CHENNAI: Within the borders of the city and on its outskirts, there are several structures that are over 500 years old. For instance, Triplicane’s Parthasarathy Temple dates back to the 8th century, the Luz Church in Mylapore can be traced back to the 16th century…
As we celebrate the 382nd year of Madras, we should also look back and ask this question – what was Madras like, before the advent of the East India Company?” shared historian and researcher Uraiyur Sivagnanam Balasubramani aka Orissa Balu, addressing a virtual audience, as part of DakshinaChitra Museum’s Madras month celebrations, on Sunday.
Even before the arrival of the British, the city, which was part of the ancient Tondaimandalam province, was an important centre for arts, administration, trade and military. “From being reigned by the Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas, Vijayanagara rulers to subsequent settlements by the Portuguese and Dutch, the region has a recorded history spanning several centuries,” he noted.
Discussing the prehistoric findings, which can be found in the region, he pointed to one of the important discoveries made by British geologist and archaeologist Robert Bruce Foote of Palaeolithic hand-axes in Pallavaram in 1863. “It revolutionised India’s pre-history and put us on the map. The stone-age artefacts discovered by Robert Foote and his subsequent discoveries established the science of pre-history in India. The discovery of this Paleolithic collection came to be called the ‘Madras stone axe factory’ in archaeological literature across the world. Several places in the city, including those along the Adyar and Cooum rivers, are steeped in history,” he shared.
From ancient trade and spice routes of the region, now defunct and vanished ports, the state of estuaries, ancient literature, lost civilizations to research on sunken lands — in the 40-minute talk, Balu took us on a journey dating back to the prehistoric times. “In the last 300-odd years, the city has undergone several changes. We have multiple settlements – urban, semi-urban and rural. While we celebrate its origins and what it has to offer, we must also ensure to rewind and remember. The East India Company did not create this city on a no man’s land, or one that lacked resources or culture,” he concluded.