History of Chennai (Madras)

From the very ancient age, the areas around Chennai or Madras, used to be treated as a very important and significant center of administration. It also used to be the economic, business and also the military center of the country. This place, rich with tradition, had been ruled by some of the most distinct dynasties of rulers like the Pallavas, the Cholas and also the Pandyas.

A new chapter in the History of Chennai(Madras) started with the arrival of the Portuguese in the year of 1522. They constructed a port that was named Sao Tome. Then came the dutch who established themselves at Pulicat in the Northern part of the city of Chennai.

Another significant incident took place in the History of Chennai(Madras) on 22nd August the British East India Company purchased a little area on the Coromandel Coast from the then king of Vijaynagar. After the British got permission from the ruler of the area, they built a warehouse and a factory for the sake of their trading purpose. In the very next year Fort St. George was built by the British, which was again captured by the French when they captured some surrounding villages of the town. By the end of the eighteenth century, the British could recapture it again as they conquered the major parts of Tamil Nadu. It is under the British rule that the city developed as a naval base and an important urban area.