Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»August»August 22»August 22, 1639: Asian Milestone, City of Madras (Chennai) Founded
    August 22

    August 22, 1639: Asian Milestone, City of Madras (Chennai) Founded

    Major DanBy Major DanAugust 22, 2016Updated:May 13, 2020No Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On August 22, 1639, the British East India Company founded a city they called Madras in Southern India on the Bay of Bengal on land they bought from local Nayak leaders, a mere 3 mile strip that would become one of the world’s great cities.

    Digging Deeper

    Known as “The Detroit of south Asia” because of its thriving automobile industry, the city today has a population of over 4,500,000 and a metro area population of over 8,500,000.  Despite the present day giant size of the city, the 4th largest in India and 36th largest in the world, this Asian metropolis is rated as the safest city in India and is considered the health capital of the country, attracting a whopping 40% of India’s health oriented tourists.  The honorifics continue with Chennai rated by the BBC in 2015 as the “hottest” destination (most desirable) in the world, and the food of this city is rated #2 in the world by National Geographic.  Still not convinced you need to visit this city?  India Today ranked Chennai the #1 city in India in 2014 and Lonely Planet named the city the 9th Best Cosmopolitan City in the world to visit in 2015.

    The cosmopolitan nature of Chennai may stem from its early roots as a Portuguese and then Dutch trading post prior to British settlement, and the fact that the city has the 3rd largest expatriate  population in India (ie, foreigners living there).

    The name “Madras” was of ethnic Tamil origin, and the newer name, “Chennai” is of Telugu origin.  Madras was a name used even before British involvement, and may have a meaning ranging from “mother” to “juice of honey.”  In any case, the name was officially changed in 1996 at a time when many Indian cities also received a renaming.  The name Madras is still in some use, and of course people there and in other places know which city you mean if you call the city Madras.

    The name “Madras” is closely associated with a colorful lightweight cotton cloth that the city has been famous for producing for centuries.  Shirt maker David Anderson made the cloth famous in 1844 and by the late 1950’s the cloth became known for the “bleeding” of its colorful dyes if washed in hot water.  Modern industries in the technological field abound, in software and hardware as well as in tech support.  Aside from the famous number of automobiles made there, you can find considerable numbers of heavy equipment and other vehicles produced in Chennai as well.  Chennai is also a financial center, and has modern advanced medical facilities.

    Chennai also has a thriving arts and culture community, with numerous museums and available entertainment, as well as picturesque temples, beaches and wildlife parks.  Of course, as a thriving modern city, Chennai also has the requisite modern theme parks, including MGM Dizee World and Queen’s Land, with a Wonderla park expected to open in 2017.  The city contains a National Park within its borders and as a coastal city, boasts an active recreational boating scene.  Tourists are also provided ample opportunities to find quality golf courses, notably the Gymkhana Club.  For the many people heading to India as tourists, we highly recommend you stop by and visit Chennai, a city worth visiting.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Did you know Chennai has 2 American “sister cities,” San Antonio, Texas and Denver, Colorado?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Doshi, Tishani and Nandita Krishan.  Madras Then Chennai Now.  Roli Books, 2014.

    Narasiah, K R A.  Madras: Tracing the Growth of the City since 1639.  Oxygen Books, 2008.

    Srinivasachari, C. S.  History_of_the_city_of_madras.  Sagwan Press, 2015.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleAugust 21, 1961: Motown Records Release 1st of #1 Hit Songs
    Next Article 10 Greatest Ground Attack Aircraft
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: What is the Geneva Convention?

    August 22, 2022

    Online History Textbooks

    August 5, 2021

    A Guide to the Best History YouTube Channels

    July 23, 2020
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.