- The Hindu The ancient Thenupureeswarar temple at Madambakkam. File Photo
- The Hindu The Indian Air Force Station that came up in East Tambaram in 1954. Photo: A. Muralitharan
Some say that Tambaram is another version of ‘Taampuram,’ which in turn derived the term from the water body ‘Taamapuram.
“Tens of thousands of years ago early man wandered all over Chingleput district area hunting, fishing and gathering fruits. He used rough stone implements called hand-axes without any wooden handles and lived near river banks. The largest collection of Old Stone Age implements have been made for over a hundred years at Pallavaram, Poondy and Attirambakkam and recently students at Tambaram have picked up stone age tools.”
Thus begins the report in “A Brief History of Chingleput District” in Socio-Economic Survey of Chingleput District, Proceedings of the Seminar on Regional Development, Madras Christian College, Tambaram, in 1969.
The author of the report is none other than the eminent Gift Siromoney, a former Head, Department of Statistics of the college.
Historic battle
There are a number of spots around Tambaram that find a place in history. Manimangalam, for instance, is famous as it was the location for a historic battle between the Chalukyas and Pallavas. Guduvanchery has plenty of sites where there are ‘mudhumakkal thaazhi’ – people buried in earthen pots 2,000 years ago. There are many other places around Tambaram, indicating the importance of the region in the history of not only Chennai, but the whole of Tamil Nadu and for that matter, India too. Stone tools used several thousand years ago have been recovered from Pallavaram.
Inscriptions
Johnson Wesley, a Tamil teacher and also a historian, points out that inscriptions on the walls in the inner ‘prakaram’ of the Marundeeswarar or Kachabeswarar Temple in Tirukachur Village near Singaperumal Koil, have a mention about a land transaction with a specific reference to Tambaram a few centuries ago. There are many others who are of the opinion that Tambaram is another version of ‘Taampuram,’ which in turn derived the term from a water body named ‘Taamapuram.’
Dr. Siromoney too specifically says, “Tambaram is an ancient town referred to as Taamapuram in an inscription of the 13 century.”
Hub of rail and road
Nevertheless, Tambaram today, is the nerve centre in the southern suburbs of Chennai. The hub of rail and road network, the seat of prestigious educational institutions, headquarters of revenue administration and a market that continues to cater to the requirement of scores of villages far and wide, Tambaram truly is the southern gateway to Chennai.
The Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine in Tambaram Sanatorium came into existence as early as 1928.
The Madras Christian College shifted to East Tambaram a decade later, when the suburban electric train connectivity was established to Chennai Beach.
The Electric Multiple Unit’s car shed has completed 80 years. The Indian Air Force Station came up in East Tambaram in 1954 and its Flying Instructors’ School and the Mechanical and Workshop Training Institutes are among the most important institutions in the Training Command of IAF.
The town today is a mix– the ancient hamlets of Selaiyur and Irumbuliyur still have managed to retain their charm, while development is currently on at a great speed.
A lot still needs to be done to ensure sustainable development around Tambaram as space is a big constraint.
The municipality has drawn up ambitious plans that might change the skyline of this town, but it will take some time before the works begin.
If there is one project that is most urgently felt, it is the need for a modern integrated bus terminus on the lines of Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu.
Dr. Siromoney’s page on the internet has extensive material on Archaeology, Tamil Studies, Indus Script, Music, Nature Study, Epigraphy and many more. Readers can access them at: http://www.cmi.ac.in/gift/default.htm.
via The Hindu Newspaper http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3753710.ece
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