History of Chennai

Chennai has covered a long historical journey. It was ruled by several reputed dynasties of South India namely the Cholas, the Pandayas and the Vijayanagar empire. Its tryst with colonization happened when Francis Day and Andrew Cogan the officials of East India Company, landed on the Coromondal coast on 20 February 1640, alongwith 25 British soldiers, a few clerks and some Indian associates. Two months later they laid the foundation of Fort St George raising a boundary wall around 100 sq km area at then fisherman's village of Chennapatnam. Thus came up Madras.

Monuments of ChennaiThe Company set up the first colony in a 5km long narrow landmass at Chennai situated between the Kayum and Adiyer rivers off the shore of the Bay of Bengal. That was in 1642. The company sent consignments of sugar and cotton to far off England. The British captured also Triplicane and Egmore in 1700. The city was destroyed in 1746 because of frequent armed clashes with the French entirely from the south in 1751.

The city of Madras was named after Madra, the Portugese band leader who was there in 1507. The Portugese established their own colony at the old Tamil port 5km down south. Madras was renamed Chennai on 1 October, 1996.