Why chennai is called chennai

Thiruvottiyur, Vysarpadi, Kathivakkam, Nungambakkam and Satangadu were made as a free gift to the English in In , Chintadripet was taken over and in Vepery, Perambur and Periamet were presented to the British. Nicholas Morse was the Governor from to The most important event during his time was the outbreak of war between England and France and the consequent struggle for supremacy between the French and the English in South India.

Chennai was captured by the French in but consequent on the treaty of peace of Aix-La-Chapelle, Chennai was restored to the English in George Pigot was the Governor for the period from to The period is remarkable for the fact that the Company form a trading corporation, owning isolated towns, forts and factories, became a ruling power controlling vast territories.

Charles Bourchier became Governor in During his period Hyder Ali who usurped the Sovereignty of Mysore joined hands with the Nizam and began an offensive on Chennai. In , a treaty was signed between Hyder Ali and the Company for an alliance and mutual restitution of the conquests. The Governance of the Carnatic became the responsibility of the Chennai Government which could not maintain a large army without the revenue of Nawabs.

In ,the English got the district of Chengalpattu known as Chennai Jagir for the maintenance of the army. Lord Macartney took charge of the Chennai Government in During his period, Chennai was turned into an important Naval base. Major General Medows became Governor in The position of the English was made secure in South India. In , in a new treaty Mohammed Ali handed over the entire management of the Carnatic to the English and accepted in return a pension. Another important event of this period was the outbreak of Mysore war.

Tippu was killed in and the whole of Carnatic ceded to the British. Thus the supremacy of the English in South India was established. The present day territorial limits of the city existed in the shape of scattered villages for centuries before the advent of the British. In the process of growth, many villages got agglomerated into a single unit.

The shape and extent of the city which existed during was reached even during the opening years of 19th century. The period in between to represents consolidation and development of institutions.

Sir Edward Elliot was the important Governor of Chennai during this period. He appointed a Judicial Commission with Munro as its President in Several reforms in the administrative system were made by the Commission.

Sir Thomas Munro became the Governor in and continued till He tried his best to improve literacy. He initiated English education in Chennai and established a body called Board of Public Instructions to improve and direct public education. Important improvement made to Chennai city during the first half of the 19th century was the progress made in the establishment of institutions for professional and technical education.

The Madras University was started in September The Chennai High Court was created in June The Railway Company in Chennai was formed in July Lord Hobart who was the Governor from to initiated Chennai Harbour project. The Congress party came to life during the period The Indian National Congress held its session in at Chennai.

The important Landmarks during this period were the establishment of Chennai Electric Supply Corporation in and opening of Indian Bank in Madrasapattinam is believed to be located to the north of Fort St George, and it is quite probable that the former village existed much before the Company acquired the region in the s and the colonisers derived and christened their territory as Madras, from its name.

In fact, Madrasapattinam finds a mention in the very first grant sanctioned by Damarla Venkatadri. Interestingly, both the villages have been distinctly mentioned as separate in all known records, yet the intervening space between the northern Madrasapattinam and the southern Chennapatnam merged so swiftly that before one knew, the two villages began to be considered virtually as one united town.

As time passed by, the confusion over both Madrasapattinam and Chennapatnam increased. One was constantly mistaken for the other, and slowly, their exact locations were lost forever.

While the British preferred to stick with Madrasapattinam and eventually Madras, the local people chose to go by the name of Chennapatnam, which had a Dravidian connection and is believed to have originated from the Telugu word for beautiful, i. Despite India gaining independence in , it was only after around five decades that the city was rechristened as Chennai on this date, as part of the nationwide drive to replace anglicised names with native terminologies.

There are various theories about the dual etymology of the city, ranging from government reports to local tales carried forward by the older generations residing in the city.