How Mambalam became Maraimalai Adigal?

How many of you are aware that the bridge spanning the Adyar River, connecting the Guindy and Saidapet areas of Chennai, carries a fascinating historical legacy? This article delves into the history of this bridge, known as Maraimalai Adigal Bridge.

During the British colonial era in India, it's well-known that the British struggled to pronounce and transcribe many Indian names accurately. They transformed Tiruvallikkeni into Triplicane, Tiruvanathapuram into Trivandrum, and the list goes on. Similarly, when faced with the village name "Mambalam," their pronunciation and spelling adaptations ranged from Marmalong to Marmalon or Mamelon, but the original name, Mambalam, was seldom used. Before we delve further into the bridge's history, let's explore the background of Mambalam.

Today, if you disembark at Mambalam suburban station, you find yourself in the bustling and upscale T. Nagar area, a thriving part of Chennai. However, historically, this area was an integral part of Mambalam village. The present-day T. Nagar and West Mambalam were collectively known as Mambalam village in times past. Mambalam was noteworthy for its substantial Mambalam Lake, although today, sadly, there's no trace of the lake, only a poignant reminder in the form of Lake View Road.

The first bridge ever constructed over the Adyar River was named the Marmalong Bridge, after this village. Curiously, this bridge was situated not in Mambalam village itself but in the adjacent Saidapet village. The reason for naming the bridge after the neighboring village rather than its own remains a mystery.

It's worth noting that this bridge wasn't commissioned by the British Government but by a wealthy merchant. Coja Petrus Uscan, a member of the Armenian community, was a prosperous individual known for his loyalty to the British and his leadership within the Madras Armenian community. He arrived in Madras in 1723 CE, and three years later, in 1726 CE, he financed the construction of the Marmalong Bridge, at a cost of one lakh rupees.

In those days, the river was referred to as the Mylapore River by the British. The Marmalong Bridge, crossing the Mylapore River, stretched 365 meters in length and featured 29 arches of varying sizes.

Regrettably, the original bridge no longer stands today. Only a marble plaque remains as evidence of its existence, featuring inscriptions in three languages: Persian, Latin, and Armenian.

In 1966 CE, a new bridge replaced the original one, intriguingly christened the Maraimalai Adigal Bridge, in honor of a distinguished Tamil writer. (Interestingly, the plaque near the bridge, dating back to 1966 CE, still refers to it as the Marmalong Bridge.)

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the British who misspelled "Maraimalai" as "Marmalong"; instead, it was the other way around. "Marmalong" evolved into "Maraimalai."

Wishing you enriching travels as you uncover these intriguing historical narratives!

Happy travelling.