Parantharami Mani

   The US consulate with its flag flying in the balcony in 1908. This building was on No.1 China Bazaar Street within the campus of Parry & Co.  The Obelisk showing the boundary of Esplanade dated 1st January 1773 is in the corner of the building. Trade link between US and East India Company started late in 18th century.The first consular agent for Madras Presidency was appointed in 1794 by Thomas Jefferson Secretary of State. After that there was a hiatus in the trade for many decades between the two countries.In 1908 the consular agency was raised to the status of a consulate and housed in this building. It continued till 1939 when the building was demolished to build Dare House. It was housed in Dare House from 1940 till 1952 and thereafter to Bank of America building in Mount Road and to its own building by the side of St.Georges Cathedral in 1969.

     A beautiful street scene on First line beach somewhere in 1900s.  The Grand building of Gordon Woodroffe with its flag pole is seen in the background. A high society Rao Sahib is going in his horse drawn buggy.Two labourers are pulling their hand drawn carts laden with goods.  It must be a rainy day since water is stagnant on the road and one person is carrying the Umbrella must be a Mann mark.Other persons on the road are busy in their daily chores.See the kerosene oil filled street lights on the sides. I have heard my grandfather telling stories about how every evening municipal workers with their ladders used to clean the lights and refill with oil before they are lit up. As per a report of Madras Corporation there were only 250 such stret lights in 1856. Electric lights made their appearance in the city in 1912.

       The person sitting in the centre is Elijah Hoole (1798-1872) a Wesleyn machinery who travelled extensively in the Madras Presidency during the period 1820-28 and has left a lasting impression of Madras its people, culture and contemporary living in his writings. The Wesleyn mission was established in Madras in 1817 and its first church was built in Black Town  Pophams Broadway in 1822.  The church was built on a plot of land that was not stable and wells were sunk for a depth of about 12 feet and  partly filled with sand and the structure was built with bricks and madras chunam.  It was consecrated on 25th April 1822 and around 400 native christians were present. The total cost was 10000 pagodas and Elijah Hoole was behind its construction  He was also a scholar in Tamil and translated Bible.  The church in Royapettah was  constrcuted in 1850s.

      The Madras Regiment soldiers with their drummers in this picture.  The Madras Regiment has a history of more than 200 years.The British East India Company who started their trading post in Madras in the year 1639 were a mere commercial entity in the intial 100 years.  They were more concentrating on the trade with the natives and exports to England.  But the loss of Fort St.George to French Army in 1746 changed their attitude.They then began to have an army of their own to protect their commercial interests in the face of fiery competition from the French,Dutch and Danish companies.  The credit for starting the Madras Army should go to Major Stringer Lawrence who in August 1758 started recruiting soldiers and by December of that year there were two battalions of 8 companies each. Those serving in the Northern parts of Presidency were called Sircar battalion and in the south were called Carnatic battalion. The regiment in its 250 years of its exis...

      Madras is now battered by torrential rains due to North East Monsoon resulting in submerging of the City.  On 2nd May 1872 a severe cyclone battered the city after 7 pm and continued upto 3rd morning.As per report published then wind was howling the whole night and in the early morning of 3rd wind was blowing at a speed of 100kmph. Nine foreign vessels on the Madras roads were destroyed and wrecked.Native crafts in the Port were sunk or driven ashore. The City of Madras suffered severe loss of property.  The pier of Madras built in 1861 was breached and cut into two.  The debris were strewn to three miles on the coast.

              North Mada Street, Mylapore in the year 1945.  A Kai Rickshaw man is moving slowly in search of Probable customer. The three storeyed building is Hotel Suprabath which was a bachelors den in 1960-70s. It is now Saravana Bhavan. The building with the protruding wooden balcony is the Vellore Lakshmi Ammal Kalyana Mandapam which is now Sukra Jewellery.The only building which is now available in this row is the cream painted one with balcony. Must have been a relaxed life in mylapore then.    

     Agasteeswara Temple, Nungambakkam.  Had the opportunity to vist this temple which is in existence for more than 400 years. As per the sthala puranam on the website of the temple one Boomaraja who ruled this are was suffering from acute stomach pain and Shiva ordered him to take bath in the temple tank after which his illness was cured.Since he prayed to God from his Agam (Inner self) the deity was called Agasteeswarar. The area was rich in palm groves with Nungu fruit and hence called Nungambakkam. The presiding deity Shiva is facing east and the base of lingam is always percolated in water.  The amman Akilandeswari is facing south.The temple has hereditary dharmakartaship starting from the days of Subbu Deiva Nayaka Mudaliar in mid 18th century who was a dubash and an intrepreter in mayors court of East India Company.He and his successors have dedicated acres of land to the temple which is inscribed on the granite tablet on the outer wall of the temple i...

        This is the old bungalow of Tamil Nadu State Coperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank situated within the famous  Alwarpet Anjaneyar Temple complex. Had been there on some work.  This photograph was framed and hung in their office.If one looks deeply there is a statue of Anjaneyar on top of the building. The new building was inaugurated on 13th April 1968 by Kalaigner Karunanidhi who was the PWD Minister after demolishing the old building. The staff informed that was the reason for having the Anjaneyar temple in the complex.  It must have been a great edifice during its time.

Parrys Corner in 1960s. Thomas Parry (1768-1824) arrived in Madras in the year 1788 and commenced business under his name having got the licence to trade as a free merchant immediately. The Head Office of the company covering an acre of land situated at the end of first line beach was purchased from the Nawab of Carnatic in 1775 and was subsequently sold to Thomas Parry in 1803.  The old building of the company was constructed in the first decade of 19th century.  The company and its buildings are mute witness to the changes happening in this part of Madras for over 200 years. Immense changes have taken place opposite parry building since the construction of Madras Port and great accretion of Foreshore. The sea used to lap the walls of Parry building in olden days.  Thomas Parry died in 1824 at Port Novo of Cholera after staying in Madras for over 36 years.  He was buried in the Missionary church at Cuddalore.  The present Art Deco building was constructed in t...