A presentation explaining the Evolution of Chennai & Bangalore over time.

1. Evolution of
Chennai &
Bangalore over
time…
Abby Varghese
2nd M.Sc. Geography
Department of Geography
Central University of Tamil Nadu

2. Chennai

3. Chennai Today
– Capital of TN
– One of the biggest cultural, economic and educational centers in South India
– Sixth-largest city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in India
– 36th-largest urban area by population in the world
– Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India
– Attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic
health tourists.
– Chennai city is governed by the Greater Chennai Corporation, which was established
in 1688. It is the oldest surviving municipal corporation in India and the second
oldest surviving corporation in the world.

4. Evolution of Fort St.
George

7. History
Chennai
– Stone age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and
pre-historic communities resided in the settlement.
– The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic
center for many centuries.
– From the 1st–12th century the region of present Tamil Nadu and parts of South India was
ruled by the Cholas.
– The Pallavas of Kanchi built the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram during the reign of
Mahendravarman I. They also defeated several kingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and
Pandyas who ruled over the area before their arrival.
– The Portuguese first arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian
apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In
1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, north of Chennai.

8. History
Chennai
– On 20 August 1639 Francis Day of the East India Company along with the Nayak
of Kalahasti Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, travelled to the Chandragiri palace
for an audience with the Vijayanager Emperor Peda Venkata Raya.
– Along with Andrew Cogan, he is regarded as the founder of Madras.
Day was seeking to obtain a grant for land on the Coromandel coast on which
the Company could build a factory and warehouse for their trading activities
and was successful in obtaining the lease of a strip of land about six miles long
and one mile inland in return for a yearly sum of five hundred lakh pagodas.
– The region was then primarily a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam"

9. History
Fort St. George
– A year later, the Company built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India,
which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai, grew around this
Fort.
– Gradually, the city grew into a major naval base and became the central administrative center
for the British in South India.
– Chennai had weavers who produced the essential export commodity called chintz (calico
cotton) which was essential for the survival of the city. The weavers also preferred the greater
security of the city.
– In Madras this segregation was formalized with the construction of a wall in 1661. Apart from
economic incentive the other consideration behind building these cities was defense.
Therefore, most important architectural feature of these cities was defense. These cities were
surrounded by hostile local population on one hand and European rivals on the other.

10. History
Fort St.George
– With the advent of gunpowder, the design of fortification completely underwent
innovative changes. The system of fortification was brought from Britain. The work
on Fort St. George in Madras begun in 1640. But the defense system was
unplanned in the port cities. Lying between two bays it was not conducive for
withstanding sustained attack.
– Building port city on coast makes economic sense but even more than that it makes
sense in terms of defense. It is interesting to note that the chief danger was from
the land than the sea and therefore it always had the strongest defense towards
land.
– The fort was strengthened and enlarged; the ‘Black Town’ was demolished to
create an esplanade. Thereby an unobstructed defensive zone was created on the
inland side.

11. Planning of CMA
– The First Master Plan laid down policies and programmes for overall development of CMA
taking long-term view of the requirements. It dealt with distribution of future population in
various parts of CMA, policies for economic growth and future location of economic activities,
future physical developments, circulation pattern, programmes for Traffic and Transportation,
developments of land use zoning, requirements of urban infrastructures for the future
population, policies and programmes for sectoral developments and development control
regulations.
– The Second Master Plan for CMA – 2026 has brought out Development Regulations for all
developments within the CMA which is a positive sign to attract development in the slow and
medium growth settlements. Urban Land use regulation under Master Plan for CMA, 1975:
The land use plan was enforced through a set of regulations under Development Control
Rules, which formed part of the master plan. Any person intending to make any development
is required to apply under Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, and obtain
Planning Permission.

12. Bangalore

13. Bangalore Today
– Capital of the Indian state of Karnataka
– Third most populous city and fifth most populous urban agglomeration in India
– Its elevation is over 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level, the highest of India's
major cities.
– Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of India because of its
role as the nation's leading information technology (IT) exporter.

14. History
– South Indian dynasties, the Western Gangas, the Cholas and the Hoysalas, ruled the
present region of Bangalore until in 1537 CE, Kempé Gowdā – a feudal ruler under
the Vijayanagara Empire – established a mud fort considered to be the foundation
of modern Bangalore.
– In 1638, the Marāthās conquered and ruled Bangalore for almost 50 years, after
which the Mughals captured and sold the city to the Mysore Kingdom of
the Wadiyar dynasty.
– It was captured by the British after victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799),
who returned administrative control of the city to the Maharaja of Mysore.
– The old city developed in the dominions of the Maharaja of Mysore and was made
capital of the Princely State of Mysore, which existed as a nominally sovereign entity
of the British Raj.

15. History
– In 1809, the British shifted their cantonment to Bangalore, outside the old city,
and a town grew up around it, which was governed as part of British India.
A discovery of Stone Age artefacts during the 2001 census of India at Jalahalli,
Sidhapura and Jadigenahalli, all of which are located on Bangalore's outskirts
today, suggest probable human settlement around 4,000 BCE

16. Bangalore in 1791

18. Five Concentric Belts
– 1st Belt - The core area consisting of the historic Petta, the Administrative
Centre and the Central Business District;
– 2nd Belt - Peri-central area with older planned residential areas surrounding the
core area;
– 3rd Belt - Extensions (2003) of the City flanking both sides of the Outer Ring
Road, a portion of which lacks services and infrastructure facilities and is
termed as a shadow area;
– 4th Belt - New layouts with some vacant lots and agricultural lands; and
– 5th Belt - Green belt and agricultural area in the City's outskirts including small
villages.