Madras Day 2022: These iconic buildings are a treat for the eyes!

CHENNAI: Chennai celebrates its birthday today by turning 383 yeras old! Apart from being the capital city of the Tamilnadu, the city has several historical place of importance. Madras Day focuses on the city, its history, its past and its present. It was on this day (August 22) in 1639 that the purchase of Madrasapatnam was made by the East India Company, thus setting the ball rolling in the making of a renowned city that it is today.

The city owns about 2,467 heritage buildings and most of them are 200 years old. Some of which include Egmore museum, Ripon Building, Madras High court, LIC Building, St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Theosophical Society and Chennai harbour.

Here is a list of buildings that one needs to check out while they are in Chennai:

Egmore museum:

The Government Museum in Chennai aka popularly now known as Egmore Museum or Madras Museum was established in 1851. It has approximately 1,100 geological specimens and is said to be India’s second oldest museum (after Kolkata’s Indian Museum). Spread over an area of 16.25 acres, the campus comprises six separate buildings, namely National Art Gallery, Children’s Museum, Contemporary Art Gallery, Bronze Gallery, Front Building and Main Building.

The Ripon Building:

The Ripon Building is the headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is an example of neoclassical architecture, a combination of Ionic and Corinthian styles. The Ripon Building is an all-white structure and is located located adjacent to the Chennai Central Railway Station. Inaugurated in 1909, the building was designed by GTS Harris and was named after Lord Ripon, Governor-General of British India. The foundation stone for the building was laid by Lord Minto, Viceroy of India, on December 11, 1909 and it took four years to build and costed ₹750,000.

The Madras High Court:

The Madras High Court complex has the largest number of courts in Asia. Construction of this majestic building began in 1888 under JW Brassington and the buildings were completed in 1892. The architect, Henry Irwin, is a prominent figure and has engineered well-known colonial-era buildings in Chennai. Its red brick buildings, colonnaded halls and shaded avenues were raised at the turn of the 19th Century when the Presidency towns of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were issued patents by Queen Victoria to establish High Courts. Apart from resounding to landmark judgments, the Madras High Court’s Saracenic buildings have survived a shelling by a German ship during the First World War, still house the city’s old lighthouse and have their own Postal Index Number.

LIC Building:

The 15-storied building in Chennai, LIC is serving as the southern headquarters of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. It is the first skyscraper built in Chennai and is now an important landmark in the city. Located on the Anna Salai, the building is 54 m (177 ft) tall. The construction was completed in the year 1959, and the building was unveiled on 23 August the same year by the then-Union Finance Minister Morarji Desai. The completed office building was to become the zonal and Madras divisional office of Life Insurance Corporation of India. When it was completed in 1959 it surpassed by Mumbai's first skyscraper, the Usha Kiran Building. It was initially built with 12 floors and it was the tallest building in India upon completion. Two additional floors were added following a refurbishment of the building after a fire damaged the building in 1975.

St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica:

The Santhome Church was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese explorers. Much later in 1956, it was honored by Pope Pius XII as a cathedral. The church building we see today is the one that British made on the ruins of the previous church in the 19th century. This cathedral has a Neo-Gothic style of architecture. The 183 ft spire that you will definitely notice while at the site was built in 1894. There is a museum adjacent to the cathedral, and it houses several artifacts related to St. Thomas, after whom this place has been named.

Theosophical Society:

Founded in 1875, the Theosophical Society at Adyar aims at promoting brotherhood, universally. The brainchild behind the formation of this society was Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Henry S Olcott. Its sprawling campus of approximately 108 acres, situated towards the south of the Adyar River, comprises tree-lined paths and flower gardens. However, the main attractions of this place are the shrines belonging to Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Zoroastrians and Muslims. The complex also has a large library, where you will find a great collection of books on philosophy and religion. Another attraction at the site is the 450-year old Banyan Tree.