Campaign to save 300-year-old plaque

Historian R Venkatesh said that an older bridge built by Uscan, an influential Armenian trader in the city, existed before the Marmalong Bridge came along. “Uscan built this bridge at a cost of 30,000 pagodas in 1726, and a stairway of 160 steps up to St Thomas Mount, making the holy shrine accessible. The bridge was named after Mambalam, a village near Saidapet. By doing this, he created the need for a road to be built, which led to the emergence of Mount Road, around which Madras city developed,” said the historian, who, along with other heritage lovers in the city, has been pushing for the retrieval and protection of the relic, with a dedicated Facebook page dedicated to the cause.

Today, the plaque, also known as the Uscan Stone with inscriptions in Persian, Armenian and Latin, lies buried, even as a white fence, constructed by CMRL, encircles it. A few yards away from the stone, it’s (construction) work as usual. “The Uscan stone has been neglected – the lower part of the stone has been buried underground with the road level rising over the years. Now, the metro rail work further threatens its existence,” said Venkatesh, adding that the metro rail should give it a place of pride in the St Thomas Mount Metro Station nearby. 

Highlighting the importance of saving this historical relic, Venkatesh pointed out, “This is important to local history, as Armenians played a key role in the flourishing of Madras city. We need to preserve these structures. While the Uscan stone languishes, another plaque at the Fourbeck bridge in Saidapet – is protected by Archaeological Survey of India!” 

Speaking to DT Next, VK Singh, Chief General Manager, CMRL, said that no heritage buildings have been affected by the ongoing metro rail work. “The works we are doing are nowhere close to heritage buildings. In rare instances where we come across a relic of historical value, we let it remain in its original location,” he concluded.