The Anglo Indians of Chennai

By -
What is the similarity between Perambur of North Chennai and Pallavaram of South Chennai? You can find Anglo Indians (though very few in number nowadays). Who are Anglo Indians? A child born to a European man and an Indian woman is considered an Anglo Indian. (Of course, the descendants of these original Anglo Indians are also Anglo Indians). Chennai is one of the earliest settlements of Anglo Indians. In fact, the Anglo Indians were there in Chennai even before the word "Anglo Indian" was officially recognized by the then Viceroy of India, Charles Hardinge, in 1911 CE.

The Anglo-Indians migrated to European countries, and only a few people (mostly senior citizens) still live in India. Chennai is one major city where quite some Anglo Indians are still found. Besides Perambur and Pallavaram, they are also found in a few other areas, such as Madhavaram, St. Thomas Mount, Ayanavaram, Vepery and Purasawakkam.

As mentioned earlier, the number of Anglo Indians living in Chennai is much less. Only a few among those few people live in traditional Anglo-Indian homes. The designs of such homes are unique and look interesting. Some of those lovely 150-200 years old houses are still found in the calm and serene Veteran Lines of Pallavaram.

The architectural style of the traditional Anglo-Indian houses includes saddleback roofs and arched windows. Even a spacious garden is found on the front side if it is a big house. The Britishers designed Veteran Lines as the residential area for retired military men. However, it was entirely occupied by the Anglo-Indians later. Even after independence, till the 1960s, almost every house in this area was occupied by the Anglo Indians. Unfortunately, there is a significant drop in Anglo Indian population and their traditional homes.

We could also find four neglected structures in a corner of this area. These dilapidated buildings are believed to have served as clubhouses for the Anglo-Indian community. They were constructed in the 1930s.

Happy travelling.






Location: Veteran Lines, Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600016, India

Comments

  1. BadriSunday, May 21, 2017

    I remember both Perambur and Pallavaram filled with Anglo Indians in the early 1960s. Most of them were railway employees. A few Anglo Indians studied with me in Pacchiayappas college.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimishamba temple located in Chennai. Nimishamba is anothe
Read more

A 17th century Dargah with healing power - Mount Road Dargah, Chennai, India

By -
Image
Mount Road or Anna Salai is one of the most happening places in  Chennai . There are two famous Islamic shrines on Mount Road – one is  Thousands Light mosque . The other one is Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi (Rahmatullah Alaihi), also known as Mount Road Dargah. It is the most popular Dargah across the city. It draws devotees of all faiths and all walks of life. Especially every Thursday, a large number of devotees gather to the Dargah. A lot of city-based celebrities regularly visit the site. This Dargah is the shrine of a Muslim Saint named Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi. He was also known as Rahmatullah Alaihi. Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi arrived from Baghdad in the middle of the 17th Century CE. He made Chennai his home and lived here. It is believed that he had healing powers. During his time, he had so many devotees regularly visiting him. After his demise, his family buried him next to his house, which is the current Dargah. You can easily lo
Read more