Wed Sep 03 01:30:00 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Madras or Chennai? A Deep Dive into the City’s Namesake History**
Chennai, India – September 3, 2025 – For decades, the history behind the names Madras and Chennai has been debated and confused. A new article published in The Hindu by writer and historian V. Sriram aims to finally clarify the origins of these iconic names.
Sriram’s research, drawing from historical documents like Venkatadri Nayak’s land grant of 1639 and H.D. Love’s “Vestiges of Old Madras,” traces the evolution of the city’s identity. He begins with the first recorded name, Madraspatnam, mentioned in the 1639 land grant. This indicated the existence of a pre-existing port village.
In 1645, a grant from Raja Sriranga Raya refers to “Zera Renga Rayapatam,” seemingly suggesting a new fort (Fort St. George) named after the ruler. However, the name Chennapatnam remains absent until later. H.D. Love suggests it was initially the name of the land where Fort St. George was built, with Madraspatnam located to the north.
Confusion arises in 1646 with a donation to the Chennakesava Perumal Temple, located in Old Black Town, which places the temple in Chennapattanam. By 1672, Golconda’s Neknam Khan’s grant demarcates the “Fort and Town of Chinapatam” separately from “Madrassapatam,” suggesting the fort and Black Town were considered part of Chennapatnam.
An 1802 Maratha manuscript further complicates matters, dividing the town into Madras Coopom (site of the fort), Chennaik Coopom (villages of Muthialpet and Pagdalpet), Arkoopom (Cooum’s mouth), and Maleput. According to the manuscript the fort was on Madras Coopom and the villages were located in Chennaik Coopom.
Sriram concludes that the 1802 manuscript reversed earlier theories, attributing Madras to the fort and Chennai to the town. This historical reversal, according to the author, became the basis for the later narrative that Madras was English, while Chennai was Tamil (or Telugu), and justified the renaming of the city. The article serves as a valuable resource for understanding the complex and often contradictory history behind Chennai’s dual identity.
First Piper 