Adyar, Chennai

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Adyar
Adayar
neighbourhood
Adyar estuary.jpg
A view of Adyar and Adyar estuary
Map Adyar.png
Locality map of Adyar
Chennai area locator map.svg
Red pog.svg
Adyar
Coordinates: 13°00′23″N80°15′27″E / 13.0063°N 80.2574°E / 13.0063; 80.2574
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictChennai
MetroChennai
Government
  Body CMDA
Languages
  OfficialTamil, English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
600020
Vehicle registration TN-07
Parliamentary constituencyChennai South
Assembly constituencyMylapore
Planning agency CMDA

Adyar is a large neighbourhood in south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is among the most upscale neighborhoods in Chennai.

Contents

It is located on the southern banks of the Adyar River. It is surrounded by the Tharamani in the West, Thiruvanmiyur to the South, Besant Nagar in the East, Kotturpuram in the North-West and Raja Annamalai puram in the North past the Adyar River. Adyar is one of the costliest areas in Chennai with property values four times the value of similar sized properties in the northern part of Chennai. [1] The Gandhi Nagar region of Adyar is one of the poshest localities in Chennai.

History

The Adyar River, c. 1905 The Adyar River, 1905.jpeg
The Adyar River, c. 1905

Etymology

The neighbourhood gets its name from the Adyar River, which flows through its northern limits. The term Adyar is the anglicized form of the Tamil word aḍai-ārŭ ( lit. clogged-river), [2] which is colloquially just pronounced as aḍayār.

British India

Teams of Bullocks Ploughing at Adyar village, c. 1905 Teams of Bullocks Ploughing at Adyar.jpg
Teams of Bullocks Ploughing at Adyar village, c. 1905

Adyar and the neighbouring Guindy had been used as hunting grounds by British officials of Fort St. George from the 1680s onwards though Adyar is first mentioned as a suburb of Madras only in a map from the year 1740 when the British purchased the village and integrated it with the Madras Presidency. [3]

Adyar started to grow rapidly at the turn of the 20th century following the founding of the headquarters of the Theosophical Society by Mrs. Helena Blavatsky here in 1883. Following the establishment of the Theosophical Society headquarters, the Kalakshetra, a cultural organisation to promote traditional arts and culture was established by Rukmini Devi Arundale at Adyar in 1936. The 1931 census records Adyar as a zamindari village in Kancheepuram district. Adyar was included within the Chennai Corporation limits in 1948.

Geography

As of 2018, Adyar zone had a green cover of 30.1 percent, as against the city's 14.9 percent average. This was the highest green cover recorded in the city. [4] The Adyar River divides Raja Annamalaipuram and Adyar in the North and the Buckingham Canal divides Kotturpuram and Tharamani in the North-West and West respectively.

Transport

Adyar is situated on a flat coastal plain, near Adyar river Chennai.satmap.annotated.jpg
Adyar is situated on a flat coastal plain, near Adyar river

The Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai) runs through Adyar and has three stations within the neighbourhood – Kasturbai Nagar, Indira Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur. Adyar has a bus depot operating both intra-city and inter-city buses.

Roads

Landmarks

Adyar Signal near Malar Hospital Adyar Signal.jpg
Adyar Signal near Malar Hospital

Educational and Research Institutions

Adyar is also home to Adyar Cancer Institute and Central Leather Research Institute, the world's largest leather research institute. Fortis Malar, one of the best speciality hospitals in Chennai, is also located in Adyar. IIT Madras, Anna University, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kumar Rani Meena Muthiah Arts and Science College, Asian College of Journalism and the Technical Teachers Training Institute are all located in adjacent neighbourhoods. The Environmentalist Foundation of India is headquartered in the Besant Nagar neighborhood of Adyar. The lake/pond restoration efforts across the country are managed from this set up. [8]

Schools

Schools in the neighbourhood include the oldest and a very big campus school in Adyar St. Patrick's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, which was started in 1875, St. Michael's Academy, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bala Vidya Mandir, The Hindu Senior Secondary School, Bharath Senior Secondary School, Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School, Sishya, St Johns English School & Junior College, The School K.F.I., Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, and Indus Early Learning Centre, Vidya Ratna PTS Matric Higher Secondary School, The Chennai School (International Baccalaureate).

The École Franco-Indienne Sishya is co-located with Sishya.

Localities

Sub-localities of Adyar include Gandhi Nagar, Kasturibai Nagar, Nehru Nagar, Indira Nagar, Venkatarathnam Nagar, Padmanabha Nagar, Bhaktavatsalam Nagar, Parameshwari Nagar, Jeevaratnam Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Karpagam Gardens, and Arunachalapuram.

Location in Context

Related Research Articles

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Bhagwan Das was an Indian Theosophist and public figure. For a time he served in the Central Legislative Assembly of British India. He became allied with the Hindustani Culture Society and was active in opposing rioting as a form of protest. As an advocate for national freedom from the British rule, he was often in danger of reprisals from the Colonial government. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Besant Nagar, Chennai</span> Neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radha Burnier</span>

Radha Burnier was born in Adyar, India. She was president of the Theosophical Society Adyar from 1980 until her death in 2013. She was General Secretary of the Indian Section of the Society between 1960 and 1978, and was previously an actress in Indian films and Jean Renoir's The River.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tholkappia Poonga</span> Ecological park in Chennai, India

Tholkappia Poonga or Adyar Eco Park is an ecological park set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Adyar estuary area of Chennai, India. According to the government, the project, conceived based on the master plan for the restoration of the vegetation of the freshwater ecosystems of the Coromandel Coast, especially the fragile ecosystem of the Adyar estuary and creek, was expected to cost around 1,000 million which will include the beautification of 358 acres of land. The park's ecosystem consists of tropical dense evergreen forest, predominantly comprising trees and shrubs that have thick dark green foliage throughout the year, with over 160 woody species, and comprises six vegetative elements such as trees, shrubs, lianas, epiphytes, herbs and tuberous species. The park was opened to public by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on 22 January 2011 and named after the renowned Tamil scholar Tholkappiar. About 65 percent of the park is covered by water and artefacts and signages. In the first 2 months of its inauguration, nearly 4,000 children from several schools in the city and the nearby Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts have visited the park to learn about wetland conservation, eco-restoration and water management. While the first phase of the ecopark covered about 4.16 acres of CRZ-III area, the entire area covered under the second phase falls under this category.

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The Adyar River, originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in Kanchipuram district, is one of the three rivers which winds through Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar estuary. The 42.5-kilometre (26.4 mi) long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high pollution levels, boating and fishing take place in this river. The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the city, with a combined catchment area of 860 square kilometres (331 sq mi). Most of the waste from the city is drained into this river and the Cooum.

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Guindy taluk is a taluk of the city district of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was formed in December 2013 from parts of the erstwhile Mambalam-Guindy taluk and the Mylapore-Triplicane taluk. It comprises the neighbourhoods of Adyar, Alandur, T. Nagar, Ekkaduthangal, Guindy and Kotturpuram.

Velachery taluk is a taluk of the city district of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was formed in December 2013 from parts of the erstwhile Mambalam-Guindy and Mylapore-Triplicane taluks. It comprises the neighbourhoods of Besant Nagar, Tharamani, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery.

  1. Besant Nagar Firka: Kalikundram, Pallipattu, Urur
  2. Thiruvanmiyur Firka: Thiruvanmiyur
  3. Tharamani Firka: Kaanagam, Tharamani, Velachery [Mylapore-Triplicane taluk]
  1. Velachery Firka: Velachery

References

  1. "Property values in an unequal city". The Hindu . 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  2. Aug 3, K. R. A. Narasiah / TNN / Updated. "Scenic, life-affirming: Yet Adyar means clogged | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 November 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. Julie Mariappan & Devparna Acharya (22 April 2010). "Rebirth of Adyar creek". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.
  4. Lopez, Aloysius Xavier (31 August 2018). "A Rs. 228-cr. project to take city's green cover to 20%". The Hindu. Chennai: Kasturi & Sons. p. 4. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  5. "How urbanisation watered down the natural wealth". The Hindu . 29 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  6. "Death of an estuary". The Hindu . 12 January 2003. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  7. "Eco-park may cover all of Adyar Creek". The Hindu . 31 March 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  8. "Our Projects". Environmentalist Foundation of India. Retrieved 18 July 2021.