Chennai's history traces back long before the colonial era. The region around modern-day Chennai was ruled by a succession of powerful South Indian kingdoms, including the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas, and the Vijayanagara Empire. The town of Mylapore, now a central neighborhood, was an important port for the Pallava Kingdom and is mentioned by the Greco-Roman geographer Ptolemy.
The modern city's founding is traditionally dated to August 22, 1639, when British East India Company representatives Francis Day and Andrew Cogan purchased a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the local Nayak rulers. Here, they built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India, which catalyzed the growth of a new town called Madrasapatnam (later abbreviated to Madras).
During the 18th century, Madras saw fierce competition between the British and the French, including a brief French occupation. Eventually, the British established the Madras Presidency, encompassing much of southern India, with Madras as its capital. The city became a major naval base and commercial hub, developing extensive railway and harbour infrastructure in the 19th century.
Madras played a prominent role in the Indian independence movement, hosting the third session of the Indian National Congress in 1887. Following India's independence in 1947, Madras became the capital of the newly formed Madras State, which was later renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969. In 1996, the state government officially changed the city's name from Madras to Chennai to reflect its historical and native Tamil linguistic roots. Today, it stands as a testament to post-independence industrial and technological growth.
