Bazzar in Triplicane. Illustration in 1855
Along with Mylapore and the surrounding regions, Triplicane is historically much older than the city of Chennai itself, with a mention in records as early as the Pallava period.
One of the four "Old Towns" in the city, the neighbourhood was the first village obtained by the English to expand the new city of Madras beyond its "White Town" neighbourhood within the Fort St. George.
Thiruvallikeni,derives from Thiru-Alli-Keni ('Sacred Lily Pond' in Tamil), denoting the pond in front of the Parthasarathy temple, which was amidst a big Tulasi forest.
The place is also referred as Brindaranyam in Brahmanda Purana, owing to the presence of the tulasi (brinda) plants in the area.It is also referred to as 'Brindaranya kshetra'and 'Southern Brindavana'
The early records of the town are rooted to epic rather than history. The city's original name, Thiruvallikeni, finds various mentions in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, which are a collection of hymns by earlier poets that were compiled in the ninth century.
One such poet, Thirumangai Alvar, described Thiruvallikeni as a densely canopied forest with peacocks and koels, where the sun's rays could not penetrate.
Another poet, Peyalwar, describes Thiruvallikeni as, "by the tossing sea... where corals and pearls washed ashore liken the evening sky and the lamps they light of dusk.
a rivulet, Kaivareni, ran across Triplicane and Mylapore.The legend has it that the rivulet connected two water bodies: the temple tank of Parthasarathy temple and a sacred well, Mani Kairavani, in the flower garden of Adi Kesava Perumal temple of Mylapore.
It is believed that Peyalvar, one of the 12 alvars, was born on a lily flower in this well and that he sailed through the rivulet to worship Lord Krishna in the Parthasarathy temple.To commemorate this, the idol of Peyalwar in Mylapore is brought, as a procession, to Parthasarathy temple every year in the month of September.
British era
In the 1600s, Triplicane was a separate village. After about a century, the British found Triplicane to be a good area for settlement and a large number of people moved there. In 1668, Triplicane was annexed to the Madras City, making it the first neighbourhood to be annexed to the city.[4][20] It was obtained from the Sultan of Golconda on rent in 1676.[4] From that time, Triplicane grew in importance, second only to George Town.[21]In addition, the presence of the Nawab of Arcot increased the economic prosperity of the area, and many Muslims settled in Triplicane. In 1795, the Wallajah Mosque was built.[22] During this period, Chepauk Palace and Amir Mahal were also built.[20]
In 1841, Ice House was built to store the ice bars imported from America through ships. Ice bars were imported to provide the English temporary relief from the blistering heat.[11] This building was renamed Vivekananda house after Swami Vivekananda stayed in the building for a brief while.
In the mid-19th century, numerous educational institutions were formed in the area. Hindu Higher Secondary School was started in 1853[23] and Presidency College in 1864–65. In 1870, the college was moved to its present location on Beach Road. In 1884, Marina Beach promenade was built.[24][25] In 1896, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (SPSS), the oldest sabha in chennai, was founded and operated from the Hindu High School on Big Street[26]
The building which currently serves as the Triplicane police station was built around 1891 to guard Madrasapatnam.[27]This building is the city's oldest police station.[27] Triplicane High Road is one of the roads that had a tram line running through it during the British reign.[28][29][30]
In 1904, Triplicane Urban Co-Operative Society (TUCS) was started.[31] The consumer cooperative society predates even the first Cooperative Credit Societies Act of 1904,[32]which officially ushered in the cooperative movement into India. It runs a super market, self-service department stores, sells automobile fuel and cooking gas, and operates more than 200 rations shops for the Public Distribution System.[32]
In 1916, Star Theatre was built on Triplicane High Road. This age old theatre has been set for demolition in March 2012.[33]
In 1925, Mahatma Gandhi visited Triplicane to address a huge gathering.[34][35][36] In 1933, he revisited the neighbourhood. In 1934, the first cricket match was played at the Chepauk Stadium[37]