The Architectural significance of Chennai’s historic monuments.
Our beloved Chennai, has been referred to as a “city of firsts” by historian S. Muthiah due to its pivotal role in the expansion of the British rule in India. Erstwhile Madras was the first major British settlement in India and until 1774 it was the capital of the entire British empire in the east, which stretched from India to Indonesia.
The city's Corporation, founded in 1687, was the first such governing body to be set up outside Europe. The Madras Eye Infirmary, founded in 1819, is Asia's first. The Indian Army traces its antecedents to the Madras Regiment.
The erstwhile Guindy Engineering College, now Anna University, was the first institution outside Europe to teach engineering. British law and its courts functioned for the first time in India in Madras in the mid-1600s. Even the first ever Ranji trophy cricket match was played at Chepauk!
The Chennai that we cherish today is an amalgamation of both historic and modern styles, seamlessly combining Indo-Sarcenic, Dravidian architecture, Colonial, Classical, Gothic, Romanesque and modern facades. Chennai houses a total of 2,467 heritage buildings within its metropolitan area (CMA), the highest within any Metropolitan Area limit in India (according to the Official list of heritage buildings compiled by the Justice E. Padmanabhan committee). Ranking second after Kolkata, Chennai has the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country.
Some of the iconic heritage buildings of Chennai are as follows:-
Chennai Railway station: Built in 1873 using a combination of styles mainly Gothic and Romanesque.
Southern Railway Headquarters: Year of construction 1921, architectural style influence includes Classical and Dravidian styles.
General Post Office: Built in 1884 using Indo-Saracenic architectural styles.
Guindy Engineering College, now Anna University: is an excellent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture with modern relevance and was the first university to teach Engineering outside Europe.
Mylapore Kapaleeshwarar Temple: Built in 7th Century CE by the Tuluva Dynasty using traditional Dravidian architecture.
Ripon Building: Year of construction 1913, architectural influence is that of Neo-classical style.
University of Madras: Built using Neo-classical style influence.
St. Andrew’s Church (The Kirk): Located in Egmore and built in 1821 using Georgian Church architecture.
Parthasarathy Temple: located in Triplicane and built in 8th century CE, using traditional Dravidian architecture.
Government College of Fine Arts: Built in 1850 this was the first school of fine arts in Asia.
According to Sundarji – Creative Editor of Clear Estate magazine, Chennai is a fine example where the past, present and future architectural styles combine in effervescent harmony to engineer a “City of Posterity”. It is important that we cherish and preserve these architectural marvels in the days to come as they continue to serve as living canvas of learning and exploration to the architecturally inspired.
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