Chinna tari pettai

 

Chintadripet was originally called ‘Chinna tari pettai,’ which translates to ‘

a village of small looms,’ the latter being what it was known for decades ago. This weaver’s village had large agricultural fields before the transformation of the place. 

In the 1730s, the East India Company sought the help of a sect of people called Dubashes, who were basically the interpreters for the East India Company, to revive the slump-hit cloth trade. 

With their help and of a few others, the Company started developing this area and

 building infrastructure to help trade flourish. 

Chintadripet was one of the few localities in those days where streets were not demarcated on the basis of caste.

Iyya Mudali Street in Chintadripet is home to families who make temple umbrellas. The business is run by the Saurashtrian community that came to Chintadripet as weavers. By the beginning of the 19th century, the handloom industry here had started to see signs of decline. The growth of power looms and cheaper dyes in England contributed to the decline of the industry in India. As volumes fell, people from Chintadripet migrated to Kanchipuram, but the Saurashtrian community decided to stay back and got into the business of making temple umbrellas. The exact time of this change is not known. This street is globally renowned for temple umbrella making, and their products are supplied to temples in Malaysia, Singapore and to countries as far as Australia