Chennai, known as Madras until 1996, is the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a major port city on the Bay of Bengal. It grew from a fishing village into a British colonial stronghold after the East India Company built Fort St. George there in the seventeenth century, and it remains anchored today by that same fort, now home to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Where Is Chennai Located?

Chennai lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in southeastern India, serving as the capital of Tamil Nadu state. The region around it was ruled in earlier centuries by the Chola, Pandya, Pallava, and Vijayanagara kingdoms, according to the government of India’s official tourism portal.^[1]

A Brief History of Chennai

From Fishing Village to Colonial Stronghold

In the seventeenth century, the British East India Company acquired coastal land at the site of a fishing village called Madrasapattinam and built the city and its port around that acquisition.^[1] The city’s name is thought to derive from Chennappa Nayaka, a general serving under a Vijayanagara ruler, while the separate name Madras, used for the city until 1996, attached to the same settlement during the colonial period.^[1]

Fort St. George

At the center of that colonial founding stands Fort St. George, built in 1644 to establish a British stronghold on the Coromandel Coast and across southern India amid rivalry among the British East India Company, the French, and the Dutch.^[2] India’s official tourism portal describes it as the first British garrison settlement in India, and the fort complex still contains Clive House, the first British official residence complex and once home to Robert Clive, along with St. Mary’s Church, described as the oldest Anglican church in India.^[2] The fort now houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and a museum of colonial-era artefacts, including letters connected to Clive and Lord Cornwallis, and is protected jointly by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu government.^[2]

Provincial and State Capital

Madras served as the winter capital of the Madras Presidency under British rule and remained the capital of Madras State after India’s 1947 independence, a role it kept under its later name, Tamil Nadu, after the state was renamed in 1969.^[1] The city itself was officially renamed Chennai in 1996.^[1]

Culture and Economy

Chennai is a center of Tamil language and culture, including Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam dance, and a long-established film industry, alongside a modern economy built on automobile manufacturing, software services, and healthcare. Its port, one of India’s oldest artificial harbors, continues to anchor the city’s role as a logistics and trade hub for southern India.

What Is Chennai Known For?

Chennai is known for Fort St. George, its founding colonial stronghold, and for Marina Beach, among the longest urban beaches in the world, which offers views of the Bay of Bengal and draws both residents and visitors.^[1] The city is also known for the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and noted for its Dravidian-style architecture, detailed sculptures, and tall gopuram gateway towers.^[1]

Why Chennai Matters

Chennai matters as the point where British colonial power first took durable root on India’s southeastern coast, and as a continuing seat of Tamil Nadu’s government and culture whose seventeenth-century fort still functions as an active legislative building rather than only a historical monument.

Key Takeaways

• Chennai, known as Madras until 1996, is the capital of Tamil Nadu on India’s Coromandel Coast.
• The British East India Company built the city around the fishing village of Madrasapattinam in the seventeenth century.
• Fort St. George, built in 1644, was the first British garrison settlement in India and now houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
• Madras served as capital of the Madras Presidency and later Madras State before the state, and then the city, were renamed.

Sources

• Government of India, Ministry of Tourism, “Chennai,” Incredible India, Undated, https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/tamil-nadu/chennai, accessed 2026-10-20.
• Government of India, Ministry of Tourism, “Fort St. George,” Incredible India, Undated, https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/tamil-nadu/chennai/fort-st-george, accessed 2026-10-20.

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed October 20, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue