Chennai (/ ˈ tʃ ɛ n aɪ / (), Tamil: [ˈt͡ʃenːai]), also known as Madras (/ m ə ˈ d r ɑː s / or /-ˈ d r æ s /, the official name until 1996), is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is a primary cultural, economic and educational centre of south India. [dubious – discuss] According to the 2011 Indian census, it is ...