History of Chennai

Early History

Permanent settlements in the Chennai region date back 2000 years, with scant archeological evidence suggesting that the origins might stretch back even further.  Most of the dominant South Indian dynasties like the Pandyas, the Cholas, and the Vijayangar Empire ruled the region at various times in its history.  In 1522, the Portuguese arrived and built a port which they named Sao Tome, after Saint Thomas who spread Christianity in the area between 52 and 70 AD.  In 1639, officers of the East India Company chose a site called Madraspatnam to build the country’s first British settlement.  The name Chennai comes from the most prominent local chieftain of the time, Chennappa Nayak. Chennapatnam was the name of a small hamlet south of Chennai. Over time, Chennapatnam and Madraspatnam merged to form one city.  The British favored the name Madras, and the name stuck till August 1996 when the city joined a long list of rechristened (or rather, “unchristened”) Indian cities and was renamed Chennai.   

British Influence

A year after the British arrived, they erected Fort George, around which the city of Madras grew.  The city was briefly captured by the French in 1746 but reverted back to British control in 1749 when the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed.  By the end of the 18^th century, the British had managed to conquer most of the outlying regions and add them to what became known as the Presidency of Madras, with Madras city as the capital.  This was a period of great development for the city, and the establishment of the Indian Railways saw Madras connected to other Indian cities like Mumbai.  After Indian independence in 1947, the city was crowned the capital of Madras state.  In 1969, the state was renamed Tamil Nadu for the local majority Tamil speaking population, and in 1996 the capital city was officially renamed Chennai.