Colonial Tamil Nadu History | British, French & European Rule

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Explore key moments from Tamil Nadu’s colonial and modern periods, covering forts, kingdoms, and resistance movements. This category highlights historical transitions under European influence, local rulers, and evolving political systems through well-documented events and figures that shaped the region’s recent past.

St. George's Cathedral is a Church of South India (previously Church of England and Anglican) cathedral in Chennai, India.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 8 – Landmarks and Legacy

The last part of this series tours landmarks not yet covered: St. George's Cathedral, the…

Lightly colorized historical photograph of the Senate House of the University of Madras, showing its Indo-Saracenic architecture with red domes, arched façade, green lawn, and trees in the foreground.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 7 – How Education Grew in the City

Madras today is known for its schools and colleges, but the story starts small, with…

Historic view of Madras beach before the construction of the harbour in 1867, showing surf boats, cargo being unloaded, workers along the shoreline, and colonial buildings lining the coast.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 6 – Madras and the Sea

For most of its history Madras had no harbour at all, and every ship, letter,…

Historic view of Government House, Madras (now Raj Bhavan, Chennai), showing the grand white colonial mansion with arched verandas and classical porticos. Several Indian and European gentlemen stand on the expansive lawn, with a horse in the foreground, while the lightly colorized scene preserves the appearance of a vintage hand-tinted photograph.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 5 – Life in the City

Government House began life as a private garden retreat, bought almost by accident by Governor…

Historic hand-coloured illustration of St. Mary's Church, Fort St. George, Madras (Chennai), featuring the church's tall steeple, Gothic-inspired architecture, colonial buildings, British soldiers, and a horse-drawn carriage in the foreground.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 4 – Faith in the Fort City

Long before it had a church of its own, Madras relied on borrowed chapels and…

Colorized and enhanced historic photograph of Chepauk Palace in Madras (now Chennai), showing the magnificent Indo-Saracenic palace complex with its distinctive central tower, twin minarets, long arcaded façade, landscaped gardens, and open lawns in the foreground under a bright blue sky.

Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 3 – New Territory and the Nawab’s Palace

Madras did not stay confined to its fort and two towns for long. This part…

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Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 2 – White Town, Black Town, and the Wall

As Fort St. George filled up, a town grew around it, split into White Town…

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Colonial Tamil Nadu

The Story of Madras Part 1 – From Fishing Village to Fort St. George

Three hundred years ago, Madras was a scatter of fishing villages on the Coromandel Coast.…

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