Rajaji Hall, previously known as the Banqueting Hall, Madras, is a public hall in the city of Chennai, India used for social functions. The hall was built by John Goldingham to commemorate the British victory over Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. [1]
The Banqueting Hall was constructed between 1800 and 1802 [2] by John Goldingham, an astronomer and engineer with the British East India Company. [1] [3] The building was commissioned by Edward Clive, the then Governor of Madras, who envisaged the hall to be an extension of the Government House which was being renovated that year. [1] [4] The hall was built to commemorate the company's victory over Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War [1] and designed to be a venue for social functions. [2] The construction of the hall cost about two and a half lakh rupees. [1] The building was opened with a grand ball on 7 October 1802. [5]
From 1875 onwards, the hall was extensively renovated and expanded. [6] In 1895, a colonnaded terrace was constructed and a verandah was built around it. [1] [6] The convocations of the University of Madras were held in the Banqueting Hall from 1857 till 1879 when the Senate House was constructed. [7] During 27 January 1938 – 26 October 1939, the legislature of the Madras Presidency met here. [8] The hall was renamed as "Rajaji Hall" after India's independence (in honour of C. Rajagopalachari). [5] The mortal remains of important political leaders lay in state in Rajaji Hall before their funeral. At present, it houses the offices of the Tamil Nadu State Raffle. [5]
The Government House and Gandhi Illam were demolished during the construction of a new Tamil Nadu legislative assembly-secretariat complex between 2008 and 2010, [9] apparently causing irreparable damage to the hall's foundations. [9]
Rajaji Hall was built in the form of a Greek temple and is believed to have been modelled after the Parthenon in Athens. [3] It is built on a basement of arched cellars and store rooms [3] and is surrounded by a colonnaded terrace. [3] The exterior of the hall is constructed in the 16th-century Italian Manneristic style. [2] The building is 120 feet long, 65 feet wide and 40 feet high and is enclosed by a gallery which had portraits of popular Anglo-Indian leaders [3] and administrators including Edward Clive, Richard Wellesley, Sir Eyre Coote, [10] Sir Thomas Munro, Lord Hobart and Lord Harris and British monarchs George III and Queen Charlotte. [11] The southern end is connected to the Government House by an array of steps. [3] Sten Nilsson describes the hall as resembling "a Heroum, a neo-classical temple for hero worship". [2]
Srirangapatna is a town and one of the seven Taluks (townships) of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. Located near the city of Mysore, it is of religious, cultural and historic importance.
Fort St. George is the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city evolved around the fortress. The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company, Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore and the Nizam of Hyderabad on the other. Hyder Ali and his successor Tipu Sultan fought a war on four fronts with the British attacking from the west, south and east, while the Nizam's forces attacked from the north. The fourth war resulted in the overthrow of the house of Hyder Ali and Tipu, and the dismantlement of Mysore to the benefit of the East India Company, which took control of much of the Indian subcontinent.
Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fifth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 8.9 million (2014), the 382-year-old city is the 31st largest metropolitan area in the world.
Palakkad, also known as Palghat, is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is spread over an area of 26.60 square kilometres (10.27 sq mi). It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. The city is situated about 146 kilometres (91 mi) northeast of Kochi, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, 66 kilometres (41 mi) northeast of Thrissur, and 127 kilometres (79 mi) southeast of Kozhikode, on the meeting point of two National Highways namely, Salem-Kochi National Highway NH 544, and Kozhikode-Malappuram-Palakkad National Highway NH 966.
The Bangalore Cantonment (1806–1881) was a military cantonment of the British Raj based in the Indian city of Bangalore. The cantonment covered an area of 13 square miles (34 km2), extending from the Residency on the west to Binnamangala on the east and from the Tanneries on Tannery Road in the north to AGRAM in the south. By area, it was the largest British military cantonment in South India. The British garrison stationed in the cantonment included three artillery batteries, and regiments of the cavalry, infantry, sappers, miners, mounted infantry, supply and transport corps and the Bangalore Rifle Volunteers. The Bangalore Cantonment was directly under the administration of the British Raj, while Bangalore City itself was under the jurisdiction of the Durbar of the Kingdom of Mysore.
Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by Vijayanagara kings. The fort was at one time the headquarters of the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry.
George Town is a neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is near the Fort Saint George, Chennai. It is also known as Muthialpet and Parry's corner. It is an historical area of Chennai city from where its expansion began in the 1640s. It extends from the Bay of Bengal in the east to Park town on the west. The Fort St. George is on the south, to Royapuram in the north. The Fort St. George houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat. The High court of Tamil Nadu at Chennai, Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Stanley Medical College and Hospital are located here.
Madras Presidency, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, Madras Presidency included much of southern India, including the present-day Indian State of Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands, the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, Brahmapur and Ganjam districts of Orissa and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. The presidency had its capital at Madras.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembly is the Speaker. The term of the Assembly is five years unless dissolved earlier.
The Nayakas of Kalahasti were a line of rulers of Kalahasti and Vandavasi principalities. Members of the group include Damarla Chennapa Nayaka, after whom the city of Chennai is named. These Nayakas served as vassals of the late Vijayanagara Empire, then held by the Aravidu Dynasty and headquartered at Chandragiri and Vellore.
Chepauk Palace was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Chepauk in Chennai, India and is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.
Chennakesava Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the George Town neighbourhood of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Chenna Kesava Perumal. There is the nearby Chenna Malleeswarar Temple. They are twin temples. The temple was the first to be built in the new settlement; since the construction of Madras city by the British East India Company. Chennakesava Perumal is a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu. And considered as the patron deity of Chennai, Chenna pattanam may be named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple. The word 'chenni' in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.
Mallikesvarar Temple or Mallikarjunar Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the neighbourhood of George Town in the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the first Hindu temples to be constructed in the British settlement of Madrasapatnam. There is the nearby Chenna kesava perumal Temple. They are twin temples. This is also called Chenna Malleeswarar temple. Chenna pattanam may be named after this deities. The word 'chenni' in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.
Ekambareswarar Temple, Chennai is a Hindu temple situated in the neighbourhood of Parry's corner, Chennai, India dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was constructed by Alanganatha Pillai, chief merchant of the Madras factory of the British East India Company.
Coimbatore is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre and an industrial hub of Tamil Nadu and is known as the Manchester of South India.
The Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of Madras in Chennai, India. It is situated in Wallajah Road, along Marina Beach. Constructed by Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879, the Senate building is considered to be one of the best and oldest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in India.
Kamban Adippodi Saw Ganesan was an Indian politician and Tamil activist, writer, historian, and epigraphist. He was known for popularising the Tamil epic Ramavataram through his Kamban Kazhagam organization, and for initiating construction of a temple to the Tamil language in Karaikudi.
Attur Fort is a historic fort present in Attur in Salem district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The fort is located on the banks of river Vashista, 56 km (35 mi) away from Salem.The fort was built by a Palaiyakkarar chieftain Gatti Mudaliar dynasty under Madurai Nayaks, called Lakshmana Nayakan during the 17th century.
The Madras High Court is the third oldest High Court of India after the Calcutta High Court in Kolkata and Bombay High Court in Mumbai. It is located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The court is one of the three High Courts in India established in the three Presidency Towns of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta by letters patent granted by Queen Victoria, bearing date 26 June 1862. It exercises original jurisdiction over the city of Chennai and appellate jurisdiction over the entire state of Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry, as well as extraordinary original jurisdiction, civil and criminal, under the letters patent and special original jurisdiction for the issue of writs under the Constitution of India. Covering 107 acres, the court complex is one of the largest in the world, next only to Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, London.
Coordinates: 13°04′10″N80°16′30″E / 13.069378°N 80.274916°E