ISO 15919 (Transliteration of Devanagari and related Indic scripts into Latin characters ) is an international standard for the romanization of Brahmic and Nastaliq scripts. Published in 2001, it is part of a series of international standards by the International Organization for Standardization .
87-621: Chennai ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ n aɪ / ; Tamil: [ˈt͡ɕenːaɪ̯] , ISO : Ceṉṉai ), formerly known as Madras , is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu , the southernmost state of India . It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal . According to the 2011 Indian census , Chennai is the sixth-most populous city in India and forms the fourth-most populous urban agglomeration . Incorporated in 1688,
174-757: A commissioner of police . The Greater Chennai Police is a division of the Tamil Nadu Police , the administrative control of which lies with the Home ministry of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) is responsible for the traffic management in the city. The metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police , headed by the Chennai Police Commissionerate , and
261-533: A European exhibitor first screened a selection of silent short films at the Victoria Public Hall in the city. Swamikannu Vincent purchased a film projector and erected tents for screening films which became popular in the early 20th century. Keechaka Vadham , the first film in South India was produced in the city and released in 1917. Gemini and Vijaya Vauhini studios were established in
348-509: A dry-summer tropical wet and dry climate which is designated As under the Köppen climate classification . The city lies on the thermal equator and as it is also located on the coast, there is no extreme variation in seasonal temperature. The hottest time of the year is from April to June with an average temperature of 35–40 °C (95–104 °F). The highest recorded temperature was 45 °C (113 °F) on 31 May 2003. The coldest time of
435-518: A factory: the availability of cotton, and at a much cheaper rate, as acknowledged by the prosperous Portuguese settlement of Sao Tôme, the nearness of the Portuguese, upon whom could be counted as neutral spectators if not active supporters in times of war, particularly influenced the English in their choice, the land allocated under the grant to the English in 1639, was a piece of land lying between
522-480: A gateway to South India, Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities ranking 36th among the most-visited cities in the world in 2019. Ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index , Chennai regularly features among the best cities to live in India and is amongst the safest cities in India. Chennai is a major centre for medical tourism and is termed "India's health capital". Chennai houses
609-722: A large area of the Deccan region, Chennai remained the centre of politics during the British colonial era. Chennai is the birthplace of the idea of the Indian National Congress , which was founded by the members of the Theosophical Society movement based on the idea conceived in a private meeting after a Theosophical convention held in the city in December 1884. The city has hosted yearly conferences of
696-489: A major portion of India's automobile industry, hence the name " Detroit of India". It was the only South Asian city to be ranked among National Geographic 's "Top 10 food cities" in 2015 and ranked ninth on Lonely Planet 's best cosmopolitan cities in the world. In October 2017, Chennai was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list. It is a major film production centre and home to
783-465: A major shift in the political dynamics of the city and eventually led to English being retained as an official language of India alongside Hindi. On 17 July 1996, the city was officially renamed from Madras to Chennai, in line with then a nationwide trend to using less Anglicised names. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing 206 people in Chennai and permanently altering
870-399: A significant expatriate population. As of 2001, out of the 2,937,000 migrants in the city, 61.5% were from other parts of the state, 33.8% were from rest of India and 3.7% were from outside the country. With the history of Chennai dating back centuries, the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide chronology. The oldest buildings in the city date from the 6th to 8th centuries CE, which include
957-400: A unique flavour to the food and is considered healthy. Idly and dosa are popular breakfast dishes. Chennai has an active street food culture and various cuisine options for dining including North Indian , Chinese and continental . The influx of industries in the early 21st century also bought distinct cuisines from other countries such as Japanese and Korean to the city. Chennai was
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#17327648191151044-441: Is about 120 cm (47 in). The highest annual rainfall recorded was 257 cm (101 in) in 2005. Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October and northeasterly during the rest of the year. The city relies on the annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs. Cyclones and depressions are common features during the season. Water inundation and flooding happen in low-lying areas during
1131-662: Is also home to some choirs, who during the Christmas season stage various carol performances across the city in Tamil and English. Chennai is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions that engage in arts research and are major tourist attractions. Established in the early 18th century, the Government Museum and the National Art Gallery are amongst the oldest in the country. The museum inside
1218-639: Is among the largest small-scale industrial estates in the country. Chennai contributes more than 50 per cent of India's leather exports. Chennai is a major electronics hardware exporter. The city is home to the Madras Stock Exchange , India's third-largest by trading volume behind the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India . Madras Bank, the first European-style banking system in India,
1305-461: Is among the major information technology (IT) hubs of India. Tidel Park established in 2000 was amongst the first and largest IT parks in Asia. The presence of SEZs and government policies have contributed to the growth of the sector which has attracted foreign investments and job seekers from other parts of the country. In the 2020s, the city has become a major provider of SaaS and has been dubbed
1392-534: Is amongst the top export districts in the country with more than US$ 2563 billion in exports. The city has a permanent exhibition complex Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam . The city hosts the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet , a business summit organized by the Government of Tamil Nadu. With about 62% of the population classified as affluent with less than 1% asset-poor, Chennai has the fifth highest number of millionaires. Chennai
1479-763: Is believed to house the remains of the apostle St. Thomas , was rebuilt in 1893, in neo-Gothic style. By the early 20th century, the art deco made its entry upon the city's urban landscape with buildings in George Town including the United India building (presently housing LIC ) and the Burma Shell building (presently the Chennai House), both built in the 1930s, and the Dare House built in 1940 examples of this architecture. After Independence ,
1566-477: Is celebrated every year during the month of December and features performances of traditional Carnatic music by artists from the city. Madras University introduced a course of music, as part of the Bachelor of Arts curriculum in 1930. Gaana , a combination of various folk music, is sung mainly in the working-class area of North Chennai. Chennai Sangamam , an art festival showcasing various arts of South India
1653-659: Is described in the table below. The table below shows the differences between ISO 15919, UNRSGN and IAST for Devanagari transliteration. Only certain fonts support all Latin Unicode characters for the transliteration of Indic scripts according to this standard. For example, Tahoma supports almost all the characters needed. Arial and Times New Roman font packages that come with Microsoft Office 2007 and later also support most Latin Extended Additional characters like ḍ, ḥ, ḷ, ḻ, ṁ, ṅ, ṇ, ṛ, ṣ and ṭ. There
1740-432: Is estimated to be around 64.06 km (24.73 sq mi) with 121 recorded species belonging to 94 genera and 42 families. Major species include Copper pod , Indian beech , Gulmohar , Raintree , Neem , and Tropical Almond . The city's marine and inland water bodies house a number of fresh water and salt water fishes, and marine organisms. Chennai had many lakes spread across the city, but urbanization has led to
1827-693: Is headed by a mayor , elected by the councillors , who are elected through a popular vote by the residents. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is the nodal agency responsible for the planning and development of the Chennai Metropolitan Area , which is spread over an area of 1,189 km (459 sq mi), covering the Chennai district and parts of Tiruvallur , Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu districts. The metropolitan area consists of four municipal corporations , 12 municipalities and other smaller panchayats . As
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#17327648191151914-546: Is held every year. Chennai has been featured in UNESCO Creative Cities Network list since October 2017 for its old musical tradition. Chennai has a diverse theatre scene and is a prominent centre for Bharata Natyam , a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and is the oldest dance in India. Cultural centres in the city include Kalakshetra and Government Music College. Chennai
2001-666: Is mostly clay , shale and sandstone . Clay underlies most of the city with sandy areas found along the river banks and coasts where rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Certain areas in South Chennai have a hard rock surface. As of 2018, the city had a green cover of 14.9 per cent, with a per capita green cover of 8.5 square metres against the World Health Organization recommendation of nine square metres. As of 2017, water bodies cover an estimated 3.2 km (1.2 sq mi) area of
2088-491: Is no standard keyboard layout for ISO 15919 input but many systems provide a way to select Unicode characters visually. ISO/IEC 14755 refers to this as a screen-selection entry method . Francis Day of Madras Francis Day (1605–1673) was an administrator associated with the East India Company . He served as a factor of the company's factory at Masulipatnam from 1632 to 1639. In 1639, he negotiated
2175-494: Is situated in Seismic Zone III , indicating a moderate risk of damage from earthquakes . Owing to the tectonic zone the city falls in, the city is considered a potential geothermal energy site. The crust has old granite rocks dating back nearly a billion years indicating volcanic activities in the past with expected temperatures of 200–300 °C (392–572 °F) at 4–5 km (2.5–3.1 mi) depth. Chennai has
2262-581: Is the "national system of romanization in India " and a United Nations expert group noted about ISO 15919 that "there is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products." Another standard, United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names (UNRSGN), was developed by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) and covers many Brahmic scripts. The ALA-LC romanization
2349-473: Is working on the restoration of the Adyar River. The Environmentalist Foundation of India is a volunteering group working towards wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite . According to 2011 census , the city had a population of 4,646,732, within an area of 174 km (67 sq mi). Post expansion of the city to 426 km (164 sq mi),
2436-600: The AVANI , headquartered in Chennai manufactures Armoured fighting vehicles , Main battle tanks , tank engines and armoured clothing for the use of the Indian Armed Forces . ISRO , the premier Indian space agency primarily responsible for performing tasks related to space exploration operates research facilities in the city. Chennai is the third-most visited city in India by international tourists according to Euromonitor. Medical tourism forms an important part of
2523-703: The British later, the city saw a rise in a blend of Hindu , Islamic and Gothic revival styles, resulting in the distinct Indo-Saracenic architecture. The architecture for several institutions followed the Indo-Saracenic style with the Chepauk Palace designed by Paul Benfield amongst the first Indo-Saracenic buildings in India. Other buildings in the city from the era designed in this style of architecture include Fort St. George (1640), Amir Mahal (1798), Government Museum (1854), Senate House of
2610-547: The Chennakesava Perumal Temple in Chennapatanam later in 1646, which some scholars argue to be the first use of the name. The name Madras is of native origin, and has been shown to have been in use before the British established a presence in India. A Vijayanagara-era inscription found in 2015 was dated to the year 1367 and mentions the port of Mādarasanpattanam, along with other small ports on
2697-544: The Globalization and World Cities Research Network , Chennai is amongst the most integrated with the global economy, classified as a beta-city . As of 2023, Chennai metropolitan area had an estimated GDP of $ 143.9 billion, ranking it among the most productive metro areas in India. Chennai has a diversified industrial base anchored by different sectors including automobiles , software services , hardware , healthcare and financial services . As of 2021, Chennai
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2784-487: The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India , which was started on 10 April 1802. With the advent of railways in India in the 19th century, the city was connected to other major cities such as Bombay and Calcutta , promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland . After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State , the predecessor of
2871-682: The Greater Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal corporation in India and the second oldest in the world after London . Historically, the region was part of the Chola , Pandya , Pallava and Vijayanagara kingdoms during various eras. The coastal land which then contained the fishing village Madrasapattinam, was purchased by the British East India Company from the Nayak ruler Chennapa Nayaka in
2958-789: The Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore and the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane , built in the Dravidian architecture encompassing various styles developed during the reigns of different empires. In Dravidian architecture , the Hindu temples consisted of large mantapas with gate-pyramids called gopurams in quadrangular enclosures that surround the temple. The Gopuram, a monumental tower usually ornate at
3045-739: The Tamil-language film industry . The name Chennai was derived from the name of Chennappa Nayaka , a Nayak ruler who served as a general under Venkata Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire from whom the British East India Company acquired the town in 1639. The first official use of the name was in August 1639 in a sale deed to Francis Day of the East India Company. A land grant was given to
3132-556: The south zonal office of the Reserve Bank of India , the country's central bank, along with its zonal training centre and staff College, one of the two colleges run by the bank. The city also houses a permanent back office of the World Bank . About 400 financial industry businesses are headquartered in the city. DRDO , India's premier defence research agency operates various facilities in Chennai. Heavy Vehicles Factory of
3219-461: The "SaaS Capital of India". The automotive industry in Chennai accounts for more than 35% of India's overall automotive components and automobile output, earning the nickname " Detroit of India ". A large number of automotive companies have their manufacturing bases in the city. Integral Coach Factory in Chennai manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways . Ambattur Industrial Estate housing various manufacturing units
3306-711: The 17th century. The British garrison established the Madras city and port and built Fort St. George , the first British fortress in India. The city was made the winter capital of the Madras Presidency , a colonial province of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent . After India gained independence in 1947, Madras continued as the capital city of the Madras State and present-day Tamil Nadu. The city
3393-403: The 1940s, amongst the largest and earliest in the country. Chennai hosts many major film studios, including AVM Productions , the oldest surviving studio in India. Chennai cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as its base. Most local restaurants still retain their rural flavour, with many restaurants serving food over a banana leaf. Eating on a banana leaf is an old custom and imparts
3480-507: The 1st century CE , Tamil poet named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore , a neighbourhood of present-day Chennai. The region was part of Tondaimandalam which was ruled by the Early Cholas in the 2nd century CE by subduing Kurumbas , the original inhabitants of the region. Pallavas of Kanchi became independent rulers of the region from 3rd to 9th century CE and the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram were built during
3567-583: The 2011 census, Tamil is the most spoken language with 3,640,389 (78.3%) of speakers followed by Telugu (432,295), Urdu (198,505), Hindi (159,474) and Malayalam (104,994). Madras Bashai is a variety of the Tamil spoken by people in the city. It originated with words introduced from other languages such as English and Telugu on the Tamil originally spoken by the native people of the city. Korean , Japanese , French , Mandarin Chinese , German and Spanish are spoken by foreign expatriates residing in
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3654-534: The Adyar, Cooum and Kosathaliyar rivers, and the Buckingham canal are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The encroachment of urban development on wetlands has hampered the sustainability of water bodies and was a major contributor to the floods in 2015 and 2023 and water scarcity crisis in 2019 . The Chennai River Restoration Trust set up by the government of Tamil Nadu
3741-656: The Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge . The groundwater table in Chennai is at 4–5 m (13–16 ft) below ground level on average and is replenished mainly by rainwater. Of the 24.87 km (15.45 mi) coastline of the city, 3.08 km (1.91 mi) experiences erosion, with sand accretion along the shoreline at the Marina beach and the area between the Ennore Port and Kosasthalaiyar river . Chennai
3828-492: The Chennai Municipal Corporation was renamed as Greater Chennai Corporation and the population including the new city limits as per the 2011 census was 6,748,026. As of 2019, 40 per cent of the 1.788 million families in the city live below the poverty line . As of 2017, the city had 2.2 million households, with 40 per cent of the residents not owning a house. There are about 1,131 slums in
3915-774: The Congress seven times, playing a major part in the Indian independence movement . Chennai is also the birthplace of regional political parties such as the South Indian Welfare Association in 1916 which later became the Justice Party and Dravidar Kazhagam . Politics is characterized by a mix of regional and national political parties. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Self-Respect Movement , spearheaded by Theagaroya Chetty and E. V. Ramaswamy emerged in Madras. Congress dominated
4002-635: The English at the place. [1] Day and Cogan were jointly responsible for the construction of Fort St George . The building of the Factory House was taken up on 1 March 1640. Some portion of the structure was presumably completed by St. George's Day (23 April) of that year and the name Fort St. George was consequently given to the Fort. The bastions were first built and erection of the curtain walls connecting them proceeded more slowly as funds permitted. The whole Fort took fourteen years to construct and
4089-534: The University of Madras (1879), Victoria Public Hall (1886), Madras High Court (1892), Bharat Insurance Building (1897), Ripon Building (1913), College of Engineering (1920) and Southern Railway headquarters (1921). Gothic revival-style buildings include the Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations. The Santhome Church , which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1523 and
4176-674: The area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat , north of Chennai. On 20 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company along with the Nayak of Kalahasti Chennappa Nayaka met with the Vijayanager Emperor Peda Venkata Raya at Chandragiri and obtained a grant for land on the Coromandel coast on which the company could build a factory and warehouse for their trading activities. On 22 August, he secured
4263-401: The capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, the city houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the secretariat buildings in Fort St George. Madras High Court is the highest judicial authority in the state, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry . The Greater Chennai Police (GCP) is the primary law enforcement agency in the city and is headed by
4350-435: The central business district expanding horizontally, unlike other metropolitan cities, while the peripheral regions began experiencing vertical growth with the construction of taller buildings with the tallest building at 161 metres (528 ft). Chennai is a major centre for music, art and dance in India. The city is called the Cultural Capital of South India. Madras Music Season , initiated by Madras Music Academy in 1927,
4437-431: The city as well as for places or things named after the city in the past. Stone Age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai and according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities resided in the settlement. The region around Chennai was an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During
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#17327648191154524-545: The city housing more than 300,000 households. The city is governed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (formerly "Corporation of Madras"), which was established on 29 September 1688. It is the oldest surviving municipal corporation in India and the second oldest surviving corporation in the world. In 2011, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was expanded from 174 km (67 sq mi) to an area of 426 km (164 sq mi), divided into three regions North, South and Central covering 200 wards . The corporation
4611-435: The city through 27 water distribution stations. The city receives 530 million litres per day (mld) of water from Krishna River through Telugu Ganga project and 180 mld of water from the Veeranam lake project. 100 million litres of treated water per day is produced from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's largest seawater desalination plant. Chennai is predicted to face a deficit of 713 mld of water by 2026 as
4698-399: The city was threatened by Hyder Ali during the First Anglo-Mysore War with the Treaty of Madras ending the conflict. By the 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region and established the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital. The city became a major naval base and became the central administrative centre for the British in South India. The city was the baseline for
4785-400: The city witnessed a rise in the Modernism and the completion of the LIC Building in 1959, the tallest building in the country at that time marked the transition from lime-and-brick construction to concrete columns. The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai Port prohibited the construction of buildings taller than 60 m around a radius of 10 km till 2009. This resulted in
4872-420: The city's economy with more than 40% of total medical tourists visiting India making it to Chennai. The city's water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Board . Water is drawn from Red Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake , the major water reservoirs in the city and treated at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk , Puzhal , Chembarambakkam and supplied to
4959-514: The city. Chennai is home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities. As per census of 2011, Chennai's population was majority Hindu (80.73%) with 9.45% Muslim , 7.72% Christian , 1.27% others and 0.83% with no religion or not indicating any religious preference. Tamils form majority of the population with minorities including Telugus , Marwaris , Gujaratis , Parsis , Sindhis , Odias , Goans , Kannadigas , Anglo-Indians , Bengalis , Punjabis , and Malayalees . The city also has
5046-467: The city. Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam ) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A section of the Buckingham Canal built in 1877-78, runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal coast, linking the two rivers. Kosasthalaiyar River traverses through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore Creek . The Otteri Nullah , an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets
5133-436: The coastline. The 2015 Chennai Floods submerged major portions of the city, killing 269 people and resulting in damages of ₹ 86.4 billion (US$ 1 billion). Chennai is located on the southeastern coast of India in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains with an average elevation of 6.7 m (22 ft) and highest point at 60 m (200 ft). Chennai's soil
5220-406: The current state of Tamil Nadu. The city was the location of the hunger strike and death of Potti Sreeramulu which resulted in the formation of Andhra State in 1953 and eventually the re-organization of Indian states based on linguistic boundaries in 1956. In 1965, agitations against the imposition of Hindi and in support of continuing English as a medium of communication arose which marked
5307-407: The demand is projected at 2,248 mld and supply estimated at 1,535 mld. The city's sewer system was designed in 1910, with some modifications in 1958. ISO 15919 ISO 15919 is an international standard on the romanization of many Brahmic scripts , which was agreed upon in 2001 by a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries. However, the Hunterian transliteration system
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#17327648191155394-438: The east coast, and it was theorized that the aforementioned port is the fishing port of Royapuram . Madras might have been derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing village north of Fort St. George but it is uncertain whether the name was in use before the arrival of Europeans. In July 1996, the Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name from Madras to Chennai. The name "Madras" continues to be used occasionally for
5481-439: The entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature of Koils and whose origins can be traced back to the Pallavas who built the group of monuments in Mamallapuram . The associated Agraharam architecture, which consists of traditional row houses can still be seen in the areas surrounding the temples. Chennai has the second highest number of heritage buildings in the country. With the Mugals influence in mediaeval times and
5568-414: The grandson of William Day , who was appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1595. Francis completed his education from Eton College and joined the services of the East India Company in 1632. In 1637, Francis Day, then a member of the Masulipatnam Council and Chief of the Armagon Factory, undertook a voyage of exploration down the Coromandel Coast , as far as Pondicherry . At that time, the Coromandel Coast
5655-432: The grant for a strip of land about 9.7 km (6 mi) long and 1.6 km (1 mi) inland in return for a yearly sum of five hundred lakh pagodas . The region was then formerly a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam". A year later, the company built Fort St. George , the first major English settlement in India, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai. In 1746, Fort St. George and
5742-481: The monsoon and winter. The southern stretch of Chennai's coast from Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai are favoured by the endangered olive ridley sea turtles to lay eggs every winter. Guindy National Park is a protected area within the city limits and wildlife conservation and research activities take place at Arignar Anna Zoological Park . Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is a herpetology research station, located 40 km (25 mi) south of Chennai. The city's tree cover
5829-402: The national parties usually aligning as junior partners to the two major Dravidian parties. Many film personalities became politicians and later chief ministers, including C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi , M. G. Ramachandran, Janaki Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa . Tamil is the language spoken by most of Chennai's population; English is largely spoken by white-collar workers . As per
5916-412: The only South Asian city to be ranked among National Geographic 's "Top 10 food cities" in 2015. The economy of Chennai consistently exceeded national average growth rates due to reform-oriented economic policies in the 1970s. With the presence of two major ports, an international airport, and a converging road and rail networks, Chennai is often referred to as the "Gateway of South India". According to
6003-407: The outer district areas of the CMDA are policed by respective police departments of Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Ranipet districts. As of 2021, Greater Chennai had 135 police stations across four zones with 20,000 police personnel. As of 2021, the crime rate in the city was 101.2 per hundred thousand people. In 2009, Madras Central Prison , the major prison and one of the oldest in India
6090-486: The political scene post Independence in the 1950s and 1960s under C. Rajagopalachari and later K. Kamaraj . The Anti-Hindi agitations led to the rise of Dravidian parties with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) forming the first government under C. N. Annadurai in 1967. In 1972, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by M. G. Ramachandran . The two Dravidian parties continue to dominate electoral politics,
6177-410: The powerful English fleet was rendered useless, having to weigh anchor and move out to sea at low tide. Merchantmen too found the same flaw, though for different reasons – they would have to wait until high tide to bring goods and passengers ashore or risk wetting them in the majula boats used as ferries between the fort and Madras Roads. The chief difficulty, as usual with the English in those days,
6264-575: The premises of Fort St. George maintains a collection of objects of the British era. The museum is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India and has in its possession, the first Flag of India hoisted at Fort St George after the declaration of India's Independence on 15 August 1947 . Chennai is the base for Tamil cinema , nicknamed Kollywood, alluding to the neighbourhood of Kodambakkam where several film studios are located. The history of cinema in South India started in 1897 when
6351-585: The proposed site and examined trading possibilities. The results were favorable and Day secured a grant offering the village of Madraspatnam to the English for a period of two years. The Grant was dated August 1639, and after obtaining the approval of the Factory at Masulipatnam and the Presidency of Bantam (in Java), the settlement of Madraspatnam was begun. Day also had other reasons to choose Madras for
6438-569: The purchase of a strip of land south of the Dutch factory at Pulicat from the Raja of Chandragiri, where the town of Madras was built. He served as the second Agent of Madras from 1643 to 1644. Along with Andrew Cogan , he is regarded as the founder of Madras. Francis Day was born to William Day of Bray and his wife Helen Wentworth, the daughter of a member of the House of Commons . He is believed to be
6525-594: The reign of Mahendravarman I . In 879, Pallavas were defeated by the Later Cholas led by Aditya I and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan later brought the region under the Pandya rule in 1264. The region came under the influence of Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century CE. The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port named São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas , who is believed to have preached in
6612-534: The river Cooum, almost at the point at which it enters the sea and another river known as Egmore river, also a factor of safety important in those turbulent times. Day was, however, sorely criticised by captains of men-of-war , for his choice of the location of the fort, due to immense difficulties in anchoring ships in Madras Roads. This meant that at various important junctures in the Carnatic Wars ,
6699-410: The season with significant flooding in 2015 and 2023 . </ref> A protected estuary on the Adyar River forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals. Chennai is also a popular city for birding with more than 130 recorded species of birds have been recorded in the city. Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai and inland lakes also host a number of migratory birds during
6786-459: The shrinkage of water bodies and wetlands. The water bodies have shrunk from an estimated 12.6 km (4.9 sq mi) in 1893 to 3.2 km (1.2 sq mi) in 2017. The number of wetlands in the city has decreased from 650 in 1970 to 27 in 2015. Nearly half of the native plant species in the city's wetlands have disappeared with only 25 per cent of the erstwhile area covered with aquatic plants still viable. The major water bodies including
6873-624: The town were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais , the Governor of Mauritius , who plundered the town and its outlying villages. The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and strengthened the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali , the king of Mysore . They resisted a French siege attempt in 1759. In 1769,
6960-475: The year is in December–January, with average temperature of 19–25 °C (66–77 °F) and the lowest recorded temperature of 13.9 °C (57.0 °F) on 11 December 1895 and 29 January 1905. Chennai receives most of its rainfall from the northeast monsoon between October and December while smaller amounts of rain come from the southwest monsoon between June and September. The average annual rainfall
7047-834: Was approved by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association and is a US standard. The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is not a standard (as no specification exists for it) but a convention developed in Europe for the transliteration of Sanskrit rather than the transcription of Brahmic scripts. As a notable difference, both international standards, ISO 15919 and UNRSGN transliterate anusvara as ṁ , while ALA-LC and IAST use ṃ for it. However, ISO 15919 provides guidance towards disambiguating between various anusvara situations (such as labial versus dental nasalizations), which
7134-465: Was demolished with the prisoners moved to the newly constructed Puzhal Central Prison . While the major part of the city falls under three parliamentary constituencies ( Chennai North , Chennai Central and Chennai South ), the Chennai metropolitan area is spread across five constituencies. It elects 28 MLAs to the state legislature. Being the capital of the Madras Province that covered
7221-471: Was established on 21 June 1683 followed by first commercial banks such as Bank of Hindustan (1770) and General Bank of India (1786). Bank of Madras merged with two other presidency banks to form Imperial Bank of India in 1921 which in 1955 became the State Bank of India , the largest bank in India. Chennai is the headquarters of nationalized banks Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank . Chennai hosts
7308-478: Was finished only in 1653. It measured about 100 yards by north to south and by 80 yards east to west. On its northern and southern sides buildings and streets sprang up and constituted what came to be known later as the White Town. Indian merchants and artificers were attracted to the settlement and encouraged to build houses therein under a promise of exemptions from import taxes for a period of thirty years. It
7395-455: Was lack of money. At last, in February 1640, Day and Cogan accompanied by a few factors and writers, a garrison of about 25 European soldiers and a few other European artificers, besides a Hindu powder-maker by name Naga Battan, proceeded to Madras and started the English factory. They reached Madraspatnam on 20 February; and this date is important because it marks the first actual settlement of
7482-400: Was officially renamed as Chennai in 1996. The city is coterminous with Chennai district , which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area , the 35th-largest urban area in the world by population and one of the largest metropolitan economies of India. Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy and the third-largest expatriate population in India. As
7569-520: Was ruled by the Raja of Chandragiri through a local chief or Nayak, Damarla Venkatappa Nayak, who ruled the coast from Pulicat up to Santhome . He had his seat at Vandavasi (then anglicised as Wandiwash) and his brother, Ayyappa Nayak resided at Poonamallee . It is widely presumed that Ayyappa Nayak was the one who wooed the English to choose the area comprising the modern-day Georgetown for settlement . Day and his superior, Andrew Cogan, investigated
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