About the Campus
IIT Madras is located in the city of Chennai which is also the state capital of Tamilnadu, a southern state in India. Chennai is the fourth largest city in India and comparatively a new city, about 350 years old (1639). The city was formerly known as Madras and was renamed Chennai, which evolved from old name ‘Chennapatnam’. Chennai is a coastal city with the second largest beach in the world known as ‘Marina’ beach. The climate is generally hot and humid. In summer (May – July) the temperature reaches up to 42° C (107° F) while in winter (Dec. – Feb.) it is slightly less hot, 18° C (64° F). The Monsoon season starts in September and lasts till November.
IIT Madras is situated on Sardar Patel Road and is flanked by Adyar, Taramani and Velachery. The campus is opposite to the Central Leather Research Institute and Anna University. The campus is spread over 250 hectares of lush green forest, which is midway between the Chennai Airport and Central Railway station, and is well connected by buses and local trains.
The campus is around 14 km from the Central Railway station. Adyar is the nearest bus terminus to the campus. The Institute in itself is located around 2.5 km inside the campus. Two parallel roads, Bonn Avenue and Delhi avenue, lead you through the residential zone, under a canopy of green, to Gajendra Circle (otherwise called GC) and the administrative block. Buses ply between the gate and other locations on campus at regular intervals. Named after mountains, the IITM buses take you to the GC, academic zone and hostels (named after rivers) for a nominal fare. (This has infact led to the joke that IIT is the land of moving mountains and stationary rivers!