Chennai is one of the busiest commercial hubs of India. It is located in on the Coramandal Coast of Bay of Bengal and is at present the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Long ago it was a part of the Thondamandalam, the area which was for a very long time ruled over by the Nayaks.

Various names of Chennai

Chennai was originally called as Madraspatnam and from this name was derived the name of Madras. It was called as Madras for a very long time until it was renamed by Chennai in 1996 by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. M.K. Karunanidhi. Chennai also had various other names like Madras Kuppam, Madrapupatnam, Madirazpatnam and Madharaas. Chennapatnam was actually a small town to the south of Madras which was later on added to the region. British East India Company acquired this place from Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu in 1639 for lease. It is said that the father of Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu was Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu and Venkatadri Nayakudu named this place as Chennappatnam in memory of his father. The region of Chennai around St. George Fort was also called as White Town.

Earlier Kingdoms That Ruled Over Chennai

In second century, Tondamal Ilam Tirayan ruled over this place and it was after him that the region came to be called as Thondaimandalam. Chola Prince Ilam Killi came to power after him. His plans to expand the kingdom were curbed by Satavahanas of Andhra. One of the chieftains of Chola King, Bappaswami established Pallava rule in 3^rd century. Pallavas ruled over till 9^th century except for a brief period of time when the region went into the hands of Kalabhras. Chola supremacy ended in 1264 and Pandya rule was established. Later it came under the influence of Vijayanagar Kingdom.

European Settlement in Chennai

Portuguese was the first Europeans to establish their settlement here. They built a port called Santhome which was named after the priest Saint Thomas. Dutch people established their settlement at Pulicat lying north of Chennai in 1612. British East India Company was looking for the right place for calico trade and they found this place ideal for settlement. They approached Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu in 1639 and according to an agreement for two years they got this place on 22^nd August 1639. English were also given rights to build their houses, castles and fort.

The agreement was renewed and many more regions including Narimedu were added to the village. The famous St. George Fort was constructed in the seventeenth century. The place witnessed many plagues and wars in that time. Thomas Pitt who served as the Governor of Madras from 1698 to 1709 ordered for building many churches and schools and under his able leadership trade and commerce flourished in Madras.

Establishment of English Supremacy

English had to face frequent threats from other European settlers especially French. French plundered the place and captured Fort St. George in 1746. According to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749, it was restored to the English. Danish settlers and Dutch settlers were also sent out of the land and the Madras Presidency was established with Madras as its capital in later part of eighteenth century.

Chennai After Indian Independence

After the independence of India, it saw huge growth in economy and became one of the busiest commercial hubs of India. Madras was made as the capital of the Madras State which got the name of Tamil Nadu in 1968. Madras was renamed as Chennai in 1996. The Madras photos and Madras videos bear testimony to its long history.

To learn more about Chennai, visit Chennai photos and Chennai videos.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On February 03, 2012lView All Articles

I am Suhaina Mazhar, a freelance content writer and blogger and have written thousands of original articles. Writing is my passion, writing is my hobby and writing is my career. I want to write till the last moment of my life.

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/interesting-history-of-chennai-article-467.htm

Keywords :
Chennai , Chennai photos , Chennai videos