Parantharami Mani

A meeting  was held on 29th September 1836 at the office of Binny & Co Armenian Street for the formation of Madras  Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported in the "Herald"  on 1st October.  The  participants include Who's Who of Madras society of those days  including   Arbuthnott, (Arbuthnott & Co)William  Dare(of Parry  & Co fame) Pugh ( Of Pughs  garden fame) Ouchterlony( Of the Spectator fame).        This  Chamber acted as a pressure group/lobbyists for  many modern development of  Madras

Kapaliswarar Ther Thiruvizha     The  old picture is dated 29th March 1912 and present one today  28th March 2018.      Nothing has changed in the  last 105 years. Thousands of devoties, same religious fervour,  mixture  of sounds, children enjoying the  atmosphere of festivity. Only change perhaps may be attire of the people. This will continue for hundreds of years to come for future generations to come. Photo : getty images

    The  accounts of the Madras Club for the year 1835. The Club was started in 1832 in the present express estates. The club had membership of 1416 then  and out of a balance of Rs.15846 at the end of the year Rs.10000 consists of stock of wine.  It seems Madras History is interlinked with  Kudi Magangal and it's no surprise now.

       This happened in August 1827. The  Governor of Madras Henry Sullivan Graeme(Acting)(of Greams Road fame) on a tour of Tanjore district was not able to cross the river due to flooding of its branches. South west monsoon must have been very  active .  Compare with the present situation.

Origin of Indian Rupee        The  East India Company by a proclamation in 1818 abolished the  Pagoda coinage and introduced   the  "Rupee " which was to continue as our standard coin till now.  A news item about it and the  beginning of  of Poongal feast 200 years ago on 13th  Jan 1818 as reported then. All public offices were closed then which continues even now.

The  statue of  Sir Thomas  Munro  which  lies in the  middle of the Island was erected in 1839. Munro was one of the most lovable governors of  East  India  Company.  After his death  in July 1827 a subscription was opened for erecting a suitable monument to  him. All English men including native inhabitants of Madras contributed. Many of the low paid government servants of the company were by force made to contribute so as not to incur their masters displeasure. "The other side of the story ".  A letter written to a magazine at that  time :       " A meeting took place on the  21st for taking into consideration steps for handing down to posterity the memory of Sir Thomas  Munro. As is usual on such occasions there were one or two fine speeches extolling the character of the deceased after which the proposition of a subscription for erecting a monument was announced. It was immediately en...

C.M.S.Chapel , Black Town or CSI Tuckers Church         The missionaries of Church Missionary Society,  London landed in Madras in 1814. By the  year 1817 they acquired a piece of land for building a Church in Black Town. However since there was some objection to the construction of the Church by the  Natives Hindus  of the  Neighbourhood the work was stopped in December 1817 by EIC government after an inquiry by Superintendent of Police. The  Government then took the intiative for the construction of the present church and spent an amount of around 30000 rupees including compensation for the building in the old place. The church was consecrated on 11th October 1820. Since the soil was loose Wells were dug for the foundation. The  most famous chaplain of the church was Rev.John Tucker (1830-1846) who was able to  attract a good congregation of European,  Eurasian and Native Christians by his attractive sermons. T...

     This was how Black Town inhabitants spent their past time in 1828. "பேன் எடுப்பது" was a petty crime/nuisance and was punished with shaving of the  hair in the  Tannah by Police peons.

      60 feet long whale found of the  coast of  Fort  St . George on 9th January  1841. It was blasted to pieces and buried in the sand to avoid infection. A first hand account

Suttee in Tondaimans family :           When Vijaya Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman(1807-1824)of Pudukottai expired on 4th June  1824 his wife attempted  Suttee which was prevented by his brother  Raghunatha  Tondaiman who succeeded the throne. Suttee it seems was prevalent in Madras Presidency as late as 19th century. Pudukottai was part of Tanjavur district then. An account of the episode.

      An accident that had happened at Marmalong bridge on 4th January 1805. A first  hand account        "   On the  night of 4th  instant as a carriage returning from the Mount belonging to  Mr.Tapsall was crossing the Marmalong  bridge one of the horses became so restive that the postilion was unable to manage or guide him and the battlements or side  enclosures of the bridge being improperly or dangerously low, both the horses sprang over them with the postilion in to the river; the  traces however,  fortunately breaking, the carriage  remained on the bridge.  The  postilion was much  hurt, one of the horses killed  and the other badly lamed". Picture : Thomas and William Daniel 1798

      The death of Nawab of Arcot  Azam Jah on 12th November 1825 at a young age of 34 years as mentioned  in Madras Courier.    "  We regret to announce the death of His Highness the  Prince AmeerJah Buhaders the Nabob of Carnatic who died at Chepauk Palace on Sunday  morning after a very long and painful  illness. We understand his desease was by no means a dangerous or difficult one of properly treated, but he refused all medical aid from European hands and improper treatment by native doctors greatly hastened his death.   He was 34 years of age and was installed on  Musnud on the 3rd of Feb 1820.  Mad.Cour. Nov.14 "

       Madras First  Line  Beach around 1910 with the PMG office  and State Bank Headquarters. What a skyline it would have been from the sea.

    It happened when Kanchi Mutt was at Kumbakonam in 1817.      Col.Colin Mackenzie a Scottish army officer of the East  India  Company  surveyed South India collecting important inscriptions,  palm leaf manuscripts on History and Religion  He was a great  orientalist.  He had his Indian assistants  one of whom was Babu Rao  a Mahratta  translator. In one of his visits he happen to visit  Kanchi Sankara Mutt at Kumbakonam  on 10th April 1817 which was their at that time in Kumbakonam . The pontiff was Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VI(1813-1851).  A first hand account of his visit on that day as recorded by him. "  I visited the  Chief  priest of Sankar  Achari expending  four rupees on fruit to introduce myself  and requested  him to give  me a copy of  copper  inscriptions  he had in his  Mattham  but some of the  Karyes...