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Chennai
Chennai , formerly Madras , city (1991 pop. 5,421,985), capital of Tamil Nadu state, SE India, on the Bay of Bengal. A commercial, railway, and manufacturing center, Chennai has large textile mills, chemical plants, and tanneries and is the main center of India's automobile industry. Providing offshore and back-office services to foreign corporations is also an important industry. Together with docks and warehouses, its harbor provides modern transportation linkages to peninsular India. A cultural center, the city is the seat of the Univ. of Madras (1857), institutes of dance and music, and a number of museums. There are many large public buildings; a famous shore drive, the Marina; and Guindy National Park. Near Chennai is Mt. St. Thomas, the traditional site of the martyrdom (AD 68) of St. Thomas , the apostle. He is said to be buried in Chennai at the Cathedral of St. Thomé.
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"Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Chennai.html "Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Chennai.html |
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Chennai
Chennai, Tamil Nādu/India Fort St George, Chinnepatan, Machilipatnam, Masalia, Madraspatnam/Madraspattanam, Madras Founded by the English East India Company as a trading post whose fortification was begun on St George's Day, 23 April 1640; hence its name Fort St George. In due course this expanded to include surrounding villages, one of which was the fishing village of Madraspatnam, also called Black Town to indicate that that was where the Indians lived. They called it Chinnepatan. The British adopted a shortened version of Madraspatnam, the Sanskrit patnam or pattanam simply meaning ‘town’. There are several theories as to the origin of the name Madras. It may be derived from the Sanskrit mandarāstra ‘Kingdom of Manda’ from the name of a god of the underworld and rāstra ‘kingdom’; or from the local Muslim religious schools, the Arabic madrasa; or from the Tamil madhu‐ras ‘honey’. A highly unlikely theory is that it comes from the name of a Christian fisherman called Madarasen. In 1652 Madras was designated a Presidency—the first of three centres of the Company's trade and administration with its own governor (the others were Bombay and Calcutta). Since 1997 the city has been officially known by its Tamil name, Chennai, although this name is not of Tamil origin. It comes from Chennappa Naicker, the Telugu‐speaking Raja of Chandragiri, who granted the British the right to trade along the coast.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Chennai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Chennai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Chennai.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Chennai." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Chennai.html |
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Chennai
Chennai (formerly Madras) City in se India, on the Bay of Bengal; capital of Tamil Nadu state. India's second-largest port and fourth-largest city, Chennai was founded in 1639 as a British trading post. As Fort St. George, it became the seat of the East India Company and rapidly developed as a commercial centre. It was occupied by the French in 1746, but returned to Britain in 1748. The harbour was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. Industries: textiles, Tamil films, railroad stock, transport equipment. Pop. (2001) 4,216,268.
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"Chennai." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Chennai." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Chennai.html "Chennai." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Chennai.html |
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Chennai
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Cite this article
"Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Chennai.html "Chennai." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Chennai.html |
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