Fort St. George

FACTS & FIGURES

SOUTH INDIA’S FORT BY THE SEA

Fort St George is the first fort to be built by the British in India. An important landmark of the city of Chennai, the fort is the birthplace of the modern Indian army and houses a number of government buildings.

MILITARY STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE

Fort St. George is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal and is a wonderful example of military architecture. The thick massive walls of the fort and a moat surrounding it are reflective of its purpose. It began as a protected trading post under the British East India Company and went on to become the origin of the modern Indian army. It houses a number of non-military structures within its periphery.

FORT ST. GEORGE

The material wealth of India lured many traders to its shores and the East India Company was no exception. The brave and adventurous sailors landed in Chennaipattinam of yore, the Chennai (Madras) of today. The British East India Company, as they called themselves, was launched in the latter half of the 17th century with the sole purpose of trade for economic reasons. By the early 1630s, the company was eagerly looking for an opportunity to set up a permanent trading station on the Indian coastline. Their prayers were answered when an officer by the name of Francis Day managed to acquire a strip of land. It was on this strip of land that the Fort was completed on 23 April 1640. As the day was also marked as St. George’s day, the Fort was given the name of Fort St. George.

Fort St. George is not a fort in the true sense of the word; it is rather an arbitrary area enclosed by a massive stonewall. Historical personalities like Elihu Yale, Thomas Pitt, Robert Clive, and Lord Cornwallis—all regarded as empire builders—either lived in or frequented the Fort in their day. In 1687, Elihu Yale became the Governor of the fort and contributed to the development of the city of Chennai. In 1698, Thomas Pitt was commissioned as the Governor of the fort. Robert Clive spent a number of years in this fort. The fort played a pivotal role in the expansionist policies of the British in India.

The fort was a home away from home for the officials of the British East India Company. A moat was built around the fort to keep away the “colored locals.” The British christened the area as the White Town, and beyond its massive walls lay the Black Town inhabited by the indigenous people. As the population within the fort grew, the White Town began to spill out of the fort and into other parts of the city, leading to tensions between the Indians and their British rulers.

IMPORTANT MONUMENTS WITHIN THE FORT

The fort has several interesting monuments within its precincts. St Mary’s Church, built in 1678–80, is located within the fort and is the oldest surviving church built by the British in India. The Church has beautiful stained glass windows, pews of solid teak, ornate marble wall frescoes, and plaques that have withstood the ravages of time and have retained their original grandeur even today. It was here that Robert Clive married Margaret Maskelyne in 1753. They spent their married life in what is known as the Admiralty House, also known as the Clive House. This building was an imposing three-story structure in its time.

In a bid to mark the advent of their occupation and establishment, the British erected a flagstaff within the fort. This 150-ft-high flagstaff made of pure teakwood was the tallest in the land. The original flagstaff does not exist anymore and one can only see its remains. A new flagstaff has replaced the original one, which is slightly shorter than the first and atop which proudly flutters the Indian tricolor.

The Fort St. George Museum, located in a building within the fort, houses relics of the British East India Company. This building was completed in 1795 and served as the Madras Bank. The long hall upstairs was the Public Exchange Hall that served as a place for public meetings, lottery drawings, and occasionally for entertainment. The first lighthouse was built on the roof of this building in 1796. It also served as the Fort Officer’s Mess. When India gained independence, the Archeological Survey of India declared this building a protected monument. The Museum houses a good collection of artifacts like coins, medals, paintings, letters, etc., belonging to the Colonial era. The imposing 14½-ft-tall statue of Lord Cornwallis in front of the Museum is a masterpiece. Created by Charles Banks, it was shipped to India from Britain. The pedestal of this statue is intriguing. It is carved with a poignant scene depicting Tipu Sultan’s emissary handing over Tipu’s two sons as hostages in lieu of a ransom he could not pay to the British.

BIRTHPLACE OF THE INDIAN ARMY

Fort St. George is considered as the birthplace of the modern Indian army. The credit of laying the foundations of the modern Indian army goes to Major Stringer Lawrence who was Robert Clive’s mentor. Major Lawrence had organized a formal militia by 1747 that consisted of Indian natives, who were working for the British East India Company. Though Governor Elihu Yale had taken the first steps in this direction as early as 1689, Lawrence made the militia a regular sepoy (sepoy, Indian soldier) army in 1760. Its seven battalions, stationed in four different centers, formed the nucleus of the Madras Army, which later on grew into the Indian Army under the British. The fort still serves as an important base for the Indian Army.

HOW TO REACH

Chennai is well connected by air, rail, and road with important centers in India. Fort St. George is located on the eastern side of this city and is on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. To reach this fort, travelers can either hire taxis or auto-rickshaws. Buses plying under the suburban bus service also connect this monument with other parts of the city.