1522-23 CE

According to legend, St Thomas, the apostle of Jesus, was buried in the beach near Mylapore. His remains were later removed to be placed in a crypt and the San Thome Church was built there in his honour. His remains were later transferred to Iraq, then to Greece and finally sent to Italy. Each resting place retained a relic of his. At San Thome Church, a small hand bone and the head of a lance remain. Around 1522-23 the Portuguese renovated the San Thome Basilica and went on to build new churches including the Luz Church and the Church of the Holy Rosary. San Thome Church is one of the only three Basilicas in the world to be built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus.

1626

When the East India Company was intending to increase their influence in mainland India, they identified Armagon at Dugarazpatnam, to the north of Pulicat, as an ideal location. The name Armagon comes from its estate ruler Arumugha Mudaliyar and, with his blessings, the British built a factory there. The factory was crucial to gain a stronger control over the trade routes around the Coromandel coast for the British. It became the first fortified possession of the East India Company in India.

1637

Francis Day, an eminent officer of The East India Company, went on a voyage of exploration from Madras, along the coast till Pondicherry in search for a place to establish a British settlement. They were looking for a place which had the availability of textile for exports, the facilities of a reasonable port and a supportive local ruler who would cooperate with their plans. The future site of Fort St. George was earmarked by Francis Day. It was almost a small island lying in the middle of the two branches of a river with a proximity to the famous port of Mylapore (known as Mylarpha by foreign traders). The land belonged to a Nayak ruler. Soon negotiations to procure this piece of coastal land were initiated.

1639

In 1639, the British succeeded in purchasing the strip of land from the Nayak rulers of the region. Damarla Venkatappa was the Nayak of Kalahasti and controlled the port between Pulicat and San Thome. This purchase by the British was their first territorial possession in India. Christened Fort St. George, in memory of the patron saint of England, it was completed by 1644 at a cost of approximately 3000 pounds.

1640

In 1640 Andrew Cogan and Francis Day shifted from Armagon to Madrasapattinam (Madras) with their factory staff. They arrived with over a hundred men to lay the foundation of the settlement of Fort St. George on two ships called Eagle and Unity. It was the first territorial British possession in India. Fort St. George, according to the terms of the lease granted by the Nayak rulers, would be governed by the British and they had the right to levy and collect revenues. Upon completion, the area near the Fort came to be known as White Town and housed the residences of the officials. It was modelled on the lines of a European city. With an increase in trade on the Coromandel Coast, Madras rose to prominence and with it the prosperity and status of Fort St George grew.

1678

ST. MARY’S CHURCH
St Mary’s Church is the oldest surviving Anglican church in the region and one of the oldest British buildings in India. Master Gunner cum Engineer William Dixon is credited as being the architect of the building. The bomb-proof building was designed along the lines of a garrison church and was consecrated in 1680. Elihu Yale, the governor of Madras and the benefactor of Yale College, is one of the many luminaries who were married in this church. Today, the church is filled with memorials and tablets of soldiers, sailors, missionaries, civil servants, merchants and other leading lights of the community. It is a crucial repository of British-Madras military history.

1688

CORPORATION OF MADRAS
The Corporation of Madras was created by a Royal Charter issued by King James on 30th December 1687 and was the first of its kind in British India. It was a strategic move by Sir Josiah Child, the Governor of the Court of Directors of The East India Company to control the growing powers of the Madras governor Elihu Yale. Inspired by the Dutch Government in the East Indies, Josiah Child planned the first body of the Corporation of Madras. It was to be led by a Mayor with a multi-ethnic team that represented a cross section of society. Documentary proof states that, apart from the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Town of Fort St. George and City of Madrasapattinam, three other English members, three Portuguese merchants, three Jewish merchants and three Hindus were included. The first Mayor of the Corporation of Madras was Nathaniel Higginson.

1701

The Commander-in-chief of the Mughal army Daud Khan was appointed the 3rd Nawab of Carnatic around 1701. Weary of the growing impact of the British ambitions in San Thome and Madras, Daud Khan threatened to attack Fort St. George to safeguard the interests of the Carnatic. He even laid siege on the city of Madras. However, as he could not gain the Mughal Emperor’s assent to his scheme, he had to withdraw from the standoff with the British.

1711

The earliest reports of the use of a printing press go way back to 1556 when Portuguese Jesuits printed and disseminated religious literature. The Portuguese-influenced printing faded out with the lessening of religious zeal. Then, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg founded the Tranquebar Mission Press in 1713 and printing came back into prominence again in South India. The Tranquebar Mission Press also played a key role in spreading the gospel. This press, which was seized by the British government, was released into the care and management of the Tranquebar Mission at Vepery, Madras. It is the oldest known surviving press in India today.

1726

Coja Petrus Uscan, an Armenian merchant, migrated to Madras in the year 1723. He was a leading figure in the community and was known for his loyalty to the British during the French occupation of Madras. He financed the construction of the 134 stone steps at St. Thomas Mount which lead to the shrine atop the little hill. He also donated 1500 pagodas for its upkeep. Devotees climb the 134 granite steps of the church even today as an act of penance and sacrifice.

1744

Robert Clive joined the government of Fort St. George as a junior writer in 1744. He proved himself to be a worthy soldier and was promoted to the rank of Captain during the Carnatic wars. He was also awarded the stewardship of Fort St. George before briefly returning to England. He was back in India in 1756 as Deputy Governor and was a key figure in the victory of the Battle of Plassey.

His timeline in the country is interesting to historians as it coincides with a shift in the British strategy towards India. They landed in Madras as traders and went on to become the masters of Bengal and Southern India. Because of his efforts to bring India under Colonial rule he is often called ‘Clive of India’.

1746

The Carnatic wars are a key to understanding the power struggle between Britain and France in India. Tensions escalated between Britain and France when the war broke in 1744. The French arrived carrying 3300 troops under Governor De La Bourdonnais to Pondicherry. Bourdonnais marched towards Madras and attacked Fort St. George and seized power in the west. To increase his hold, he attacked from land and sea by firing his guns on the city and shelling it with canons from his fleet. The British surrendered and as part of the treaty, the French became the new rulers of Madras.

1749

By prior arrangement with the French Governor Dupleix, the right to rule over Madras was to be handed over to The Nawab of Arcot for his support. Dupleix’s failure to honour this agreement made the Nawab move his army, which was partly trained by the French, in to Madras to attack the city in 1746. The French army charged across the river to battle, which came to be known as the Battle of Adyar. The Nawab’s forces retreated. However, the idea of raising a native armed force trained by the Empire was sown in the minds of the British when they heard about the Nawab’s highly skilled, French-trained army.

Meanwhile the French lost to Britain in Europe and were forced to sign the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which, among other things, returned Madras to the British.

1758

In 1758, Count Lally, the French Governor-General of Pondicherry attacked Fort St. David at Cuddalore and destroyed it. He then continued his march towards to Fort St. George. Even though they were outnumbered, the British forces managed to hold on until reinforcements arrived from Calcutta. The battle raged on and nearly destroyed the entire city. On February 17th Count Lally retreated to Arcot after what came to be known as the 67-day Siege of Madras.

1768

Nawab Wallajah, the then ruler of Carnatic, constructed the Chepauk Palace. One of the earliest buildings to feature Indo-Saracenic structures, the Chepauk Palace has a unique place in the history of the city and its architecture. It was designed by the East India Company’s architect Paul Benfield. The Palace and the gardens were eventually purchased by the Government in an auction for Rs. 5,80,000 in 1859.

1769

Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, had an on-going battle with the Marathas. To safeguard his power, he tried to form alliances with neighbouring rulers. His dissatisfaction with the British support led him to attack Madras and almost seize control of the city. Following the attack, the Treaty of Madras was signed to bring peace into the region. This was the first Anglo-Mysore war. The second war was fought due to similar complications, where Hyder Ali was not supported by the British during the Maratha attack.

1772

The Madras General Hospital was started on 16 November 1664 as a small hospital to treat the sick soldiers of the British East India Company. In its early days, the Hospital was housed at Fort St. George and during the next 25 years, it grew into a formal medical facility. The Hospital moved out of the Fort after the Anglo-French War, and after 20 years of searching for an ideal location, finally settled down in Park Town in 1772.

1776

The first lighthouse in Madras was constructed in 1776. According to the reports by the Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee, it housed a lantern reflector and 12 lamps which used coconut oil. For numerous reasons, this lighthouse had to be demolished. A new lighthouse was constructed in 1894 by the British in the then Madras Presidency, which continues to be an iconic landmark of Chennai. The entire structure from base to tip is 125 feet in height. The light was at 117 feet and was visible 20 miles out to sea.

1784

The Madras Courier was the first newspaper to be published in the city. It was the officially recognised newspaper for printing Government notifications, and first appeared in the English language on October 12, 1785. It was in print for three decades and was launched by Richard Johnsto.

1785

In 1785, John Philip Burlton, a civilian, submitted a 10-point plan proposing the institution of a General Post Office (GPO) in Madras. His contention to the Governorship was that the East India Company or its public should not bear the cost of transporting the communiques of the company officials. His suggestion was accepted, and a post office was established in Fort St. George on 1st June 1786. The building currently is currently home to the Chennai GPO of the Indian Postal Service.

1788

In 1788, Thomas Parry arrived in India and registered as a free merchant. He went on to become an influential trader and lived in Madras for three and a half decades. In 1805, he started a tannery at Santhome and soon expanded his business empire with sugar and indigo manufacturing units in Chidambaram. He was also successful in shipbuilding and even supplied the King’s Royal Navy. With his success in business, he soon bought and owned vast properties in Madras. When Thomas Parry obtained large tracks of land near the High Court and built his business houses there, the building and the location became synonymous with his name. His signature Art Deco style building is today a key part of the historic and popular Parry’s corner.

1792

For promoting the knowledge of Astronomy, Geography and Navigation in India, a small Observatory was started in Madras from the collection of William Petrie in 1792. It later expanded under the patronage of Sir Charles Oakeley, the then Governor of Madras. The Madras Observatory was one of the earliest in India to fix its longitudinal position by astronomical observations. This pioneering astronomical work made Madras the fixed point for the trigonometrical survey of India. Madras time was also adopted as the standard time for most of the country.

1794

The Government Survey School in Madras was the first institution for technical education built outside Europe. Starting with just eight students in 1794 at Fort St. George, the school moved to multiple locations before finally finding a permanent place at the Anna University campus.

1795

The Triplicane Wallajah mosque was constructed in 1795 by the family of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, the Nawab of Arcot. With the arrival of the Nawabs, many North Indians moved to Madras for trade and administration. The mosque was built to cater to their needs.

1817

Considered to be one of the oldest libraries in South India, the Madras Literary Society was formed in 1817. The library functioned as part of the College at Fort St. George and is a rich archive of all the discoveries and experiences related to the Madras Presidency. The library has had illustrious members like Subhash Chandra Bose, Annie Besant, TT Krishnamachari and CP Ramaswami Iyer. It currently houses more than 83,000 books.

1819

Dr. R. Richardson, one of the East India Company’s most prominent surgeons in London, saw the need to start an eye hospital in India. He founded the Madras Eye Infirmary in Egmore, which is today the second oldest eye hospital in the world.

1832

The Madras Club was founded in 1832 as a gentleman’s club. The classic, British Colonial style club is one of the oldest in the country. Chief Justice Sir Robert Comyn of the Madras High Court was the chairperson of the club and facilitated the purchase of the Club House. The Club hosted many grand balls including one in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1870 and another for the Prince of Wales. The club grew in stature over time and came to be known as the ‘Ace of Clubs’.

1841

The Ice House was constructed as a storehouse for ice which was being imported from the Tudor Ice Company in the United States by Fredric Tudor. With the introduction of ice-making in India, the Tudor’s Indian business collapsed, and he sold the Ice House to Biligiri Iyengar. Iyengar found it hard to convert it into a residential home due to its insulated construction which created ventilation issues. However, it found prominence as a guest house with eminent visitors like Swami Vivekananda, who delivered legendary speeches from there. The Ice House today belongs to the Government of India and has been officially renamed Vivekanandar Illam.

1853

Edward Green Balfour, who founded the Madras Museum was instrumental in founding the Madras Zoo. Balfour even did a scientific study of zoo visitors which is considered to be the first of its kind in the world. His efforts in liaising with the Nawab also ensured a generous donation by the Nawab of Carnatic who gave his entire collection of live animals to the Zoo. By 1876, the Zoo was referred to as the Municipal Zoological Garden and spread across 120 acres, with free access to the general public. In 1985, the Zoo was re-established over an area of more than 1,200 acres in the Vandalur Reserve Forest.

1856

A colonial administrative headquarters, Madras fostered the need for different modes of transportation for the Nawabs and the East India Company. This led to the beginning of railway operations for easier transportation. In June 1856, the first train in South India started operating. Royapuram Railway Station became the headquarters of Madras and the Southern Maratha Railway. The station was later shifted to the present day Egmore station.

1857

Lord John Elphinstone, a Scottish soldier and a political administrator who was the then Governor of Madras, insisted on the need for an institute that would provide improved national education. This led to the establishment of the University of Madras in 1857 which is today one of the oldest universities in the country. The University Board was constituted in January 1840 with Mr. George Norton, the Advocate General of East India Company, as its president. Madras University is a national centre for advanced research in plant pathology, mathematical physics, biophysics and Indian philosophy.

1878

The Hindu was published to garner support for the judgeship of Sir T. Muthuswamy, an Indian lawyer, who went on to become the first native Indian to be appointed as a judge of the Madras High Court. The newspaper was founded on September 20, 1878, by six young nationalists nicknamed ‘The Triplicane Six’ who were led by a visionary school teacher G. Subramania Aiyer. The growing dissatisfaction with the Anglo-Indian press culminated in the idea of building a strong Indian news service. From being a weekly to a tri-weekly, The Hindu soon became an evening daily by 1889 and a morning daily by 1940. Headquartered in Chennai, it is one of the oldest surviving major daily newspapers of India and has a readership of more than 22.58 lakhs.

1882

The Oriental Telephone Company Limited, a licensed telephone company from England, came to India and was granted permission to open telephone exchanges at five metropolitan cities including Madras. In 1882, only a few privileged citizens in the city had a telephone. Later, by 1st April 1943, Indian Posts and Telegraph Department took over control of the telephone system in Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay.

1885

Monstuart Elphinstone Grant-Duff, the then Governor of Madras, was instrumental in building the Marina Beach road. Complementing the world’s second largest urban beach, Marina Beach road was laid in 1885 and given the Italian name ‘Marina’. A place of relaxation, where the affluent took a drive in their carriages, Marina Beach road was also a venue for public meetings and gatherings.

1889

As per the orders of Queen Victoria, Empress of India, there was legal reform in India - three high courts were established in the Presidency Towns of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta to make decisions in accordance with the laws of justice, equity and good conscience. The Madras High Court was inaugurated in 1889 and is today the highest Court in the State of Tamil Nadu, exercising ‘Original Jurisdiction’ over the City of Madras and Appellate Jurisdiction over the entire State.

1895

The people of Madras were used to being horse-driven. The Tram service was a new phenomenon introduced by the Madras Tramways Company in 1877. On May 7, 1895, The Madras Tramways Company commenced its first commercial operations in the city. The company introduced trial services before the formal inauguration and even offered a free ride to the public encouraging them to experience it. It paved the way to revolutionising the public transport system of the city.

1899

G. Subramanya Iyer, a leading Indian journalist of the time, started the ‘Swadesamitran' a tri-weekly newspaper that introduced and fostered Tamil journalism. It was the first Tamil newspaper published in India during the reign of The East India Company. The newspaper was instrumental in disseminating important information during the British rule. The sole Tamil daily till 1917, Swadesamitran enjoyed a captive and loyal readership.

1910

A small Parsi community found its niche in Madras between 1795-1809 and settled around Royapuram. In 1910, Phiroj Muncherji Clubwala built the Royapuram fire temple and consecrated it the Jal Phiroj Clubwala Dar-E-Meher. The sacred fire which is lit in the temple at Royapuram has never been extinguished and stayed lit even during the German bombing of Madras during World War II.

1914

Till 1857, there were only about 200 oil light lamps that provided illumination in the public areas of Madras. Electric street lighting was introduced for the first time by the Government. This marked an important milestone for the city, and gradually all street lights were replaced with electric lights, making travelling in the city easier for the public during the night.

1917

Simpson and Co., one of the oldest automotive establishments in India, conducted the first test flight in Madras in 1917 at the grounds near St. Thomas Mount. The pilot was a man named G. Vlasto. This site was later used as the Madras Aerodrome.

1925

The city of Madras, in order to make public transport easy and widespread, started its bus routes in 1925. The first motor bus service in the city was organised by the Madras Tramway Corporation between 1925 and 1928. The Pallavan Transport Corporation was established to take over the bus operations from the Government. It was later expanded and renamed The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), which opened in 2001. Today it is one of the largest bus stations in Asia and serves as the terminus for all intercity buses to and from Chennai.

1947

Marking Independence from British rule, the Indian National flag was proudly hoisted at Fort St. George, Madras on August 15, 1947. The 12ft by 8ft pure silk flag was hoisted after lowering the British Union Jack at 5.05 AM, an act that was witnessed by thousands of people. With the declaration of independence, the Presidency of Madras became Madras Province. Madras was later declared the administrative and legislative capital of Madras State, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1968.

1956

In memory and honour of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi Mandapam was built on 1956 in Madras. Gandhi Mandapam is a site that also contains the memorials of other people of eminence such as Rettamalai Srinivasan, Rajaji, Kamaraj and Minjur Bhaktavatsalam. It is located in Adyar, Chennai.

1988

In memory of the great Indian industrialist and visionary B. M. Birla, The Birla Planetarium was built in 1988 in Madras. The planetarium was inaugurated on 11 May 1988 by the President of India, R. Venkataraman. Quoted as being one of the most advanced planetariums of its time, The Birla Planetarium has eight galleries - namely, Physical Science, Electronics and Communication, Energy, Life Science, Innovation, Transport, International Dolls and Children and Materials Science, with over 500 exhibits.

1996

M. Karunanidhi, the then Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu announced in the state assembly that the state capital of Madras would, from then on, be known as Chennai to break free from the centuries-old legacy of The East India Company. It was a monumental point in the history of Madras. The new name, Chennai, was derived from the Chennapattanam, the name of a town which was near Fort St. George.

2004

One of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, struck the shores of South India. With a magnitude of 9.1 on the Richter Scale, the earthquake and the tsunami it generated claimed more than 230,000 lives in fourteen different countries. The huge waves swallowed thousands of people in Tamil Nadu's coastal areas such as Nagapattinam, Chennai, Cuddalore, Velankanni amongst the other parts of the southern coastline. In Chennai, the worst-affected hamlets were in Santhome and Mylapore.

2010

Minjur desalination plant, the largest desalination plant in the country, was inaugurated in July 2010. The plant is built on a 60-acre site in Kattupalli, about 35km north of Chennai. According to reports, the plant has a capacity of 100,000m./day (100mld). The plant produces potable water using reverse osmosis (RO) technology and serves an estimated 500,000 people in Chennai.

2015

The Chennai Metro, the rapid transit system serving the city, commenced service in 2015 after partially starting the first phase of its project. The network currently consists of two colour-coded lines covering a length of 35 kilometres (22 mi). The late honourable Chief Minister Jayalalithaa inaugurated the first Chennai Metro Rail service from Alandur to Koyambedu.

2018

Virtuous Retail redefines the retail experience in Chennai with its latest flagship offering, VR Chennai. Located in the up-market neighbourhood of Anna Nagar, the Centre offers 2 million sq. ft. of high-quality retail, a nine-screen cinema and a plethora of F&B options. The Centre, with its design, also pays homage to the soaring Gopurams of the temples of Tamil Nadu and the technicolour of the Madras Checks. This LEED Gold Pre-Certified Centre forms the strategic focus of a 42-acre mixed-use development. Packed with distinctive zones, this Centre isn't only about shopping and great food, but also about a state-of-the-art co-working space, a boutique hotel and unique venues for celebrations, large & small.