Pycrofts Road - Triplicane / Royapet (Name Reason)

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Name reasons behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: PYCROFTS ROAD - TRIPLICANE ::

Finally i got to know about the road where i am spending most of the time. Its the place where I was born. Lucky enough to be in the same place since my birth. It is one of the famous landmarks of Chennai, Especially Triplicane and Royapettah. This road is becoming the next ranganathan street at times of festivals. Yes it is, going to share about our very own Pycrofts Road which has been named after Sir Thomas Pycroft. Pycrofts Road has been renamed to  Bharathi Salai now.

:: SIR THOMAS PYCROFT ::

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

Thomas Pycroft was born in the parish of St John , Hampstead , Middlesex to barrister Thomas Pycroft and his wife Mary Pycroft on 4 December 1807. He was the elder brother of British writer James Pycroft . 

Pycrofts Road in 1890. Image Source : Wiki.pkp.in

He was schooled privately and at Bath Grammar School and graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1829. 

On completion of his education, he was offered a "writership" by the President of the Board of Control of the British 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 was initially appointed Sub-Secretary and then, promoted to Secretary of the Revenue Department in 1845. The very same year, he was appointed acting Tamil translator to the Madras government. Pycroft became Chief Secretary in 1855 and served from 1855 till 1862, when he nominated to the Madras Legislative Council. 

Pycroft served as a member of the council for five terms from 1862 to 1867.

Pycroft died at Folkestone on 29 January 1892 at the age of 84.

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.

Source : Wikipedia

Locate Yourself : Pycrofts Road - Triplicane / Royapet (Image Source : Google Maps)

Where was Sir Thomas Pycroft resided in Triplicane ?

I am yet to find the answer for this question. It has been told that He lived in a place near Amir Mahal - Ambika Lodge. But I am still searching for the authenticate source in this regard. If any one comes to know about it, please let me know.

Landmarks in and around Pycrofts Road :

• Presidency College
• National Book House and many other book stalls
• Vijay Ice Creams
• Marina Electronics
• Murali Cafe hotel (Not now, It has been demolished and SBI has come in its place)
• Aaradhana Hotel (A2B replaced its place now)
• Kings / Queens / Kay
• Gowri Jewellers
• Vasantha Bhavan Hotel (Now this place has been occupied by Metro shoe mart)
• Zambazaar Police Station
• Amir Mahaal
• Registrar Office and many more.

Burkit Road - T.Nagar (Name Reason)

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Name reasons behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: BURKIT ROAD - T.NAGAR ::

Am sure all the Chennai'tes know about this road. And no wonder, as a chennai'te, we would have known all the roads in T.Nagar because of the traffic diversions. Here i go with the name reason behind this Burkit Road. It is named after Mr.Harold Hamilton Burkitt.

:: Harold Hamilton Burkitt ::

Harold Hamilton Burkitt was a British civil servant of the Indian civil service .

Burkitt Road in the neighbourhooad of T. Nagar in Chennai is named after him.

Burkitt was born in the United Kingdom and educated at Galway Grammar School and Dublin University .

He passed the Indian civil service examinations held in 1899 and arrived in India on 3 December 1900.

In India, Burkitt served as Assistant Collector and magistrate in the Madras Presidency for sometime before being appointed British Resident to the Cochin kingdom .

Burkitt served as British Resident to Cochin from 2 December 1920 to 25 June 1923 and was succeeded by C. W. E. Cotton .

He was Commissioner of Madras City in 1919-20 and President and Mayor of the corporation in 1917-18

Source : Wikipedia

Locate yourself : Burkit Road - T.Nagar (Source : Google Maps)

Landmarks in and around GN Chetty Road :

• Ramakrishna Model Higher Secondary School
• Eureka Forbes Limited
• Mc. Rennett
• Pasta Bar Veneto - Italian Restaurant
• Shree Hall - Marriage Hall
• Svathi Coaching center
• Seeman Tutorials
• Lotus serviced apartments

G N Chetty Road - T.Nagar (Name Reason)

:: Chennai Factoids :

:: Name reasons behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: G N Chetty Road - T.Nagar ::

Even a small lane in t.nagar is famous. And no wonder, every one in Chennai must be aware about this G N Chetty road and damn sure that we all bored seeing this road name in the shops when we were troubled in long traffic. Here comes the name reason behind this traffic prone  G N Chetty Road. This road is named after Diwan Bahadhur sir Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty.

Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty :

Diwan Bahadur Sir Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty was an Indian merchant, landlord, politician, legislator and economist.

Narayanaswami Chetty was the son of Gopathy Mahadeva Chetty. He was educated in Madras. He was elected President of Madras Corporation .

Narayanaswamy Chetty served as the member of the Council of State, Imperial Legislative Council of India, from 1930 to 1936.

He also served as a President of the Madras Corporation.

He was a member of the Joint Select Committee of the Reserve Bank of India Bill and played a pivotal role in the formation of the Reserve Bank of India .

Narayanaswamy Chetty was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1929 and a Knights Bachelor in 1945.

G. N. Chetty road in T. Nagar , Chennai is named after Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty.

Source : Wikipedia

Locate Yourself : GN Chetty Road - T.Nagar (Source: Wikimapia)

Landmarks in and around GN Chetty Road :

• The Residency Hotel
• Hotel Dee Cee Manor
• Buhari Hotel
• Jain Temple
• GKB Opticals
• Murugan Idly Shop
• Plantain Leaf 
• Hotel Vaigai
• Natural Fresh
• Hotel Virudhu Nagar
• Jeeva Park
• Cancer Shelter
• Dr. Agarwal hospital
• Bharathiraja Hospital

Ranganathan Street - T.Nagar (Name Reason)

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Name reasons behind famous roads / streets in Chennai ::

:: RANGANATHAN STREET - T.NAGAR ::

One of the most crowded and busiest street in the universe, sellers paradise, buyers prefers this place over many other shopping destinations. Whatever be the competition, the shops in this street will never be lack of customers. Yeah , I am talking about Ranganathan Street in T.Nagar. Almost every one in this universe know or atleast heard about this street name. But only few of us knows the reason behind naming street as "Ranganathan Street".
Sharing the name reason behind Ranganathan street.

Tupil Rangaswamy Iyengar

What is presently known as Ranganathan Street ought to have been Rangaswamy Iyengar Street after the first resident of that street.

It was the usual practice then to name streets after the first resident irrespective of their class, caste or contribution.

Mr.Tupil Rangaswamy Iyengar, a retired Civil Servant of the erstwhile Madras Presidency built his house in early '20s. 

When civil authorities approached him for his formal approval the humble, religious and self effasive gentleman requested it be named after Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam .

Locate Yourself : Ranganathan Street - T.Nagar (Source : Google Maps)

Where was Tupil Rangaswamy Iyengar reside in Ranganathan street ? 

It has been told that the Kerala Jewellers in Ranganathan street is where Tupil Rangaswamy Iyengar was resided.. It was named as TUPIL house in those days and now its been completely changed. And also heard that, almost the whole of Ranganathan street is occupied by Tupil Rangaswamy Iyengar and his relatives. 

Firstly, the house has been let out to one Prof Krishnamurthy Iyer - The ex prinicipal of Pachiayappa's college. It has been occupied by him over a very long period.

Later he has built a shop in his house front, on the request made by Mr.Perumal Nadar who is none other than the father of VG Paneerdas and VG Santhosam. 

Later it has seen a complete make over and now it is entirely occupied by the commercial spaces  

Source : Wikipedia, Headway on foot paths by Mr.T.L.Raghavan

Landmarks in and around Ranganathan Street :

• Saravana Stores
• Jeyachandran Textiles
• Textile India
• Rathna Complex
• Shanmuga Stores
• Kalanjiyam and many more.

Wallajah Road - Chepauk (Name Reason)

Image Source : Skyscrappercity.com

 :: Chennai Factoids:: 

:: Name reasons behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: WALLAJAH ROAD - CHEPAUK ::

Am sure everyone of us knows about this Wallajah Road. It is in Chepauk near to M.A.Chidhambaram Stadium .  Wallajah Road itself is a landmark for this place Chepauk. This is the road which takes us to Beach (Anna Square) from Mount Road. It is named after Mohamed Ali Khan Wallajah - Nawab of Arcot.


:: Mohamed Ali Khan Wallajah ::

Mohamed Ali Khan Wallajah- son of Muhammad Anwaruddin was born in 1717, became the Eighth Nawab of Arcot and he was the Governor of Trichinopoly. In 1750 he was defeated and forced to fly to Arcot. In 1751 Robert Clive, the British Administrator and Military Leader captured Arcot in the battle against the British and theFrench. He was born in Shropshire, England. 

He was the person who joined British East India Company in 1743. In 1754, the battle between the British and the French ended with a treaty by which Mohamed Ali Khan Wallajah left as the Nawab of the Carnatic.

In 1765, he became Independent ruler of the Carnatic. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 also recognized him as the Nawab and friend of the King of England. The first sovereign ruler of the Carnatic was Muhammad Ali Wallajah. In 1770, to the Court of the Nawab Wallajah admiral Sir John Lindsay arrived as the King'sMinister. Governor Dupleix strongly objected to such credit of the Nawab. By the king of England, Wallajah was asked twice to undergo the ceremony of his enthronement with the badge of the order of the Bath, firstthrough Lindsay in 1771 and in 1779 through Sir Hector Munro, which he did in his residence at Chepauk Palace. He supported in the establishment of the BritishEmpire in South India against French.

In London, Robert Clive (Lord Clive) spoke about the great qualities of the Nawab and tribute to his ruling. When the British Ship “H.M.S Wester” reached the Madras Fort, the captain of the ship gave a letter from the King of the England saying that his friendship with the Nawab should grow from generation to generation. He was the friend and admirer of the British East India Company. During the Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84), the Nawab divested his administrative independence by the British. After the War he got his powers and during the third Anglo¬-Mysore War (1790-92), his powers were taken away by British.

Muhammad Ali Wallajah is the Nawab who donated land for many temples which are still there till date. Near Trichy, Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Srirangam was a gift of the Nawab with a large estate, which is called “Nawab Thottam” even today. Likewise he donated lands for Hindu temples in Tirupati, Tiruvarur, Tirunelveli andMadras. Similarly, he built Mosques in South India. The Wallajah Big Mosque situated in Triplicane High Road, Chennai is one of the biggest mosques in South India. This is the only Mosque in the whole world which has chronogram written by a non-Muslim (his Private Secretary Raja Makhan Lal Khirat). In Arabia, in the Hijaz at Makkah, he had his permanent staff to serve the poor. He furnished a ladder which is covered with gold and silver at Makkah to enable the journeyers to get into the territory of the Kaaba during the Haj. To the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah (Masjid-e-Nabavi) he supplied carpets and lights. The Syeds, who were the descendents of the Holy Prophet, he used to donate Rs. 12000 (in 18th century rupees) every year.

"Safinathullah" and "Safinathun Nabi" are thetwo ships which Wallajah purchased for trade and commerce, but they were mainly used for Haj Pilgrims transportation from Carnatic. For the benefit of the pilgrims of the Makkah and Madinah, Wallajah built rooms which are known as "Arcot Rubats" in Arabia.

The famous Chepauk Palace, built by Mohamed Ali Khan Wallajah in 1768, is located in the area of 121 acres from the Cooum river to Pycroft’s road. This palace has two blocks; the southern block called 'Kalas Mahal' is in two floors which were a school named Madrasa-e-Aalia and the northern block called 'Humayun Mahal', which contained the Diwan Khana, (the land of which now accommodates the PWD Offices, Board of Revenue, Senate House, Madras University, State Guest House and M.A.C. Stadium). Moulana Abdul Ali Bahrululoom from Lucknow was the first Principal of the Madrasa (who is buried in Wallajah Big Mosque, Triplicane). On the site of the Carnatic Nawabs artillery park from where volleys were fined to greet visiting VIPs, Senate house was built.

Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah’s bathing marquee afterwards became the residence of Governor Robert Clive, Wellesley and later the residence of Surgeon-General. In 1930 this building was demolished and the Madras University Library and the Department of Research came up in its place.Till it was demolished, the University of Madras housed the offices of the Tamil Lexicon and the Department of Indian History and Archaeology.
At the age of seventy eight, Nawab Wallajah died in 1795, after a glorious reign of forty-six years. The road which leads from Triplicane to the Palace is still known as Wallajah road. He was buried at Santhome, Madras, but his remains were moved to Trichinopoly, with full honors after two yearsand buried at the feet of holy saint Hazrath Tabray Alam according to his wish

Source : hoparoundindia.com

Locate Yourself : Wallajah Road - Chepauk (Source : Google Maps)

Landmarks in and around Wallajah Road : 

• MAC Stadium
• Tamil Nadu Tourism Complex
• Kalaivaanar Arangam (Which has been demolished now)
• Hotel Priyadharshini Park
• Apple Residency
• Various Sports Shops
• ABN Infotech
• Senate House of Madras University

Ethiraj Salai - Egmore (Name Reason)

Image Source : The Hindu

:: Chennai Factoids ::

:: Name reason behind famous roads in Chennai ::

:: ETHIRAJ SALAI / ETHIRAJ COLLEGE ::

Many a times we will pass through the Ethiraj Salai and had a lots of guesses rolling in my mind as to who is that Ethiraj behind this name. The students of Ethiraj College might be well aware of this personality. This road is erstwhile named as "Commander-In-Chief Road" and now it has been renamed as "Ethiraj Salai". After searching for too many keywords in google, here is the one I got from Wikipedia.

Vellore Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar Ethiraj :

Vellore Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar Ethiraj was an Indian lawyer and philanthropist who founded Ethiraj College for Women , a college in Chennai.

His father was Thiru. Vellore Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar from Thottapalayam village in Vellore.

V. L. Ethiraj received his undergraduate degree from what is today Presidency College,Chennai and received his law degree from the University of Dublin. 

When he returned to India, he joined The Madras Bar. He was the first Indian to be appointed as Crown Prosecutor by the British Raj .

He donated one million rupees (Rs.10 lakhs) as an endowment for Ethiraj College for Women. 

He believed that educating a man is educating an individual, but educating a woman is educating the entire family.

One of Ethiraj's successes was the Lakshmikanthan murder case , which he successfully fought in defense of Tamil actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan and got them released from prison.

Source : Wikipedia

Landmarks in and around Ethiraj Salai : 

• Ethiraj College
• The Presidency Club
• Hotel Kanchi
• Sivalaya Complex
• Vivanta - Taj Connemara
• Rani Meyyammai Marriage Hall
• Derby Showroom
• Evergreen Vegetable Store

Locate Yourself : Ethiraj Salai  - Egmore (Source : Google Maps)

Whites Road - Name Reason

Image Source : The Hindu

:: Chennai Factoids ::

Name Reason Behind Famous Roads in Chennai ::

:: WHITES ROAD ::

Many of us aware about this much entertaining road.. The road which connects to the Best Entertainment zones - Sathyam Theatre and Express Avenue !! Here is the reason why it has been named as ''Whites Road'' :

The road is named after one Mr. J. D. White, who obtained a grant of land in 1809 and built a house there in 1832.

The house went on to become the Madras Club — the first club in the city and for long considered the best in India, hailed as the “Ace of Clubs”.

The club moved out of the premises post-Independence and the building was demolished as recently as in 2003.

Today in its place stands Express Avenue, the city's hippest mall.

Source : The Hindu

Locate yourself : Whites Road (Source : Google Maps)

Thanks to  Lakshmi Venkatraman for the suggestion of adding a map.