Everything about Madras Presidency totally explained
Madras Presidency, also known as
Madras Province and known officially as
Presidency of Fort St. George, was a province of
British India. At its greatest extent, Madras Presidency included much of southern India, including the present-day
Indian
State of
Tamil Nadu, the
Malabar region of North
Kerala,
Lakshadweep Islands, the
Coastal Andhra and
Rayalaseema regions of
Andhra Pradesh, and the
Bellary,
Dakshina Kannada, and
Udupi districts of
Karnataka. The capital was at Madras, now known as
Chennai.
Early history
The first British settlement on India's east coast, known as the
Coromandel Coast, was in
1611, at
Machilipatnam (Masulipatam), even then celebrated for its fabrics. Farther south
Fort St George, the nucleus of Madras city, was erected in
1640.
Pondicherry was purchased by the
French in
1762. For many years the English and French traders lived peacefully side by side, and with no ambition for territorial aggrandisement. The
War of Austrian Succession in
Europe lit the first flame of hostility on the Coromandel Coast. In
1746 Madras was forced to surrender to
La Bourdonnais, and
Fort St David remained the only English possession in southern India. By the
Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle Madras was restored to the English; but from this time the rivalry of the two nations was keen, and found its opportunities in the disputed successions of Indian politics. British influence was generally able to secure the favor of the
rulers of the Carnatic and
Tanjore, while the French succeeded in placing their own nominee on the throne at
Hyderabad. At last
Joseph François Dupleix rose to be the temporary arbiter of the fate of southern India, but he was overthrown by
Robert Clive, whose defence of
Arcot in 1751 forms the turning point in Indian history. In
1760 the crowning victory of
Vandavasi (Wandiwash) was won by Colonel (afterwards Sir Eyre) Coote, over
Lally, and in the following year, despite help from
Mysore, Pondicherry was captured.
Territorial growth
The different territories which made up the Madras Presidency were acquired by the British at various dates. In
1763 the tract encircling Madras city, then known as the
Jagir and later as
Chingleput district, was ceded by the
Nawab of Arcot. In
1765 the
Northern Circars, out of which the French had recently been driven, were granted to the
British East India Company by the Mughal emperor, but at the price of an annual tribute of 90,000 to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Full rights of dominion were not acquired till
1823, when the tribute was commuted for a lump payment. In
1792 Tipu Sultan of
Mysore was compelled to cede the
Baramahal (later part of
Salem district),
Malabar and
Dindigul subdivision of
Madurai. In
1799, after the defeat of Tipu Sultan,
Coimbatore and
Canara were appropriated from Mysore; in the same year the
Maratha raja of
Thanjavur (Tanjore) resigned the administration of his territory, though his descendant retained titular rank till
1855. In
1800 Bellary and
Cuddapah were made over by the Nizam of Hyderabad to defray the expense of an increased subsidiary force. In the following year the dominions of the Nawab of Arcot, extending along the east coast almost continuously from
Nellore to
Tirunelveli, were resigned into the hands of the British by a puppet who had been put upon the throne for the purpose. The last titular Nawab of Arcot died in
1855; but his representative still continued to bear the title of prince of Arcot, and was recognized as the first native nobleman in Madras. In
1839 the
Nawab of Kurnool was deposed for misgovernment and suspicion of treason, and his territories annexed. In
1862 the district of Canara was split in two, and
North Canara was transferred to
Bombay Presidency.
Geography
The northern boundary of Madras Presidency was extremely irregular. It was bounded on the extreme northeast by
Orissa; then the highlands of the
Central Provinces; next the dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad; then
Dharwar district of
Bombay Presidency, and lastly the
Kingdom of Mysore and the province of
Coorg. The presidency also included the
Laccadive Islands, off the
Malabar coast, in the
Indian Ocean. Its total area, including
princely states, was 151,695 sq. mi., and its population in 1901 was 42,397,522.
Demography
The population in 1901 was divided into
Hindus (37,026,471),
Muslims (2,732,931), and
Christians (1,934,480). Broadly speaking, the entire population of Madras Presidency belonged to the five linguistic offshoots of the great
Dravidian language family, dominant throughout southern India. Of the five Dravidian languages in the presidency
Telugu was spoken by over 14,000,000 persons;
Tamil by over 15,000,000 persons;
Kannada by over 5,500,000 persons;
Malayalam by nearly 3,000,000 persons; and
Tulu by about 500,000 persons.
Oriya was the native tongue in the extreme north of
Ganjam district, bordering on Orissa; and various languages and dialects of Dravidian origin were used by the hill tribes of the Eastern Ghats.
Administration
The Madras presidency was administered by a governor and a council, consisting of two members of the civil service, which number may be increased to four. There was also a board of revenue of three members. For legislative purposes the council of the governor was augmented by additional members, numbering 45 in all, of whom not more than 17 may be nominated officials, while 19 were elected by various representative constituencies. Members of the legislative council enjoyed the right of interpolation, of proposing resolutions on matters of public interest, and of discussing the annual financial statement.
In 1911 the province was divided into 24 districts:
Ganjam, Vizagapatam (
Visakhapatnam),
Godavari,
Krishna,
Kurnool,
Nellore,
Cuddapah,
Anantapur,
Bellary,
North Arcot,
South Arcot,
Chingleput,
Madras,
Salem,
South Canara,
Malabar,
Coimbatore,
Tiruchirappalli,
Tanjore,
Madurai,
Tirunelveli,
The Nilgiris, and
Guntur. Each under the charge of a collector, with sub-collectors and assistants. The districts were not grouped into divisions or commissionerships, as in other provinces.
The principle of local devolution was carried somewhat further in Madras than in other Raj provinces. At the bottom are union
panchayats or village committees, whose chief duty is to attend to sanitation. Above them came
taluk or subdivisional boards. At the head of all were district boards, a portion of whose members are elected by the taluk boards.
Five
princely states fell under the political authority of Madras Presidency:
Banganapalle,
Cochin,
Pudukkottai,
Sandur, and
Travancore.
Chief Ministers of Madras Presidency
| # |
Name |
Took office |
Left office |
Term |
Political party |
| | 1 |
A. Subbarayalu |
17 December, 1920 |
11 July, 1921 |
1 |
Justice Party
|
| | 2 |
Panagal Raja |
11 July, 1921 |
3 December, 1926 |
1 |
Justice Party
|
| | 9 |
C. Rajagopalachari |
14 July, 1937 |
29 October, 1939 |
1 |
Indian National Congress
|
| | 10 |
Tanguturi Prakasam |
30 April, 1946 |
23 March, 1947 |
1 |
Indian National Congress
|
| | 11 |
O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar |
23 March, 1947 |
6 April, 1949 |
1 |
Indian National Congress
|
| | 12 |
P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja |
6 April, 1949 |
26 January, 1950 |
1 |
Indian National Congress
|
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from: 17/12/1920 till: 11/07/1921 color:justice text:"A. Subbarayalu" fontsize:10
from: 11/07/1921 till: 03/12/1926 color:justice text:"Panagal Raja" fontsize:10
from: 04/12/1926 till: 27/10/1930 color:noparty text:"P. Subbarayan" fontsize:10
from: 27/10/1930 till: 04/11/1932 color:justice text:"P. Munuswamy Naidu" fontsize:10
from: 05/11/1932 till: 04/04/1936 color:justice text:"Ramakrishna Ranga Rao" fontsize:10
from: 04/04/1936 till: 24/08/1936 color:justice text:"P. T. Rajan" fontsize:10
from: 24/08/1936 till: 01/04/1937 color:justice text:"Ramakrishna Ranga Rao" fontsize:10
from: 01/04/1937 till: 14/07/1937 color:justice text:"Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu" fontsize:10
from: 14/07/1937 till: 29/10/1939 color:congress text:"C. Rajagopalachari" fontsize:10
from: 30/04/1946 till: 23/03/1947 color:congress text:"Tanguturi Prakasam" fontsize:10
from: 23/03/1947 till: 06/04/1949 color:congress text:"O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar" fontsize:10
from: 06/04/1949 till: 26/01/1950 color:congress text:"P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja" fontsize:10
After India's independence
After India's independence in
1947, Madras Presidency was reconstituted as
Madras State. In
1953 the
Rayalaseema and
Coastal Andhra regions became the new state of
Andhra, and
Bellary district became part of
Mysore state. In
1956 South Kanara district was transferred to Mysore, the
Malabar coast districts became part of the new state of
Kerala, and Madras state, renamed
Tamil Nadu in
1968, took its present shape. The northern district of Madras presidency, Ganjam, was transferred to Orissa
Further Information
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