The New Indian Express 15.08.2009

Structures from the Raj

Pic: P Jawahar

CHENNAI: For many centuries, the English were busy scrambling nations to form the Great British Empire. Nevertheless, they also gave countries like India a magnificent cityscape. Leaving their rich architectural imprints in Chennai, the British have given the city its most important landmarks today. From the elegant Ripon Building to the mammoth judicial tower, the High Court, Chennai is resplendent with a rich colonial legacy.

Though the architecture in Chennai is a confluence of different styles, the Indo-Saracenic style defines and captures the essence of the city. Developed and pioneered here, it is considered to be a mixture of Hindu, Islamic and the Victorian Gothic revival styles. When the British landed in this port town, little did they know that they had laid the foundation of India’s fifth most populous city at Fort St. George. Built in 1639, the Fort is where the city was born and now, it houses Chennai’s seat of power - the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat. The colonial legacy is most visible in the vicinity of Chennai port. Dotted with several clubs that date back to the British era and home to the sprawling High Court buildings, it now is a busy commercial centre. From government houses to churches, from colleges to stadiums and from railway stations to business establishments, Chennai is a showcase of the vintage British architectural style.

“Chennai as a city is less than 40 years old. Its landscape is interspersed with a lot of British structures. Take away these structures and you are left with a city without character,” says Suresh, convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

He says that INTACH has documented only hundred odd such structures but there are thousands waiting to be rediscovered. “From the clock towers to the lamp posts, British structures are present in every nook and corner. Chennai can never be disassociated with its British past,” says Suresh.