Madras - Important Indian city
This 400-year-old city might have new trends and a fast-paced life but what makes Madras so beautiful and culturally rich, is its glory of being the same warm and welcoming city that it has always been. The fourth largest city of India, Madras (or known as Chennai now), is the capital of Tamil Nadu. The city has a rich historical background. The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandayas and Vijaynagar are some of the important Dynasties who ruled the region. The major port of Pallavas was Mylapore. A port named Sao Tome was built by Portugese in the year 1522. The port was named after a Christian reformer, St. Thomas. He used to preach in the area between 52 and 70 A.D. There are many beliefs as to how the place derived its name. The name Madras is said to be derived from Madraspattinam, which was originally a fishing village situated towards the north of the fort of St. George. Some believe that the name Madre de deus was given to the place by Portuguese, who arrived there in 16th century. The city became major urban centre and also a naval base. Railway arrived in 19th century connecting the place with other major cities of India like Mumbai and Kolkata. One more important thing to be noted in the history of Chennai is the attack during the First World War, Madras was the only city attacked during World War I by a German light cruiser’ SMS Emden’, who attacked the oil depot at the city, demolishing the shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. In 1947, India gained Independence and Chennai was made the capital of the State of Madras, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969.
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