Madras
(2002 est. pop. 4.3 million). Now officially Chennai, Madras is a large city on the southeast coast of India. Its name came from the Arabic madrasa, "a religious school," but recently the ancient Tamil name of the town (Cennai) has been asserted by local politicians. In the early days of its European settlement, it was known as Fort St. George, in reference to the main fortification, which still stands. In 1639 territory was given to Francis Day of the East India Company by a deputy of the Raja of Chandragiri, who was the last local representative of the foundering royal house of Vijayanagar. This grant was later confirmed afresh, in 1762, by the Nawab of Arcot (Arkattu).
From a small fort built there in 1644, the town slowly expanded as it became the most important trading center in that part of India. Among the town's more notable governors were Elihu Yale (1687–1691), who gave a small grant to found the noted American university that bears his name; Thomas Pitt (1730–1735); and Sir Thomas Munro (1820–1827). This was the first settlement of any size belonging to the East India Company, and St. Mary's Church, built in 1678–1680, was the first English church in Asia. Even older, however, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of San Thome, built by the Portuguese in 1547 and resting place of the mortal remains of St. Thomas. But the antiquity of the town goes back even further, for St. Thomas's Mount is mentioned by Marco Polo in the thirteenth century. According to legend, the apostle was martyred on this spot while kneeling on a stone, which now forms the altar in the cathedral. The seventeenth century Parthasarathi and Kapaleshvara Temples are the two main Hindu temples within the city.
Madras is located where the Cooum and Adyar rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal. It was the capital of Madras Presidency (at first called Carnatic, then just Madras) from early in the nineteenth century. At Independence the presidency disappeared as a political unit, to be replaced by Madras Province and several other states. Today Madras is the capital of Tamil Nadu State, and its approximately 6 million people make it the fourth-largest city in India. It has many industries, several universities, and a multiplicity of government offices. It is a hub for railroad and bus transportation and has an important airport. It is also a major seaport, but this too is a twentieth-century development.
Further Reading
Michell, George, and Philip Davies. (1989) "Madras." In The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India. New York: Viking Press, 1: 446–448; 2: 542–554.
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