The Historical Memorial Hall: A Testament to the First War of Indian Independence in Old Madras

Old Madras or the Original Madras never ceases to surprise you. Every nook and corner has a heritage structure or a historic place. Unfortunately, only a few people realize their importance and observe them with an appreciative mindset. 

Amidst the chaotic lorries and vans parked haphazardly in the congested George Town, this magnificent structure stands as a thing of beauty. The frieze on the structure is inscribed with the bold-lettered message, "The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us," taken from Psalm 115-12, which is a book from the Hebrew Bible called Ketuvim and a book of the Old Testament. The triangular pediment on the top of the structure identifies it as Memorial Hall, built in 1857.

The British erected the hall to commemorate the escape of South India from the horrors of the First War of Indian Independence, known as the Sepoy Mutiny by the Britishers. Colonel George Winscom was the original architect, and the design is said to have been modified later by Colonel Horsley. Despite being inscribed as 1857 on the pediment, the hall was actually completed in 1860.

The structure was built in the classical style with Greek influences and shares similarities with the Theseum in Athens, Greece. A grand flight of stone steps leads to a vast portico, supported by impressive high-raised ionic pillars. At the back, there is a large rectangular hall with numerous ionic pillars. The length of the hall is adorned with a row of arched windows with intricate moldings, as well as a row of smaller arched clearstory windows.

The plinth includes a cellar with several rooms used for storage by the adjacent Bible Society of India. The terrace-like open-to-sky area surrounding the structure is an exceptional architectural feature of the building.

Happy travelling.