St.Mathias Hr.Sec School, CSI Bains Hr.Sec School, Alagappa Hr.Sec School, Doveton Corrie Hr.Sec School, Doveton Matric Hr. Sec School, Doveton Anglo-Indian Boys School, C.S.I Ewarts Girls Hr.Sec School, Anita Methodist Matriculation Higher secondary School, Sathya Matriculation School, St.Andrews Boys Hr.Sec School, ELM Fabricus Hr.Sec School, St.Joseph's Girls Hr.Sec School, St.Joseph's Primary School, Raja Nursery School, Corporation Girls School Corporation Boys School, Sri Muthukuaramswamy Hr.Sec School, T.E.L.C.Primary school.

Localities

The principal localities of Purasawakkam are Doveton, Vepery, Periamet, Choolai, Kilpauk, Kellys, Otteri, Egmore, Kosapet, Aynavaram and Pattalam.

Places of Worship

Purasai also contains a huge Lutheran church, Adaikalanathar Church, operated under the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC). Other churches include St. Joseph's Church (Vepery High Road near Periamet), St Andrew's church, St. Paul's Church, St. Mathias Church, Emmanuel Methodist, Tamil Methodist, Apostolic Church and Apostolic Fellowship Tabernacle which is one of the biggest congregation in Chennai.

Some of the famous Temples in this area are Gangadeeshwarar Temple, Sumaga Vinayagar(Vandithoti Pilliyar) Temple, Solai Amman Koil and Sri Purushadaniya Parshvanath Jain Temple

Mosques here include Jumma Masjid and Periamet Mosque

Politics

Late politician Naanjil Manoharan's house is situated on the Mookathal Street near Saravana Super Stores. Purasawakkam assembly constituency is part of Chennai Central (Lok Sabha constituency).