Kelambakkam () is a village panchayat and suburban locality in Thiruporur taluk of Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India. It lies on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), also known as Rajiv Gandhi Salai, on the southern metropolitan corridor of Chennai. The road continues through Kelambakkam towards Thiruporur and Mamallapuram.
Kelambakkam is an important road junction between the OMR corridor and the Vandalur–Kelambakkam Road, with Siruseri to its north and the East Coast Road accessible towards Kovalam. Its growth has been associated with the expansion of the information-technology, educational, healthcare and residential corridor south of Chennai.
Geography and administration
Kelambakkam lies on the low-lying coastal plain between the OMR and the Coromandel Coast. It forms part of Thiruporur block and is administered by Kelambakkam Village Panchayat.
The panchayat includes the habitations of Kelambakkam, Kelambakkam Colony, Santhakuppam Colony and Sathankuppam. In the revenue administration of Chengalpattu district, Kelambakkam also gives its name to one of the firkas of Thiruporur taluk.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Kelambakkam had a population of 5,189 in 1,288 households, comprising 2,571 males and 2,618 females. The sex ratio was 1,018 females per 1,000 males. The village covered .
The census recorded a literacy rate of about 90.3 per cent, with male literacy higher than female literacy. The 2011 figures pre-date the creation of Chengalpattu district in 2019 and therefore appear in the census records under the former Kancheepuram district.
Development and economy
Kelambakkam forms part of the wider OMR information-technology and institutional corridor. The nearby SIPCOT IT Park at Siruseri is a major employment centre along the corridor.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has identified Kelambakkam as one of the significant growth nodes in the southern metropolitan corridor, alongside Siruseri and Thiruporur.
Schools in Kelambakkam St. Francis International School DAV Group of School (SM Fomra) Chettinad - Sarvalokaa Education International School Velammal New Gen CBSE School Little Millennium Preschool Kelambakkam Jagannath Vidyalaya CBSE School Billabong High International School Buvana Krishnan Matriculation Higher Secondary School St Mary's Matriculation Higher Secondary School Ilanthalir Kids Zone Preschool Kidzee Kelambakkam Play, Nursery School Government Higher Secondary School Nellai Math Institute (A Mathematics School in Kelambakkam)
Colleges nearby Kelambakkam IIT Madras- Scientific Discovery campus- PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in 2021 for constructing a campus at a cost of Rs.1,000 crores (State government has given 163 acres of land in Thaiyur at 2017). VIT University SSN University(250 acre campus) Hindustan University Chettinad School of Architecture IIITDM Kancheepuram (Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram) Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (Deemed to be university under section 3 of the UGC Act) Chettinad college of Nursing Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute Dhanapalan College of Arts & Science SMK Fomra Institute of Technology Anand Institute of Technology PSB polytechnic college Tagore Medical college and Hospital
Hospitals Chettinad Super Speciality Hospital (100-acre campus) Praveena Hospital, Vandalur Road, Kelambakkam Swaram Hospital Supreme Hospitals Apollo Diagnostics Malar Diagnostics Centre (Since 2003)
Temples and Churches around Kelambakkam Sai Baba Temple, Kelambakkam Poorana Brahmam Temple, Sri RamaRajya Campus, Vandalur Road, Kelambakkam Sri Ashta Dasa Buja Durga Lakshmi Saraswathi Temple, Sri RamaRajya Campus, Vandalur Road, Kelambakkam Sri Karpaga Vinayakar Temple, Ganeshpuri, Sri RamaRajya Campus, Kelambakkam Veera Anjaneyar Temple, Pudupakkam Nithyakalyana Perumal temple, Thiruvidanthai beach temple (one of the 108 Divyadesas of Lord Perumal) Thiruporur Murugan Temple Chengammal Sivan Temple Mareeswarar Temple (Thaiyur) Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church Divine Mercy Church Usmaniya Jamiya Masjid And Islamic Center (one of the oldest masjid in OMR road) Masjid ul huda (near Market)
Transport
OMR is the principal north–south road through Kelambakkam, connecting the locality with Chennai, Siruseri and Thiruporur. The Vandalur–Kelambakkam Road provides a westward connection towards the Grand Southern Trunk Road corridor.
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses serve Kelambakkam from several parts of Chennai. As of August 2026, MTC route 102 operated between Island Ground and Kelambakkam through Adyar, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Semmancheri and Navalur.
Chennai Metro Phase II Corridor 3 is under construction from Madhavaram to Siruseri SIPCOT II. Chennai Metro Rail Limited stated in March 2026 that Phase II as a whole was proposed for completion by the end of 2028. The approved corridor terminates at Siruseri rather than Kelambakkam.
Gallery
See also Thiruporur Thiruvidandai Covelong Beach Mamallapuram
References