Vivekanandar Illam

Vivekanandar Illam - விவேகானந்தர் இல்லம் (or Vivekananda House, also called Ice House, Castle Kernan, etc.,) is a structure at Chennai, India. This is remembered as the place where Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days when he visited Chennai (then Madras) in 1897. Vivekanandar Illam now houses a permanent exhibition on Swami Vivekananda set up by the Chennai branch of the Ramakrishna Math.

Ice House was named Vivekanandar Illam by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1963, the centenary year of Swami Vivekananda. On 6 February 1997, the Government handed over the Illam to Ramakrishna Math on lease to set up a permanent exhibition on Swami Vivekananda and the cultural heritage of India. The exhibition was opened to public on 20 December 1999. Along with the exhibition, regular youth meetings conducted every Sunday evening 4 pm and yoga classes are also being conducted.Meditation class is conducted every Wednesday 7 pm.

A view of the Beach road from inside the car

Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai "Sivaji" Ganesan (Tamil: சிவாஜி கணேசன்) (October 1, 1928 - July 21, 2001) was an Indian film actor and one of the first method actors in India, active during the latter half of the 20th century. His fame came from his versatility and expressive prowess in Tamil cinema. He was the first South Indian film actor who won a best actor award in an international film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt during 1959. Sivaji's legacy of acting is still admired today, also being an influence to many other Indian film actors. Many contemporary actors in South India have confirmed that their acting styles were influenced by Ganesan