Fort St. George

Fort St. George (or historically, White Town)[1] is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India.[2] The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land.[3] Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city (named Madras since before the arrival of the Europeans until July 1996) evolved around the fortress.[4] The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.

History

The East India Company (EIC), which had entered India around 1600 for trading activities, had begun licensed trading at Surat, which was its initial bastion.

The church

St. Mary's Church is the oldest Anglican church in India. It was built between 1678 and 1680 on the orders of the then Agent of Madras Streynsham Master.[11] The tombstones in its graveyard are the oldest English or British tombstones in India. This ancient prayer house solemnised the marriages of Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale, who later became the first benefactor of Yale University in the United States.

Museum

The Fort Museum, which is the only ticketed institution of the Archaeological Survey of India in the complex,[12] exhibits many items of the period of English and later British rule. This building was completed in 1795 and first housed the office of the Madras Bank. The hall upstairs was the Public Exchange Hall and served as a place for public meetings, lottery draws and occasional entertainment. These relics are reminders of British rule in India. The objects on display in the museum are the weapons, coins, medals, uniforms and other artefacts from England, Scotland, France and India dating back to the colonial period. Original letters written by Clive and Cornwallis make fascinating reading. One set of quaint period uniforms is displayed for viewing, as well. However, the pièce de resistance is a large statue of Lord Cornwallis.

The National Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayya and adopted in its present form during the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, a few days before India's independence from Britain on 15 August 1947. The first ever flag flown after the independence is stored in the third floor of the museum. The public are allowed to see but not to touch or take photographs.

The museum is mentioned in the novel The Museum of Innocence, by the Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk.

Wellesley House

The first floor of the building includes the Banqueting Hall, which holds paintings of the Governor of the Fort and other high officials of the administration. The cannons of Tipu Sultan decorate the ramparts of the museum. The 14.5 ft statue stands at the entrance near a stairway in the museum. This statue was created by Charles Bank in England to be brought to India. The pedestal of the statue is carved with a scene depicting Tipu Sultan's emissary. The house takes its name from Richard Wellesley, Governor General of India, and brother of the Duke of Wellington.

owner	Indian Army
partof	Tamil Nadu
location	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
map type	India Chennai
map size	270
type	Forts
coordinates	13.07972°N, 80.28694°W
built	1639
builder	British East India Company
height	45 m
used	Government of Tamil Nadu
condition	Good
controlledby	Government of Tamil Nadu
occupants	Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly–Secretariat

History

The church

Museum

Wellesley House

Flagstaff

Namakkal Kavignar Maligai

In recent years

Other monuments

See also

External links

References