Lok Sabha Constituencies in Chennai district, Tamil Nadu (MP Constituencies)

Chennai Central Chennai North Chennai South Sriperumbudur Thiruvallur

MLA Assembly Constituencies in Chennai district, Tamil Nadu

Alandur Ambattur Anna Nagar Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar Egmore Harbour Kolathur Madavaram Maduravoyal Mylapore Perambur Royapuram Saidapet Shozhinganallur Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar  Thiruvottiyur Thiyagarayanagar Thousand Lights Velachery Villivakkam Virugampakkam

About the District

 

LOCATION AND AREA :

Tamil  Nadu constitutes the south-eastern extremity of the  Indian peninsula. Chennai is the capital city of the State, besides being an important district. The district city is one of the metropolis of India and serves as the gateway of  the  culture  of South India. In spite of being the  capital  of  a  Tamil speaking  State,  it has emerged as a cosmopolitan city playing  an  important role  in  the  historical, cultural and  intellectual  development  of  India, representing  still the distinct components of the highest form  of  Dravidian civilisation.  In addition, it holds out an interesting fare of  South Indian architecture, music, dance, drama, sculpture and other arts and crafts.

Chennai is situated on the north-east end of Tamil Nadu on the coast of Bay of Bengal. It lies between 12* 9′ and 13* 9′ of the northern latitude and 80* 12′ and  80*  19′  of the southern longitude on a `sandy  shelving  breaker  swept beach’. It stretches nearly 25.60 kms. along the Bay coast from Thiruvanmiyur in  the south to Thiruvottiyur in the north and runs inland in a  rugged  semi-circular  fashion. It is bounded on the east by the Bay of  Bengal and  on  the remaining three sides by Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur Districts.

The city  of Chennai came into being due to a strategic necessity and historical accident. It symbolises the rise of British power in South India by setting up and  consolidation of the East India Company in the seventeenth  century with its headquarters at Fort St. George in Chennai as a trading centre. Within 350 years,  a  few scattered villages (important being Mylapore,  Triplicane  and Chennai  Patnam)  have  developed  into a  modern  metropolitan  city  without shedding  its traditional customs, religious outlook and other traditions.  It can  be  proudly  remarked that the greatness of  ancient  Chennai  is  mostly religious  due to the preservation of the old  famous Saivaite and  Vaishnavite shrines  signifying  the  antiquity of the  place.

 The growth of  the  city  is  significant  and closely linked with the  development of  British  Institutions and administration. In short, Chennai  city was the chief centre from which the  British  rule expanded in the sub-continent and it remains a standing monument  of British contribution to  India. Chennai  city  has acted as an important centre of culture and   education  in South  India  and has been the cradle of many movements  which have  played  an  important  role  in  the  history of the  sub-continent.

 A  large  number  of  institutions  which  are known in India and abroad are  found  located  in  the city, of which mention may be made of the  Theosophical Society, the Kalakshetra  and  colleges of Arts and Crafts. The  establishment of  professional  colleges like  Medical,  Veterinary,  Law  and  Teaching,  the  location  of  the  Indian Institute  of  Technology and the  establishment of  Central  Leather  Research  Institute have added to the  development of the city. Chennai is one of the leading cities in India today  from the point of view of trade and  commerce, with the fourth largest port in the  country and the  first  to have developed a full-fledged container terminal to  international   standards.

The  port  is providing trade links with Japan,  Singapore,  Malaysia,  Burma, Bangladesh, Ceylon and other far eastern  countries. Chennai is also one  of  the most important industrial cities of the  sub-continent. As a district of  the State it ranks third after Coimbatore and  Salem in so far as the number of  factories is  concerned  but  stands at the top in  case  of  employment  and  productive capital and first in revenue.  It,  however, ranks second in  terms of industrial  out-put  next  to Chengalpattu.  Chennai city enjoys an  eminent position in the country in  film  industry  and Kodambakkam, known  as the Hollywood of Chennai, has a number  of   studios  engaged in the  production of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada,  Malayalam,  and Hindi movies  which are quite popular. Total  area of the district is 178.20 sq. kms.

The city of  Madras  has now been renamed as Chennai. It is stated that  the  name  Chennai  traced     its origin to “some other language”. The   rechristening of the city is part of  the steps announced for the “growth of  Tamil in various fields”.  There  are  different  versions about the name of  this  once  sleepy  coastal  village.  When the British landed here in 1639  A.D. it was said to be part  of the  empire of the Raja of Chandragiri. The  British named  it Chennapattinam,  after they acquired it from Chennappa  Nayakar. Gradually, it became Chennai.  The first instance of the use of  the name Chennai is said to be in the Vestiges of  Old Chennai, the sale  deed of August 1639 to Francis Day, an agent for  theBritish. There it has  been referred to as Chennaipatnam.

The  British  are said to have built Fort  Saint George, the  present  seat  of  power, in 1640. It was named after the  patron saint of England. The Vestiges of Old Chennai infer  that the original village of Madraspatnam lay  north  of  the proximate to Chennapattinam. In  course of time and  with  rapid  growth,  the  two virtually became one. It is  also inferred that  the  English   preferred the name Madraspatnam, while  Indians chose Chennapattinam.

GEOGRAPHICAL AND PHYSICAL FEATURES :

 Chennai is a low-lying area and the land surface is almost flat like a pancake. The even topography of the land throughout the district renders sub-divisions into natural regions rather difficult. It rises slightly as the distance from the sea-shore increases but the average elevation of the city is not more than 22′ above mean seal-level, while most of the localities are just at sea-level and drainage in such areas remains a serious problem. From very early times, Chennai was known for its pleasant scenery and was said to be a town open to sky and full of garden of mangoes, coconuts, guavas, oranges, etc.

In earlier days when the city was not so congested, gardens and groves were a common feature and most of the roads were flanked by frequent groves of palm and other trees. Even a number of houses too had gardens displaying fine trees canopied by green bough and creepers, Chennai city today is devoid of any forest areas but can still be proud of some of the well maintained green belts found in the Peoples park, the Napier park, the Horticulture-gardens, My Lady’s Park,  Children’s Park Guindy, Snake Park, Nehru Park, Nageswara Rao Park, Independence Park, Anna Square Park, the Raj Bhavan, the Theosophical Society Campus, and a number of bungalows and newly developed colonies where provisions of public parks, etc. have been provided.

The indigenous trees found include among others neem, mango, tamarind, rain-tree, vagai, banyan, coconut, palm and pipal. Stretches of casuarina plantations are available on the sea-coast beyond the mouth of the Adyar in the South and Tondiarpet in the North, supplying firewood to the city. House gardening is not very common these days due to shortage of water and lack of space.

Rivers :

The city is intersected by two languid streams, the Cooum and the Adyar. Cooum runs through the heart of the city and enters the sea in-between the university buildings and the Fort. St. George underneath the Napier Bridge, while the latter wends its way through the southern part of the city and enters the sea near Adyar. These two rivers are almost stagnant and do not carry enough water except during rainy seasons. Cooum river starts from Kesavaram Anicut in Kesavaram village built across Kortaliyar river. The surplus from Cooum tank joins this course at about 8 kms. lower down and this point is actually the head of Cooum river which is located at 48 kms. west of Chennai. The river receives a sizeable quantity of sewage from its neighbourhood for disposal. Though the river Adyar can be traced to a point near Guduvancheri village, it assumes the appearance of a stream only after it receives the surplus water from the Chembarambakkam tank as wells as the drainage of the areas in the south-west of Chennai. The river has no commercial importance, but the fishermen in the neighbourhood make their living by fishing in the river.

Canals :

The Buckingham canal which runs through the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is a navigation canal. This canal runs almost parallel to the Coromandal coast within the limits of 5 kms. from the coast.   It joins up a series of natural backwaters and connects all the coastal districts from Guntur to South Arcot. Entering the city at Tondiarpet in the north and running along the western outskirts of George Town, it joins the new canal, south-west of General Hospital. The other canal worth mentioning in the city is the Otteri Nullah which commences from the village Mullam, runs eastwards upto Purasawalkam and then passes through Buckingham and Carnatic Mills and finally joins the Buckingham Canal, north of Basin Bridge Railway Station. Chennai has 25.60 kms. of sea coast which is flat and sandy for about a km. from the shore. The bed of the sea is about 42′ deep and slopes further in gradual stages for a distance of about 5 kms. from the coast attaining a depth of about 63′. The two principal currents, first from the north and second from the south flow parallel to the coast. The former sets in about the middle of October and continue till February while the latter starts by about August and continues till the burst of the north-east monsoon in the middle of October. These two principal currents must be caused by the winds. 

CENSUS 2001 DATA :

 

 

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND LITERACY RATE

 

Landmarks of Chennai :

 

Anna University
	University of Madras
Indian Institute of Technology
	TIDEL Park
Fort St. George (Secretariat)
	Government Museum & Art Gallery
Connemara Public Library
	High Court
Ripon Building (Chennai Corporation)
	Marina Beach
Kapaleeswarar Temple
	Santhome Church
Thousand Lights Mosque
	Anna Memorial
MGR Memorial
	Valluvar Kottam Click here to visit the page on Thirukkural
Vivekanandar House
	Raj Bhavan
Central Railway Station
	Egmore Railway Station
Theosophical Society	Kalakshetra

 

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