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Crafted by: Sri Sankara Silpa Sala
Material: Granite
Location: South

The Kannadi Gopuram is named after the unique Glass Bells installation that cascades from its foyer.

Inscribed on it, in verse, are narratives of Lord Krishn's life, popularly known as Krishn Leelas. Krishn is a key figure in Indian culture and tradition and is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu. This includes classic poems like Alaipayuthey Kanna, written by Venkata Kavi in the 18th Century as an ode to the love between Krishn and Radha (Ras Leela) and Theeradha Vilayatu Pillai, written by Mahakavi Bharathiar in the 20th century, a tribute to the Lord's playful nature as a child (Bal Leela). Also represented is his sermon, The Discourse, to the Pandav prince Arjun from the epic Mahabharat which forms the holy Bhagavad Gita.

To know more about Krishn, and the Dasavataram, take the Kathai, Kalai, Parampariyam: Culture Walk.

Ulòka Gopuram

Maram Gopuram

South Gate

The walls of the Southern Gate showcase illustrations of colonial maps that narrate key episodes in the history of the Madras Presidency.

Map 1
By the mid 1700's, Fort St. George and its
outlying areas were the hub of all economic
activity in Madras. This illustrated map shows
the different sections of the Fort, including
White Town and Black Town. Access to these
were restricted to the European and indigenous
population respectively.

Map 2
The modern town of Pallavaram dates its
origins to a settlement that existed during
the rule of the Pallava King Mahendravarman
I. During the 18th Century, it became home
to a new British army cantonment, supplementary
to the primary one at St. Thomas Mount.

Map 3
The city of Madras evolved around Fort St.
George. In the early part of the 18th Century,
it was a sparsely populated egion with
scattered, smaller settlements. Shown here is
one of the earliest maps of the area.

Map 4
Under the treaty signed by the British with
the local Nayak rulers for the establishment
of Fort St. George, Europeans had to abide
by a number of laws. For example, they were
not allowed to decorate the exteriors of their
homes or paint it in any colour except white.
Consequently, the area with European settlers
came to be called 'White Town'. The area with
native settlers that developed next to 'White Town'
became known as 'Black Town'.

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