Parantharami Mani

     First line Beach with the Bentick Buildings and Cenotaph Cupola outside  it. The Arbuthnott building and GPO towers(1884)can be seen in the far end. The picture must have been taken around 1900s since the tram lines are already in position.         The First Line Beach  was developed in early 1800s  when the sea customs was shifted out of Fort St George by the  Governor  and the Supreme court was established in Bentick building in the  around 1817.  Other Commercial establishments followed suit and there was a row of buildings two to three storeyed èxtending from Parry House  to Clive Battery  in the North. For  a Englishman landing for the first time in Madras it would have been a pleasant sight from the Sea to watch  these row of beautiful buildings with the towers of Temple, Mosque and Churches of Black Town in the background. In the  second half of the 19th century the Madras  harbour was constructed which made it the busiest commercial stretch of Madras.

     This happened in July 1832 at Parthsarathi Temple in Triplicane.  The  temple elephant mistakenly took revenge on a man and killed him thinking that he was the same person who played mischief with it two years back at a native festival in San Thome  (may be Kapaliswar Temple ). The man at Triplicane was killed since he was dressed in a similar manner as that of the person who played mischief at Santhome. Elephants have a strong sense of memory.  A first hand account of the event published in Madras Courier Pic: Temple in 1890 Del Tufo & Co

A British family crossing a forest river in one of their excursions somewhere in Madras Presidency with a Mattu Vandi taking care of their personal effects.