Classical dance and music are an inextricable part of the culture of Chennai. The Kalakshetra Foundation, started in 1936 by the legendary Indian dance figure Rukmini Devi Arundale, is the foremost centre promoting the study and performance of these arts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. A two-hour guided tour starts with attending a morning prayer conducted under an enormous ancient banyan tree followed by visits to the different sections of the campus that’s home to dance, music and visual arts schools, before ending with a stop at the Crafts Education and Research Centre (CERC).
