Known as the “Gateway of South India”, Chennai is positioned in Tamil Nadu in South India and is without doubt one of the largest cities within the nation. Beforehand referred to as Madras, Chennai is the largest cultural and financial centre in southern India. It’s the nation’s greatest automotive manufacturing hub which is the way it received its nickname The Detroit of India. So, whether or not you’re planning a visit or are simply curious to study extra, listed here are a number of the most attention-grabbing info about Chennai.
7 Fascinating Details about Chennai
1. Chennai is without doubt one of the largest cities in India
Chennai is the capital metropolis of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The metropolitan space of Chennai has an estimated inhabitants of 11,981,478 (as of 2022). In keeping with the UN Mega Cities 2016 report, Chennai is ranked at No. 30 in essentially the most populous city agglomerations on the planet. It’s India’s fourth-largest metropolis after Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
2. Many kingdoms have dominated over Chennai
Chennai has been an necessary administrative, navy and financial centre because the 1st-century. All through its lengthy historical past, many South Indian kingdoms, as an illustration, the Pallava Dynasty, the Chola Dynasty, the Pandya Dynasty and Vijayanagara Empire, have dominated over the realm. In 1522, the Portuguese first arrived within the space and constructed a port referred to as São Tomé. Then, in 1612, the Dutch arrived and settled close to Pulicat which is simply north of Chennai. Then, in 1639, Francis Day of the East India Firm leased a strip of land within the small fishing village of Madraspatnam. A 12 months later, the East India Firm constructed Fort St. George, which was the primary main English settlement in India.
3. Madras was the unique identify of Chennai
Chennai was as soon as a fishing village referred to as Madraspatnam. The British then shorted the identify to Madras. Madras was the capital of the Madras Presidency which was established in 1652 and dissolved in 1947. It then grew to become the capital metropolis of the Madras State which existed from 1950 till 1968. In 1968, officers renamed Madras State to Tamil Nadu. In 1996, officers modified the town’s identify from Madras to Chennai. In the present day, Chennai is the capital metropolis of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
4. Madras Excessive Court docket is without doubt one of the largest on the planet
The Madras Excessive Court docket Bench at Madurai sits at Chennai and has jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu. The Court docket campus covers a large 107 acres and is the second-largest court docket advanced on the planet after the Supreme Court docket of the UK in London. The Madras Excessive Court docket campus has a four-storey administrative constructing and 12 court docket halls.
5. Chennai was attacked throughout WWI
In 1914, the Germans attacked Madras Metropolis. It was the one metropolis in India to be attacked throughout World Battle One. A German gentle cruiser shelled an oil depot because it raided delivery lanes within the Bay of Bengal. This brought on a significant disruption to delivery.
6. Chennai has one of many world’s longest city seashores
Marina Seashore in Chennai alongside the Bay of Bengal is a pure sandy city seaside. With a size of 13km (8 miles), together with a 6km (3.7-mile) promenade, and a complete width of 437 metres (1,434 ft) it’s the longest pure city seaside in India and the second-longest pure city seaside on the planet.
7. Chennai is the Detroit of India
As of 2020, India is the world’s fifth-largest producer of cars by way of quantity and worth. Chennai is a significant hub of vehicle manufacturing which has earned it the nickname “The Detriot of India”. Main automotive producers in Chennai embrace Ashok Leyland, Renault, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Yamaha, BMW, Hindustan Motors, Daimler, TAFE Tractors, Ford, and Royal Enfield. The town additionally has a Heavy Automobiles manufacturing unit that manufactures military-related autos and plenty of tyre manufacturing factories too. Chennai accounts for 60 per cent of the nation’s automotive exports.
