A ceremony called Madras Day/ Chennai Day is held to honor the establishment of the city of Madras in Tamil Nadu, India. Every year on August 22, it is commemorated on that day, in 1639, Andrew Cogan and Francis Day of the East India Company bought the village of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, viceroy of the Vijayanagar Empire.
At a 2004 meeting of the trustees of the Chennai Heritage foundation, journalist Vincent D'Souza of Chennai first proposed the notion of a Madras Day to historian S. Muthiah. Since then, Madras Day celebrations have been organized annually without fail, with quizzes, talks, screenings of movies, and exhibitions among the attractions.
Let's see some facts about Chennai:
1. Royapuram, a neighborhood in Chennai, is home to Royapuram Railway Station. It opened for business in 1856 and is currently India's oldest operating railway station.
2. On a stretch of land that Francis Day of the East India Company was able to acquire in the year 1639, a place known as Madraspatnam, the first British settlement, Fort St. George, was built. A fishing community existed in this area.
3. A German light cruiser assaulted an oil storage in Madras city, the only one in India to be targeted during World War I, which significantly disrupted shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.
4. In 2011, Chennai's city limits nearly doubled, leading to the name Chennai Municipal Corporation being renamed to Greater Chennai Corporation. Additionally, as a result of this, there was a rise in population, which Census 2011 estimates to be close to 7.1 million.
5. Tamil is the language that Chennai inhabitants use the most, followed by Telegu, Urdu, Malayalam, and a number of other languages. The bulk of white-collar workers are English-speakers. Numerous other languages are spoken in Chennai as a result of the thousands of foreign residents who call the city home.
6. The Madras Music Season, one of the most important cultural events in the world, is held annually in Chennai, India.
7. Bharatnatyam, the oldest Indian classical dance, was also created in Chennai. An significant cultural institute known as Kalakshetra is situated in Chennai and is devoted exclusively to the teaching of Bharatnatyam, Gandharvaveda music, and different Indian arts and crafts.
8. The city is traversed by three significant rivers: the Cooum, Adyar, and Kosasthalaiyar rivers.
9. Chennai is regarded as India's automobile powerhouse; the city produces over 40% of the nation's automobiles.
10. George Town, also known as the "Black Town of Portuguese," is a highly famous location to find buildings from the colonial era. Notable buildings there include the Madras High Court Building, the Armenian Church, and Fort St. George.
11. One of the world's oldest banyan trees, the Great Banyan Tree in Chennai's Theosophical Society, is said to be older than the city itself.
12. Thiruvalluvar, a famous poet and philosopher, is remembered by the Valluvar Kottam monument in Chennai. The monument is made up of a chariot on which is mounted a life-size figure of Thiruvalluvar, and the murals are all written at the bottom of the chariot.
13. The second-largest courthouse in the world is the Madras High Court edifice. The structure in London holds down the top spot.
14. Chennai is home to India's oldest municipal corporation that is still in operation. It was officially opened in 1688.
15. The first zoo in India and one of the biggest in South Asia was the Vandalur Zoo in Chennai.
16. In South Asia, Chennai has one of the top three two-wheeler populations.
17. One of the oldest stadiums in India is the M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, built in 1916.
18. Just a few years ago, the Cooum River served as a means of transportation.
19. The oldest Anglican church in India is St. Mary's Church, which was built on Fort St. George's grounds in 1678.
20. Higginbothams Book Store, which was established in 1844 and is located on Mount Road in Chennai, is the country's oldest operating bookstore. As soon as you enter the store, a deliciously warm and musty aroma fills the air, sending book lovers down memory lane.
21. Sri Parthasarathy Temple, constructed in the eighth century by the Pallavas. The Lord Krishna was honoured in the temple. It features a lot of Lord Vishnu imagery.
22. When a traveller hears the name Chennai, Marina Beach comes to mind. The second-longest natural urban beach in the world is this 13 km-long one. Furthermore, it is the only city in India having a lighthouse located inside the city borders. One of the largest cloverleaf interchanges in Asia is the Kathipara Flyover in Chennai's Guindy.
23. The founding of the "Madras Bank" in 1683 marked the beginning of India's first banking system in the manner of Europe.
24. Kalikambal was revered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Chennai Kalikambal Temple.
25. After waiting their turn for a while, the Dutch made themselves a home close to Pulicat (Pazhaverkadu)
26. The Fort Museum in Fort St. George houses the first proud tricolour flag of Independent India.
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