Kalpakkam

Kalpakkam is a small township 80 kms from Chennai (Madras) towards the south. The township in this erstwhile village was developed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1969 during  the setting up of Reactor Research Center (RRC) and Madras Atomic Power Project. There is an old Dutch Fort (17th century) at Sadras outside the township. In the North of Kalpakkam, just a few kilometers away, is  Mamallapuram, which was an ancient seaport built by the Pallava King Narasimhavarman I, in 7th century AD. It is known for its monolithic sculptural and architectural heritage. Fifteen Kilometers in the Northwest is Tirukalukundram. It has a Shiva temple on top of the Vedagiri hill which is 160m high.