Why Was the City Madras Renamed as Chennai?

The city of Madras was renamed as Chennai in 1996. The change was made to reflect the city’s Tamil heritage and to move away from its colonial past. The name ‘Madras’ was derived from ‘Madraspatnam,’ a fishing village that was part of the original settlement. It was named by the British when they established a trading post there in the 17th century. The name ‘Chennai’ is believed to have originated from ‘Chennapattanam,’ named after Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, a local chieftain who granted land to the British East India Company. The renaming was part of a broader trend in India to replace colonial names with those that have local cultural and historical significance.