Chennai has grown from a small village to the fourth most populous city in India. As the capital of Tamil Nadu (an Indian state), the city is a center for Tamil arts and culture. Visitors will find incredible Tamil cuisine, great shopping, and wonderful five star hotels in Chennai. There are also numerous temples, beaches, parks, and performances of dance, music, and theater to keep travelers occupied.

The Chennai region has been an economic and adminstrative center as well as a prime military site for nearly two thousand years. Prior to being colonized by Portugal in 1522, it was ruled by a succession of South Indian dynasties including the Chola, the Vijaynagar, the Pallava, and the Pandya. Mylapore, which was once a major Pallavan port, was later absorbed into Chennai. The Portuguese built their own port, São Tomé, and the growing city became known as Madras. The Dutch also established their presence to the north of the city in 1612.

In August of 1639 a small strip of the Coromandel Coast was purchased by Francis Day from the Vijayanagar King. Day was part of the British East India Company and gained permission to construct a trading warehouse and factory. In 1640 The British built Fort St. George and began their own colonization. The fort and the city were captured by the French in 1746, but the British regained the city through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapele in 1749. Within fifty years, the British controlled most of the Tamil Nadu region and what is now Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They created the Madras Presidency and made Madras the capital city.

Under Great Britian, Madras became a major naval base and urban center for the subcontinent. Railways installed in the late 19th century connected Madras to Calcutta, Bombay, and other Indian cities. This promoted trade and communications across India. The city’s importance as a naval base was evident during World War I, when the city was the only one in India to be attacked by Germany.

Once India gained independence from Britian in 1947, the city was named the capital of the state of Madras. In 1969 Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu. In 1996 the city was renamed Chennai, since Madras was a remanant of Portuguese rule. In December 2004, Chennai was struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami which permanently altered the region’s coastline and killed many. The city quickly recovered and today there is little evidence of the destruction caused by the tidal wave.

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Filed by Dylan at 11:43 am under History,Travel
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