Beginnings of chennapatnam

 

Although the settlement of Madras did not form until after the mid-17th century, the region surrounding the present-day port remained an important center for military, administrative, and economic activities since the 1st century CE under various South Indian dynasties, namely, the Pallava, the Pandya, the Chola and the Vijayanagara empires.

Chief among them was the Pallava dynasty, which reigned from the 6th to 9th centuries CE. 

The ancient town of Mylapore, known to Roman traders as "Meliapor", was an important port of the Pallavas and is now part of Chennai.

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Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port also known as Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 12 major ports of India with official port operations beginning in 1881, although maritime trade started much earlier in 1639 on the undeveloped shore.

An established port of trade of British India since the 1600s, the port remains a primary reason for the economic growth of Tamilnadu especially for the manufacturing boom and has contributed greatly to the development of the city

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The region also attracted many distant civilisations, with the Christian St.Thomas believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE.

In 1522, the Portuguese built the São Tomé harbour, named after St. Thomas, on the site of today's port and the São Tomé church on the grave of Saint 

Later other Europeans, arrived namely, the Dutch at Pulicat in 1613 and the British in 1639. 

In 1639,British East India Company bought a three-mile long strip of land lying along the coast between the Cooum delta and the Egmore River (an area of about five square kilometres ) from the Vijayanagara King Peda Venkata Rayalu

The region was under the control of the Damerla Venkatadri Nayakudu, a Nayak of kalahasti and vandavasi. He was son of Dameria Chennappa Nayakadu.

The city originally called "Chennapatnam" was named after him.

This is widely regarded at the founding event of the formation of the Chennai (Madras) Metropolis and 22nd August is celebrated as Madras Day. 

in 1640, the British expanded the occupation by building the Fort St. George and established a colony on the site of the future port of Madras.