K. Marimuthu

History of Madras Port (1881-1947): Inception, Organization, Growth and Development K. Marimuthu

Madras City, founded in the mid-seventeenth century, was the earliest colonial port city established by the British in India. Like the other port cities of Asia, which were the creation of European powers, Madras functioned primarily as a base for overseas trade. However, by the middle of the century, Madras City, with its own hinterland, functioned as the capital for the whole of South India. The more the harbour grew, more the trade and prosperity returned, and for this reason the history of the Port is a vital part of the history of Madras and also the Presidency for more than three hundred and sixty years.what made the British to turn a fishing village called Chennapatnam into the metropolis of Madras? What is the reason for Chennai to be one of the four largest cities in the country? Any idea about why Chennai became the capital of Tamil Nadu? The only answer for all the above questions is the sea port, which helped history to dock in. In this context, this book tries to trace the emergence and evolution of the Madras Port in a historical perspective under the title ?History of Madras Port (1881-1947)".