Chennai
is the Capital of the State Tamil Nadu and is India's Fourth
Largest Metropolitan City. It is located on the Coromandel
Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an Estimated Population of
7.06 Million (2007), the 368-Year-Old City is the 34th Largest
Metropolitan Area in the World.
Chennai
is the Third Largest commercial and Industrial centre in India,
and is known for its Cultural Heritage and temple architecture.
It is also a hub for South Indian Classical music and Dance
Performances. Chennai is considered the Automobile Capital
of India, with a major percentage of the automobile industry
having a base here and a major portion of the nation's vehicles
being produced here. This has led to Chennai being referred
to as the Detroit of South Asia. It has also become a major
centre for outsourced jobs from the West. The 12-kilometre
long Marina Beach forms the city's east coast.
The name Madras is derived from Madraspatnam, the site chosen
by the British East India Company for a permanent settlement
in 1639. Another small town, Chennapatnam, lay to the south
of it. In due course the two towns were merged, and the term
Madras was favoured by the British. However, locals used to
refer to it as Chennapatnam or Chennapuri. The city was renamed
Chennai in August, 1996 as the name Madras was perceived to
be of Portuguese origin. Another (unproven) theory is that
Chennapattinam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal temple
which later on became Chennai. One more theory suggests that
Chennai is derived from the name of the original owner of
the land Chinnappa Naicker. He is said to have sold his land
to the East India Company to set up a base for the Madras
Presidency Yet another theory suggests that the name Madras
might have been due to the type of cloth called Madras which
was produced widely here.
Chennai
city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, which consists
of a Mayor and 155 Councillors representing the 155 Wards
(all directly elected by the city residents), one of whom
is elected by the other Councillors as a Mayor and Deputy
Mayor. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor preside over about 10 Standing
Committees. The Corporation takes care of the civic functions
of the metropolis.
The
metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are
part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger
suburbs are goverened by town municipalities while the smaller
ones are governed by town councils called panchayats.
Chennai
being the Capital of Tamil Nadu houses the executive and legislative
headquarters of the government of Tamil Nadu. They are primarily
housed in the Secretariat Buildings, part of the Fort St George
campus as well as many other buildings scattered around the
city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry is the highest judicial authority
in the state and is located in the city. |