Parantharami Mani

The establishment of Madras Museum  1851      The Madras Museum was established in the  year 1851 by a notification dated 14th August 1851 by  H.C . Montgomerry Chief Secretary to Government.        Intially it was established in the  first  floor  premises of the  College of Fort St . George  by exhibiting the collections available with  Madras  Literary Society.       It was shifted to  Pantheon on Pantheon  Road in 1854. Edward Balfour was the officer  in Charge  and Rengaswamy Moodelliar was the  first  Curator.       Both the  Europeans and Natives of the  Presidency  were asked to contribute to the  Museum and Communications and Parcels addressed to the Officer in charge of the Museum containing specimens were free of postage.     The  Museum was proposed to be shifted to a 48000 Sq feet space allotted to it in the  New University campus  which never materialised.       In the  year 1855 it had 201987 visitors  and in 1856 more than 500000 which  was more  than the

Opening of first Railway line in Madras       The  first railway line in Madras presidency was opened on 1st July 1856 from  Madras(Royapooram) to  Arcot a distance of 65 miles by Lord Harris Governor of Madras. Before that the Royapooram station was opened on 28th June by the  Governor. Some important  trivia.     The  stations en route to Arcot     1. Madras     2. Perambore     3. Avady     4. Tinnanore     5. Trivellore     6. Chinnamapet     7. Companypet     8. Sholingur     9. Arcot     The Agent and Manager of the  line was Major  T.A.Jenkins. The Chief Clerk at Royapooram  station was R.Allen Esq.      The  charges for the journey to  Arcot was  First  Class  6Rs.  1A  5P   Second Class  3Rs. 0A 9P   Third  Class  1Re  5A  8P.       Children upto age of 3 years allowed free. Rest full charge.        No free luggage allowed except for a carpet bag or package which can be kept under  seat. More than  that charges at 1/3 of an Anna per maund per Mile.

First  Demonisation When the Indian  Rupee was introduced         In the  year 1818 the  East India  Company government abolished the  then existing  Star Pagodas, Fanams and Cash and introduced Indian  Rupee.  A proclamation by D.Hill,  Secretary to  Government,   Public  Department, Fort  St . George  dated 7th January 1818

A breakfast meeting with Sir William  Wedderburn ( sitting in middle ) at D'Engelis' Hotel in 1911. Sir Wedderburn (1838-1918 )was a Scottish    who joined Indian Civil Service in 1860. He worked in various  position and ultimately retired as Chief Secretary in Bombay  Province.  He was a  sympathiser of Indians and wanted to  involve them more in Local administration. This was not liked by the bosses in London.  He along with  Allan Octavian Hume was the  founder of Indian National Congress and presided over their sessions in 1889 and 1910. He was a supporter of  Montague -Chelmsford reforms of  1918. One of the many Englishmen who supported Indian cause.       The  person who gave breakfast to him Natesan, is he Dr.Natesan of Justice  Party?

A mention  about the first light house of Madras erected in the year 1796 in Almanac of 1813. The  light house was erected above the Fort exchange  building  helped the ships on Madras roads to reach the shore safely. About 90 feet high  it had a visibility of  17 miles from the shore. Pic:  The  Hindu

This was the  position of accommodation  available for a visitor  to Madras in 1850s as given in a travel book.  Madras Club it seems was meant for  bachelor's in the   intial years.     "   As soon as landed strangers are surrounded  by a tribe of most importunate native  servants  of all kinds who keep up a distracting  hubbub of broken  English to which it is  pitiable thing to listen. Servants who speak English may be hired for 10 rs a month - palankeen bearers 6 rs a month - per man.       The  best thing of course to be done if no friends come to meet one is to get into a palankeen  and be carried to the Club if a bachelor or if travelling with ladies  to some friend's house. There are indeed Hotels which  may be repaired to as a dernier resort. These are Valu Mudeliars  Family  Hotel,  Myrtle  Grove  House  near the Club which is tolerable;  Iyah Mudeliars (The Elphinstone ) 35, Mount Road  and the  Clarendon  Hotel more  indifferent but conveniently situated

ARMAGON (aka)  Durgarajupatnam         This place around  40 miles  north  of  Pulicat  was the  first place in which  the English  established  their  factory in 1625 before  establishment of  Fort St . George  This  village was originally  inhabited  by salt manufacturers. The native legend  goes  like this.  In the  time of Guruva Naidu  a native  chieftain in early  17th century  the English  arrived here to  build a Fort for  themselves.  The Accountant  of Guruva Naidu  was  Patnaswamulu  Armogam Mudalier.  The  English  brought  a Cannon fired a shot  towards  the  west and asked for  as much land as was included in the  space  the shot traversed . The  land belonged  to  Venkatagiri  Raja who  was induced  by Guruva Naidu  and Armogam to  allow the British  to build  a Fort.  A Fort/Factory  defended by twelve  pieces of  Cannon  was built in 1625. The  place  was called  ARMAGON in honour of  Arumuga Mudalier whose name  the British  found hard  to  pronounce.        A l

Do you  know that  a Harbour  pier was proposed to Lord Edward  Clive in 1798 itself before the first  Screw Pile Pier foundation was laid 60 years later  in September  1859 by Charles Travelyan.      In 1798 Captain Lennon of East India Company proposed a harbour  pier for  Madras to the  Governor.  His proposal  consisted of  a single pier 450 yards  away  from  the  shore. It would be a masonry structure  36 feet  thick at the  base and 30 feet at the top having double parapets. The  sand was to be removed by mechanical scoops for 3 feet depth, sink caissons 20 feet by 12 feet fill them with masonry the spaces in between covered with brickwork. Provision was made for Cranes, boat stairs , a battery of 15 guns at the  pier head and for delivery of water through pipe. At that time itself it was suggested sand would accumulate on the south side of pier ( which later became marina sands after construction of harbour  in 1875) Lennon held that current would be deflected along the

A description of the Black Town, Madras and the  Devadasis of Temples  in 1748 AD in  London  Magazine        In the  Black Town the streets are much more numerous and more spacious than those of the  White  Town, with this  further advantage that some of them are planted with  trees; but the houses are not near so good. Some few of them are built with brick but the rest are wretched cottages  with walls of clay and thatched with  Palmetta leaves.  According to the East India manner  they have no windows on the  outside but are all built around a courtyard from whence only they have Light,  and none of them have any furniture within, but the  Mats and Carpets the people lie on  with a few utensils.  This they need not give themselves much trouble about for a stranger seldom comes any farther than the Door before which is erected a little shade supported by pillars  (Thinnai) where they sit cross legged morning and evening to receive visitors  and transact business.        In this

Birth of Royapooram fishing village     Consequent to the shifting of Custom House  and Master  Attendant office to Black Town beyond  esplanade the  Boatman of Chepauk mostly belonging  to  Christian community petitioned to  EIC for transfer of their village to a more convenient place. They were staying in Nabobs  Garden  (Chepauk ) occupying an area of 45 acres. The  Chief Engineer proposed to allot them 60 acres north of  Black Town.  The  land allotted was 300 yards north of the northern  ramparts of Black Town wall. They were also compensated for evacuating their huts in Chepauk and for building new ones in the  new village.  The  new village was occupied on 5th December 1800 and the  boatmen found it depressing with two burning and burying grounds and a place where the condemned persons of Court of Admiralty were hung. The  burying grounds were later shifted to a convenient place as per their wishes. The  railway station in the picture was inaugurated in 1856. Thus was b

Altogether different unseen  views of Ameer Bagh Mount Road.      Built in 1798 Amir Bagh ( Garden of Nobles)  was one of the many palaces of Nawab of Arcot in the Great choultry Plain.  It was one of stately private  buildings in Madras. It was behind IOB headquarters  and was agog with dance and music during 19th century since it was given to Governors of EIC  for entertainment. It's 40 feet high portico with 12 pillars was built  specifically  for the Nawabs elephant to go through. It had a splendid ballroom  and wooden balcony. It was later Sadr Adalat and was occupied by Elphinstone Hotel and later by Spencer  Hotel.   The Commander in Chief of East India Company had his headquarters in early 19th century on the  choultry plains.  The  Begum of the  last titular Nawab had her  residence here.  It was demolished in  1980s.