Parantharami Mani

Mount Road during a monsoon day in early  1900s. It should be Bata junction  since the steeple of Christchurch adjacent to Cosmopolitan Club can be seen at the far end.

Cosmopolitan Club  1873        This  Club was started in the year 1873 as a gathering place for  high and mighty Indians of the City of  Madras with the English.  Intially  it had its premises at Moors Road, (Garden)Nungambakkam and shifted to the present place at Mount Road in 1882.         The  Office bearers of the  Club in 1881 below shows a mix of Royalty the  Maharaja of Travancore and Prince of Arcor being patrons, English men the President and Vice President  and Miller of Christian College, George Town along with the  Who's who  of Madras of 1880s including  Justice  Muthuswamy Iyer, P.Vijayaranga  Moodelliar of Thiruneermalai  Temple  Dharmakarta Clan, P.Venkatachalam Chetty , Bashyam Iyengar and  W.S.Venkataramanjulu  Naidu.            It became only  Indian Club in the  last decade of 19th ce...

The set up of the Supreme Court of Madras in the  year 1812 when Sir Thomas Strange was the Chief Justice.  One native Ragunadum Moodelliar is working as Gen too and Malabar interpreter  and a Muslim  Mahamud Tippao is Persian and Hindoostani intrepreter. The  Supreme  Court of  Madras functioned from  Ben tick building from  1817 to  1862 when  High Court was established.

The longest Police Chief  of Madras Edward  Francis  Elliott         The  Police set  up in Madras around  1840s.  Edward  Francis Elliott was the Superintendent of Police, Madras  for  a long period of nearly  22 years. He took charge on 14th February  1834 and was holding the post up to  15th April 1856.          He was the  son of  Hugh Elliott who was the  Governor of  Madras  from  1814-1820. He was  Chief  Magistrate,  Chief  Judge of the Court of Requests  (Later Court of Small Causes)  and Superintendent of Police. His Police force retained the old posts of Jamedar,  Darogah,  Daffadar and Peons.          He was one of successful Police Chief of Madras  whose tenure was spoken in high esteem by the people of Madras for many years after he demitted office.  He...

Wallajah Gate, Fort  St . George. This is one of the seven gates of the  Fort on the South West side of the  Fort. After the completion of the Fort in 1780s it should have been given the name since it led to the Chepauk palace of Nabob Mohd.Ali Wallajah  constructed in 1768. Since the Nawab was an important ally of the British they must have honoured him by giving his name.  Any important dignity visiting the  Fort like the Governor or Commander in Chief to take charge of their position used to be honoured by the troops by forming a street from North gate to Wallajah gate.      It happened when Sir George  Hilaro Barlow anchored on the Madras Roads in his ship ' Sceptre' on 24th December 1807. He landed at half past  five O'  clock at the watering face of North Gate where he was received by the outgoing  Governor Bentick, Commander in Chief, Chief Secretary and principal inhabitants of the settlement with a nineteen gu...

The  erection of the  Statue of  Queen Victoria at Chepauk and it's opening :         In February 1887 the  Sheriff of Madras announced that Rajah  Goday Narayan Gajapati Rao of Vizagapatnam has offered to install a statue of  Queen  Victoria as part her Jubilee celebration.  The  statue was made in London by  Mr.Boebin under the watchful eyes of Duke of Buckingham former Governor of  Madras. The  Queen is sculpted as sitting on a high back Chair with a sceptre on her right hand. It was opened on 20th June 1887 by Connemara Governor of Madras. An account of the arrangements made on the  opening day of the statue           "The ground in front of the statue was covered with  Carpet and Red cloth and the  Chepauk compound was gaily decorated. An arch was erected at the west gate of the  Chepauk grounds and another stood close to the small bridge that spans the...

Armenian  Church  1712       Before the  church was constructed in 1712 the  Armenians  of Madras performed their divine service at a place  made of Timber in the  Esplanade north  of Fort  St . George.       The  place was allotted by East India  Company who also paid 50 pounds annually for the priest  by a treaty with the Armenian nation dated 22nd June  1688       The  present church was built by the Armenians with  their own funds in 1712.        In 1833 the  East  India  Company  paid an amount of Rs 5000 from the  Lottery  funds by which the church was renovated and the verandah on the  East 148 feet by 10 feet was constructed.        The  present cemetery was constructed in 1862 by the Government and given to the community.         The  Armenian...