114-645: Kodambakkam (also known as K-Town or Kollywood ) is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network . Kodambakkam has a high concentration of film studios and has been known for its status as the hub of the Tamil film industry , lending its name to the industry's monicker Kollywood . Kodambakkam
228-522: A portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood . A. V. M. Studios established by Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar was the first movie studio to be established in Vadapalani-Kodambakkam. The Vijaya Vauhini Studios was established a little later followed by Prasad Labs in 1974. Today, many Tamil movie studios are located in and around Kodambakkam. Residences of many film and television stars are located in and around Kodambakkam due to proximity to
342-956: A town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras , called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain . In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as " drama films ", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai ) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as
456-666: A tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing 206 people in Chennai and permanently altering 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
570-452: A banana leaf. Eating on a banana leaf is an old custom and imparts 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
684-679: 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 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
798-487: 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 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 ,
912-596: A decent market. Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia . Since Chandralekha , Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja ) and grossed a record $ 1.6 million in 1998. In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $ 4 million in North America. Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across
1026-513: 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
1140-531: A few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre , the Electric Theatre, which still stands. It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on Anna Salai ( Mount Road ). The Lyric Theatre was also built in
1254-420: A grand exhibition was organised in Madras . Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone , made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue . Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu ,
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#17327728477651368-552: A house. There are about 1,131 slums in 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
1482-638: A permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam . Swamikannu Vincent, who had built one of the first cinema halls of South India in Coimbatore , introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to
1596-566: A popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city. Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar , decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon 's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916. The man who truly laid
1710-740: A secondary hub for Hindi cinema , other South Indian film industries, as well as for Sri Lankan cinema . Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films established a global presence, enjoying strong box office collections among Tamil-speaking audiences in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , and Singapore . Tamil films are also distributed throughout the Middle East , Oceania , Europe , North America , parts of Africa , and Japan . The industry also inspired independent filmmaking among Tamil diaspora populations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and
1824-460: A standard deviation of ±10 lakh tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha . They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora . They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania. Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It
1938-586: A studio, the first in south India, was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan / Keechakavatham , based on an episode from the Mahabharata , was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established
2052-704: A successful photographer , took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court . With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Naidu travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar ) and Sri Lanka , and when he had gathered enough money, he put up
2166-1021: 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 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 ,
2280-553: 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, 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 ,
2394-446: 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
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#17327728477652508-593: Is also home to the Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College , which is affiliated to Anna University . There are old temples dedicated to Lord Shiva namely Vengeeswarar Temple and Bharadvajeswarar (Valeswarar) Temple belonging to 13th Century built during Chola Period. One of the oldest mosque in Chennai named Puliyur Juma Masjid is situated here. Kodambakkam is the centre of the Tamil film industry known as Kollywood ,
2622-644: 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,
2736-465: 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
2850-540: 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
2964-607: Is believed that the name "Kodambakkam" itself might have been derived from the Urdu word Ghoda Bagh meaning "garden of horses". Another version says that "Kodambakkam" derives its name from "Karkodagan Pakkam". Karkodagan is the name of a famous snake in Hindu mythology. It is said that the snake worshiped Lord Shiva here. There is still a temple for Lord Shiva by the name Vengeeshwarar in Kodambakkam. Several sculptures and images of
3078-520: 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 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
3192-712: Is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across
3306-436: 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
3420-672: 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
3534-428: Is situated at 13.0481 N latitude and 80.2214 E longitude. It is one of the westerly located neighbourhoods of Chennai city. It is bounded by the neighbourhoods of Nungambakkam to the east, West Mambalam and T. Nagar to the south, Vadapalani to the west, Choolaimedu to the north and K. K. Nagar and Ashok Nagar to the south-west. Kodambakkam is located at a distance of 8 kilometres from Fort St. George . It
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3648-496: 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
3762-668: Is spread across five constituencies. It elects 28 MLAs to the state legislature. Being the capital of the Madras Province that covered 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
3876-600: 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, the Greater Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal corporation in India and
3990-555: 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 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
4104-604: 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
4218-745: The Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category. There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor. The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as: There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts: There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts: Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as
4332-679: The Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations. The Santhome Church , which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1523 and 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
4446-676: 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 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
4560-550: 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
4674-572: The Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed the name from Madras to Chennai. The name "Madras" continues to be used occasionally for 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
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4788-637: 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 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
4902-412: The Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night. The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during
5016-620: 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 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
5130-574: The Pallavas and the Later Cholas , the western part of Kodambakkam formed a portion of the historically important temple town of Vadapalani. One of the oldest temples in Kodambakkam is the Bharthukesavar temple which is over 500 years old. Present-day Kodambakkam originated in the 17th and 18th centuries CE, when it supposedly served as source for the horses of the stable of the Nawab of
5244-403: The Tamil -language only. This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum . The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum , a half-English and a half-Tamil title. In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by
5358-600: 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, 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
5472-619: The West . M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj . The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for
5586-491: The film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor . Soon, he tied up with Pathé , a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors . This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency . In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore . To celebrate the event of King George V 's visit in 1909,
5700-432: The hinterland . After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State , the predecessor of 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
5814-427: The imposition of Hindi and in support of continuing English as a medium of communication arose which marked 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,
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#17327728477655928-561: 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
6042-484: 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 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
6156-467: 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
6270-650: 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 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
6384-436: The 1990s and early 2000s cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Such films include Roja (1992), Indian (1996), Pokkiri (2007), Enthiran (2010). Tamil cinema has since produced some of the most commercially successful actors, directors and films of Indian cinema. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Madras (now Chennai), then became
6498-399: 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
6612-412: The Anti-Hindi agitations of 1938 when Maraimalai Adigal presided over a conference denouncing the imposition of Hindi in the Madras Presidency on 3 June 1938. The first movie studio was established by Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar in 1948. Since then, a number of other movie studios have been established, notable among them being L. V. Prasad Studios and Vijaya Vauhini studios. Liberty theatre which
6726-428: 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
6840-406: 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 , 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
6954-438: The Carnatic . Under the British, Kodambakkam was administered as a municipality in Chingleput district till the draining of the Long Tank in 1921, when Kodambakkam was incorporated into the Madras city and formed the Kodambakkam-Saligrammam-Puliyur district of Greater Madras along with other localities to the west of the now extinct Long Tank, with a population of 497 people in 1939. Kodambakkam also played an important role in
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#17327728477657068-434: The India Film Company Limited. Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios , AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions. In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in
7182-447: The Mount Road area. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances . Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. Swamikannu Vincent , a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli , became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade , near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought
7296-500: 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 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
7410-401: 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 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
7524-405: 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 a gateway to South India, Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities ranking 36th among the most-visited cities in
7638-407: 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 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
7752-419: 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 a commissioner of police . The Greater Chennai Police
7866-439: 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
7980-420: The city to 426 km (164 sq mi), 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
8094-421: 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
8208-439: The city. Chennai was 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
8322-704: 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
8436-556: The constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways. By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939 . In 1916,
8550-757: 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 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 ,
8664-411: 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 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
8778-412: 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. Tamil film industry Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language , the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu . It is nicknamed Kollywood , a portmanteau of
8892-582: The early 18th century, the Government Museum and the National Art Gallery are amongst the oldest in the country. The museum inside 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
9006-517: 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 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
9120-576: The early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil -language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas . They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal
9234-541: 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 was officially renamed as Chennai in 1996. The city is coterminous with Chennai district , which together with
9348-567: The first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film , the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007. Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra , Gujarat and New Delhi . In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have
9462-700: 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, 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
9576-492: The foundations of Tamil cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife / Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC
9690-583: The globe, such as Mani Ratnam 's Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Vasanthabalan 's Veyyil (2006) and Ameer Sultan 's Paruthiveeran (2007). Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi. Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987)
9804-462: The government of Tamil Nadu 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
9918-690: 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 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
10032-464: The language spoken by most of Chennai's population; English is largely spoken by white-collar workers . As per 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
10146-487: 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
10260-565: The movie studios. A film directors' colony situated in Kodambakkam is the home of many Tamil film directors and producers. Indian Music Composer Ilaiyaraaja 's self-owned Musical Studio "ILAIYARAAJA Studios" is located at Kodambakkam High Road. Indian music director A. R. Rahman 's house and his AM Studios is located in the same street. Some of the important localities of Kodambakkam include: Chennai Chennai ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ n aɪ / ; Tamil: [ˈt͡ɕenːaɪ̯] , ISO : Ceṉṉai ), formerly known as Madras ,
10374-683: The name was in August 1639 in a sale deed to Francis Day of the East India Company. A land grant was given to 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
10488-488: The names Kodambakkam , a neighbourhood in Chennai , and Hollywood . The first Tamil silent film , Keechaka Vadham , was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film , Kalidas , a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara . Tamil cinema has been noted for its advanced narratives and diverse films, with several productions in
10602-478: 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 the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu,
10716-412: The population with minorities including Telugus , Marwaris , Gujaratis , Parsis , Sindhis , Odias , Goans , Kannadigas , Anglo-Indians , Bengalis , Punjabis , and Malayalees . The city also has 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
10830-481: 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 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
10944-413: 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
11058-494: 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 the 17th century. The British garrison established the Madras city and port and built Fort St. George ,
11172-473: The settlement. The region around Chennai was an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During 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
11286-466: 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
11400-583: The silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram . Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935. The main impacts of
11514-406: The snake Karkodagan can be seen in the temple, even today. There is another etymology for this name from Soundarya Lahari according to Sudha Seshayyan. "Kodu-am-bakkam" Kodu means hill, am – denotes arrow. The place is associated with lord Shiva using the meru mountain as bow for destroying Tripura. The neighbourhood of Kodambakkam has a history going back to about 2,000 years. During the period of
11628-418: The state from 3 July 2017. The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017. Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It was reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores. Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 1.1 crore tickets with
11742-616: 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 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
11856-740: 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 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
11970-515: The world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil , a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai . Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India . Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931. Kalava (1932) was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil. Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan . Balayogini released in 1937
12084-476: 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
12198-436: Was considered to be first children's film of South India. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan , became
12312-402: Was dated to the year 1367 and mentions the port of Mādarasanpattanam, along with other small ports on 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,
12426-475: 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
12540-400: 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 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
12654-699: Was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo , Rangoon and Singapore . The Ways of Vishnu / Vishnu Leela , which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. The silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among
12768-549: Was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list. Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu . For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday). The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from
12882-417: Was the oldest movie theater in Chennai was based here too, it was the place to be seen in the 1950s for movie premieres. However, the theater been demolished in the year 2010 and been replaced by a hotel and condos. The neighbourhood got one of the city's first flyovers in 1967. It is 623 m long and 12.8 m wide and connects the localities of K. K. Nagar , Vadapalani , and Ashok Nagar . The district
12996-569: 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 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
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