The city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, boasts a history that is simultaneously ancient in its constituent parts and relatively young as a unified urban entity. Its story is one of transition, from a collection of small fishing hamlets and ancient settlements to a pivotal trading post, and finally, the administrative and commercial capital of British South India—the Madras Presidency. The foundation of the city, in the modern sense, is unequivocally linked to the arrival and establishment of the British East India Company in the mid-17th century.
I. The Ancient Antecedents: Before Madraspatnam
The region that now constitutes Chennai was far from a barren land before the 17th century. It lay within Tondaimandalam, a province whose capital was the revered city of Kancheepuram. This coastal stretch, famed for its textiles, was a site of human settlement, trade, and cultural significance for millennia.
* Mylapore and San Thome: Long before the British, areas like Mylapore were prominent. The Greek geographer Ptolemy referred to the area as Mylarphon in the 2nd century CE. Mylapore was a bustling port and a cultural hub. Furthermore, the settlement of San Thome (Portuguese for Saint Thomas) traces its origins to the legend of the Christian apostle St. Thomas, believed to have arrived and preached in the region between 52 and 70 CE. The Portuguese established a settlement here in 1522, building a port and a church, making it an early European presence on the Coromandel Coast.
* Dynastic Rule: The region was successively ruled by major South Indian dynasties:
* The Early Cholas governed the area in the 1st century CE.
* The Pallavas held sway for centuries, building the ancient Parthasarathi Temple in Triplicane in the 8th century.
* The Later Cholas defeated the Pallavas in 879 CE.
* The Pandyas took control under Jatavarman Sundara Pandya in 1264 CE.
* By the 15th century, the region came under the influence of the powerful Vijayanagara Empire, with its headquarters eventually at Chandragiri. Local chieftains, or Nayaks, governed the immediate coastal tracts on behalf of the Emperor.
II. The Dawn of the Modern City: The East India Company and Fort St. George (1639-1652)
The catalyst for the founding of modern Chennai was the strategic need of the British East India Company (EIC) for a permanent trading post and factory (warehouse) on the Coromandel Coast. The EIC, having struggled at other locations like Pulicat (where the Dutch were entrenched) and Armagaon, sought a more secure and suitable location closer to the thriving textile production centers.
* The Land Grant (August 22, 1639): The history of the city is formally dated to August 22, 1639. On this date, Francis Day, an official of the EIC, along with his superior, Andrew Cogan, obtained a grant for a strip of land from Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak, the influential Nayak of Wandiwash and a local chieftain under the Vijayanagara Emperor, Peda Venkata Raya.
* The land was a strip approximately 6 miles long and 1 mile inland, encompassing a small island and the fishing village of Madraspatnam.
* The agreement, for which the EIC was to pay a yearly rent, permitted the Company to build a fortified factory.
* The Naming Controversy: Madras vs. Chennai: The early history presents a duality in the city's nomenclature:
* Madraspatnam: This was the name of the original fishing village to the north of the new settlement. The name 'Madras' is believed to be a shortened form of 'Madraspatnam.'
* Chennapatnam: The settlement that grew around the new fort was often referred to by the local populace as Chennapatnam or Chennapattanam. This name was in honour of Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, the father of the granting Nayak, Damarla Venkatapathy Nayak.
* The British initially applied the name Madraspatnam to the combined town, though local records and grants also used Chennapatnam. Over time, the shortened 'Madras' became the official, anglicized name for the entire area.
* The Construction of Fort St. George (1640): In February 1640, Day and Cogan officially established the settlement. Construction of the fort began, and it was formally completed on April 23, 1640, coinciding with St. George's Day, hence the name Fort St. George. This fort, the first permanent and fortified British settlement in India, became the official administrative center of the EIC on the Coromandel Coast.
III. Growth and Consolidation: The Formation of a City (1652-1700)
The immediate vicinity of Fort St. George quickly developed into a dual settlement, reflecting the racial and cultural divide of the time.
* White Town and Black Town:
* The area within the walls of Fort St. George was designated White Town and reserved for the British and European settlers. It housed the administrative buildings, St. Mary's Church (the oldest Anglican church in India, consecrated in 1680), and the residences of the EIC officials.
* The settlement that rapidly grew outside the fort walls, to the north, was called Black Town (later renamed George Town). This area was home to the Indian merchants, artisans (weavers, washers, painters), and other indigenous service providers whose skills were vital to the EIC's trade. This segregated development established a pattern of urbanization that would persist for centuries.
* The fort, White Town, and Black Town together constituted the unified settlement known as Madras.
* Establishment of the Presidency (1652): Recognizing the burgeoning trade and strategic importance of Madras, the EIC elevated Fort St. George to the status of a Presidency (an administrative unit governed by a President) in 1652, marking it as a major hub for British operations in India.
* External Challenges and Expansion:
* In 1646, the Golconda forces under General Mir Jumla conquered Madras, briefly challenging British authority, though EIC control was re-established.
* Later, the French and the Mughal Empire would contest control of the Coromandel Coast.
* **The Mayor and Corporation (1688): A significant development under the Governorship of Elihu Yale (1687-1692) was the formation of the Corporation of Madras (now the Greater Chennai Corporation) on September 29, 1688, following a Royal Charter issued in 1687. This institution, which established a Mayor and Aldermen, is the oldest surviving municipal governing body in India and the second oldest in the world (after the Corporation of London).
* Territorial Acquisitions: Throughout the latter half of the 17th century, the EIC gradually expanded its control. In 1693, the Company received a perwanna (sanction) from the local Nawab, granting the surrounding villages of Tondiarpet, Purasawalkam, and Egmore to the settlement, further broadening its municipal boundaries.
IV. The 18th Century: A Crucible of Conflict and Consolidation
The 18th century was a defining period for Madras, transforming it from a mere trading post into a formidable political and military power center, primarily due to the rivalry between the British and the French.
* Carnatic Wars: Madras became a key battleground in the Anglo-French conflicts for supremacy in India, known as the Carnatic Wars.
* First Carnatic War (1746-1748): The French, under Governor General Dupleix, attacked and captured Fort St. George in 1746. The British settlement was held by the French for two years. Madras was restored to the British by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 in exchange for the French fortress of Louisbourg in North America. This event highlighted the vulnerability of the fort and spurred the British to enhance its fortifications.
* Third Carnatic War (1758-1759): The French, led by Comte de Lally, again besieged Madras. The British successfully defended the city for several months, holding out until a relief fleet arrived. The British victory was a decisive turning point, effectively ending French imperial ambitions in South India.
* Rise of the Madras Presidency: With the decline of the Mughal and other regional powers, and the defeat of the French, the British became the supreme power in South India. Madras served as the administrative and military nerve center for this growing empire. By the early 19th century (c. 1801), the British had shorn the last of the local rulers of their power, and Madras became the undisputed capital of a vast region known as the Madras Presidency, covering much of modern-day Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Odisha.
V. Early Institutional Development and Urban Expansion (19th Century)
The early 19th century marked a period of consolidation, institutional development, and physical expansion for Madras, cementing its status as a major metropolitan center.
* Infrastructure: The city's geography was significantly altered by the introduction of modern infrastructure:
* Railways (1850s): The construction of the first railway lines in South India began, with the city serving as the headquarters for the South Indian Railway. The first construction began in 1853, establishing Madras as a major transport hub.
* Harbour Project (1870s): Governor Lord Hobart initiated the crucial Madras Harbour project, transforming the artificial harbor into a major global port.
* Pioneering Institutions: Madras established many institutions that were 'firsts' in India, demonstrating its progressive nature:
* Madras Regiment (1758): The oldest regiment of the modern Indian Army.
* **Madras Bank (1795): Later merged with others to form the Imperial Bank of India, which eventually became the State Bank of India.
* Madras Survey School (1794): Became the Civil Engineering School in 1858, now the College of Engineering, Guindy.
* Madras Medical College (1835): One of the oldest modern medical colleges in Asia.
* University of Madras (1857): One of the three oldest universities in India (along with Calcutta and Bombay).
* Madras Observatory (1792): The first modern observatory in India.
* Socio-Political Landscape: The city's growth saw the intermingling and occasional friction between the different communities—British, Anglo-Indians, and various South Indian communities, including Tamils, Telugus, and others—that settled in the expanding city limits. This environment also nurtured the beginnings of Indian nationalist movements in the later decades of the century, with the Indian National Congress gaining traction in the 1880s.
VI. Conclusion: A Legacy of Foundation
The history of Chennai, from its formal founding in 1639, is the story of a city deliberately built by a mercantile power for the pursuit of trade and empire. From the simple beginnings of Fort St. George and the twin settlements of White Town and Black Town, it grew to be a city of enormous administrative, commercial, and cultural importance. The early years laid the essential blueprint for the metropolis, establishing the institutions, the infrastructure, and the dual legacy—of both ancient culture and colonial power—that would define it for the next three centuries. The official change of name from Madras to Chennai in 1996 marked the final, formal act of reclaiming the indigenous identity of the city, one that had been whispered in the name Chennapatnam for nearly four centuries.
