Triplicane

 

Along with with Mylapore and the surrounding regions, Triplicane is historically much older than the city of Chennai itself, with a mention in records as early as the Pallava period.

One of the four "Old Towns" in the city, the neighbourhood was the first village obtained by the English to expand the new city of Madras beyond its "White Town" neighbourhood within the Fort St.George.

Primarily a residential region, it is home to some of the tourist attractions of the city, such as the marina beach,parthasarathy temple and several commercial establishments. Triplicane is also known for its traditional culture, which is prominent in and around the streets (known as mada veedhi in Tamil) of Parthasarthy Temple.

Thirumangai Alvar, described Thiruvallikeni as a densely canopied forest with peacocks and koels, where the sun's rays could not penetrate.

Another poet, Peyalwar, describes Thiruvallikeni as, "by the tossing sea... where corals and pearls washed ashore liken the evening sky and the lamps they light of dusk.

built in the eighth century by a Pallava King The temple was later expanded by the ,Pallava Chola Vijayanagara  rulers.

It has been recorded that a rivulet, Kaivareni, ran across Triplicane and Mylapore.

legend has it that the rivulet connected two water bodies: the temple tank of Parthasarathy temple and a sacred well, Mani Kairavani, in the flower garden of of Adi 

Keshava Perumal in Mylapore.

It is believed that Peyalwar one of the 12 Alwars was born on a lily flower in this well and that he sailed through the rivulet to worship Lord Krishna in the Parthasarathy temple.

To commemorate this, the idol of Peyalwar in Mylapore is brought, as a procession, to Parthasarathy temple every year in the month of September.

Peyalwar temple was built in the 13th century

In the 1600s, Triplicane was a separate village. After about a century, the British found Triplicane to be a good area for settlement and a large number of people moved there. 

In 1668, Triplicane was annexed to the Madras City, making it the first neighbourhood to be annexed to the city.It was obtained from the Sultan of Golconda on rent in 1676.

From that time, Triplicane grew in importance, second only to George Town.In addition, the presence of the Nawab of Arctic increased the economic prosperity of the area, and many Muslims settled in Triplicane. 

In 1795, the Wallajah Mosque was built.[22] During this period Chepauk Palace and Amir Mahal, were also built.

In 1841, Ice House was built to store the ice bars imported from America through ships. Ice bars were imported to provide the English temporary relief from the blistering heat.This building was renamed Vivekananda House after Swami Vivekananda stayed in the building for a brief while.

In the mid-19th century, numerous educational institutions were formed in the area. Hindu Higher Secondary School was started in 1853 and Presidency College in 1864–65. 

In 1870, the college was moved to its present location on Beach Road. 

In 1884, Marina Beach promenade was built.

In 1896, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (SPSS), the oldest sabha in chennai, was founded and operated from the Hindu High School on Big Street.

The building which currently serves as the Triplicane police station was built around 1891 to guard Madrasapatnam.This building is the city's oldest police station.

Triplicane High Road is one of the roads that had a tram line running through it during the British reign.

In 1904, Triplicane Urban Cooperative Society (TUCS) was started.

In 1916, Star Theatre was built on Triplicane High Road.

(demolition in  2012.

In 1925, Mahatma Gandhi visited Triplicane to address a huge gathering.In 1933, he revisited the neighbourhood. 

In 1934, the first cricket match was played at the Chepauk Stadium

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Mylapore

East tank

Streets

Kapali Temple

Mylapore is an ancient settlement. 

with written records of early settlements going back to the first century BCE.

Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil poet-philosopher, is believed to have been born here in 31 BCE.

It was known for its ancient port with a flourishing trade with the Roman Empire, receiving gold in exchange for its products like pepper and fine cloth. 

Ptolemy had recorded in the second century CE that the port of Mylapore was known to the Greeks and the Romans. 

The Saivite Saints of the seventh century, Saint Sambandar and Saint Appar, have sung about the shrine in their hymns. 

Mention has been made of the early settlement of Santhome (currently known) by Arab travelers and merchants of the ninth and tenth centuries. Marco Polo visited the place in the late 13th century and left a detailed description of the land, the people along with their customs and religion and also visited the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Mylapore (currently Santhome).

It was considerable maritime time and the ancient German and Greek maps refer to the town as 'Maliarpha'. The later Scottish researchers like James Playfair referred it "Meliapour"

Mylapore was occupied by the Portuguese in 1523, who established the viceroyalty of "São Tomé de Meliapor" or "Saint Thomas of Mylapore." Portuguese rule lasted until 1749, except for a brief period between 1662 and 1687, when the town was occupied by the Dutch.

After 1749, the British East India Company took possession of the settlement in the name of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, the Nawab of Arcot.

In that same year, Mylapore was incorporated into the administration of the Presidency of Madras. 

The settlement known as "Luz" developed during this period. The name finds its origins from the 'Nossa Senhora Da Luz' (Our Lady of Light) church built by the Portuguese in 1516 CE. This church is one of the oldest standing Christian structures in all of Tamil Nadu.

Mylapore, its naming and different names:

Mylapore gets its name due to the legend of Parvathi in the form of a peahen. Also Myil in tamil means peacock. As per the Brahmanda purana, Mylapore is referred as Mayurapuri. Mayur in Sanskrit means peacock.

Vedapuri and Sukrapuri are some of the alternate names of Mylapore. Vedapuri because the four vedas prayed to Lord Shiva here. Sukrapuri because the one eyed Sukracharya worshiped Lord Shiva here to restore his eyesight. Blinded in one eye by the dwarf Vamana (incarnation of Lord Vishnu), Sukracharya regains his lost eyesight.

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Chepauk palace

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1895

Chepauk Palace View From The River Cooum Madras, 1880

Muhammad Ali, 8th Nawab of the Carnatic (from 1749 to 1795) built the Chepauk Palace. 

The Palace included two blocks arranged in the form of “L”,The south wing was double-storied and was known as the Kalasa Mahal or Treasury

It contained the Dewan Khana, a magnificent audience chamber. 

 The property originally belonged to Mahfuz Khan, brother of the Nawab. 

The latter acquired it in 1767. Three years later he obtained a further grant of land from the Governor of Fort St George.

Whereupon he enclosed the entire site of 117 acres with a boundary wall. Extending southward from the bar of the Cooum River, and along its banks. 

The thirteenth and the last Nawab of Carnatic, Ghulam Mohammed Ghaus Khan, was childless. The British Government took over the palace upon his death.

The canal is a branch of the famous Cooum in Chennai. Unfortunately, this  is almost dead today. 

In 1859, the former Survey School became the Civil Engineering College and moved into part of Kalasa Mahal. The college was renamed College of Engineering in 1861.

In 1862 the accommodation for the college was extended to a part of the lower floor and the whole of the uppe floor. The Government Carnatic Agent occupied the remainder of the lower floor.

In 1904, a committee considering the re-organisation of the College recommended that it be moved to Guindy. This move finally occurred in 1923.

Pycroft's road triplicane

 

Pycroft's road triplicane 1899

 named after Sir Thomas Pycroft.  has been renamed to Bharathi Salai now.

Sir Thomas Pycroft wa jis a British administrator and civil servant who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council from 1862 to 1867.

On completion of his education, he was offered a "writership" by the East India Company .

Pycroft arrived in Madras in August 1829 and served, initially, as writer and then, in the revenue and judicial departments in South Arcot from 1829 to 1839 when he returned to the United Kingdom. 

In 1843, Pycroft came back to India after a three-year hiatus and was transferred to the Madras secretariat.

Pycroft became  Secretary of the Revenue Department in 1845  Chief Secretary  from 1855 till 1862,  and  as a member of the council from 1862 to 1867.

In 1866, Pycroft was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India . The street in which he lived was named Pycroft's Road in his honour.

Pycroft died at Folkestone in 1892 at the age of 84.

Source : Wikipedia

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Mowbray's Road

Mowbray’s Road In Adyar Madras, 

A beautiful naturally arched tree-lined road that gives a surreal appearance. The road was once said to be as the most beautiful in Madras. Earlier to that it was a bullock cart track until it was acquired by, George Mowbray, who arrived in Madras in 1771.

Mowbray was just an accountant originally in Fort St George. Later he became the Accountant General through sheer hard work and dedication.

 In 1780 he acquired 100 acres of land in the neighborhood and built a house that came to be known as the Mowbray’s Cupola.

the Adyar club  later acquired the land and the house, after his demise for the expansion of the club. 

After 1947 the road was renamed “TTK road” it is now part of Alwarpet in Chennai

Mowbray's road 1885 

1902

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Spencer Plaza

The original Spencer Plaza – Madras (Chennai) – 1863

Spencer Plaza was built in 1863–1864, established by Charles Durant and J. W. Spencer in Anna Salai, then known as Mount Road, in the Madras Presidency. The property originally belonged to Spencer & Co Ltd. 

Spencer & Co opened the first department store in the Indian subcontinent in 1895. It had over 80 individual departments. After a few years, Eugene Oakshott, owner of Spencer's, shifted the department store to a new building, which was an example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The building was designed by W. N. Pogson. 

In 1983, the original building was destroyed in a fire.

The present Spencer Plaza was constructed on the same site, measuring about 10 acres, and was opened in 1991

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P Orr & Sons

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A little less than a kilometre north from Higginbotham’s along the Mount Road, another Chisholm masterpiece greets the wanderer. Inaugurated by King George V and Queen Mary in 1879 and home to watchmakers P. Orr & Sons, a three-faced clocktower, quite suitably dominates the façade of this building constructed in the Byzantine style of architecture.

 Scotsman Peter Orr reached the shores of the quaint little sea town of Madras in 1843 with his brother, Alexander Orr. They eventually joined George Gordon & Co. in the watchmaking business, ultimately taking over in 1849 after Gordon’s retirement and even earning the monicker ‘the timekeepers of Madras.’

P. Orr & Sons ventured into a variety of business that included everything from crockery, clothing and cycles to even arms, ammunition and airplane metres, their most successful diversification was into gold, diamonds and silverware. 

They popularized micro-repoussé jewellery based on Hindu mythological figures crafted by artisans from Trichy as Swami Ware and produced lockets, necklaces and bracelets in that style. These pieces became extremely fashionable in the West and visitors to India often shopped specifically for Swami Ware jewellery. 

An exquisite example of Swami Ware, mythological repoussés inspired by artisans from Trichy 

The aftermath of the Second World War left the business reeling and soon after independence, the company was sold to Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, a textile baron in 1967. Chettiar cut down the flab in the product mix and returned P. Orr & Sons to its roots as a watchmaker. Today, the business functions as a subsidiary of Loyal Textiles owned by the Chettiar family 

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