Madras Antiquity - 1 The Introduction

The Madras Presidency, comprising most of southern India, including what is now known as Tamil Nadu, was created in the eighteenth century and was ruled directly by the British East India Company.

Chennai's name came about because the entire land belonged to Chennappa Naicker, who sold the land to the East India Company. Another theory for the name Madras is derived from Madrasan, a fisherman head who lived on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Madras was a significant territory in India acquired by the British. Out of three presidential cities, Madras was one of the oldest cities that the British had a stronghold on. The Fort St. George was constructed before the ceding of Bombay and Kolkata.

In 1860, Mr. James Talboys Wheeler explored St. George Fort records and published the extracts in his book "Madras in the Olden Time". He restored history between 1640 and 1670 when Madras was with the British after French occupation. Similarly, William Foster brought out details about Fort St.George in 1902 for the period pertaining from 1639 to 1647. Madras was a significant place when the East India company started its trading. It is the first acquisition by the English in Hindustan.

The most known landmark of Madras (later changed to Chennai) was Fort St.George fort where our present legislative assembly and other Government department headquarters are present. Hundreds of people enter the portal of Fort St George, the seat of power in the state. The “Kottai” has been so for ages now. On any given day, the place is very busy with Ministers, IAS officers, Government officials, residents and tourists thronging the place. In March 1640, when Francis Day and Andrew Cogar who came here from Durgaraya Pattanam (Aramagon) 100 km away from Madras, began the construction of the Fort, there was nothing there. It was a sandy beach. The Fort St.George has been designed to accommodate defense force and even now it belongs to defense department only.

It is strange that we do not have any plan or map of Madras during the period of seventeenth and eighteenth century. The city was restored by British after French ruling. Mr. Wheeler at his writing “Madras in the Olden Time", he had a map extending only from Ennore to Triplicane.

The glorious days of Madras at the end of seventeenth century, the southern part was the Chief British Settlement. A steepness of slopes, the ancient church of St. Thomas Mount had been a landmark for marines. Low sand hills near a small river were a settlement of Portuguese of Santhome. It was considered to be a town of wealth and importance before British East India company.

The present high court was a lighthouse; voyagers enter through an artificial harbor. Public buildings and mercantile offices were seen. Behind these buildings were densely populated slums and very narrow streets; this is the origin of Black Town and present elite place of Madras called George Town.

It was named as George Town in memory of a visit by Prince of Wales. North George Town are Royapuram, Tondiarpet, west Vepery, Purasawakkam and Kilpauk, and west of the Town are Egmore Chetpet.

South of it were the Government Houses and parks. The original name of Madras was Chennapattanam; it first appeared in records in 1652.

In 1661, Christian living areas were known as Christian Town and were changed as “White Town” and North of it designated as “Black Town”. Over time, the entire area became known as “White Town”. The “Black Town” which was between Fort St. George and what is presently known as George Town has wholly disappeared.

The ancient village near Fort St.George was Triplicane where the Parthasarathi Temple dating from Pallava Period is located.

To be continued 

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