In 1653, the city of Chennai saw the appearance of a very beautiful Fort St. George, the first British fortress on the Indian territory. The name was chosen because its completion happened on St George’s Day, who was a patron saint of England.
Historians assume that the whole city started growing and developing because of the appearance of the fort, a powerful defensive fortification, and at the same time, a fortress where not only ammunition but commercial goods could be stored. Before Fort St. George, there was only a small settlement.
For almost two centuries, the British were developing and completing their fort. They erected living houses, a church, and government buildings. But in the 18th century, Fort St. George was attacked by the French who even occupied it for some time destroying some of the important buildings. The British hurried to restore their position and the fort went back to living the way it used to.
Today, Fort St. George is the most ancient non-religious complex in the city. It houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other governmental institutions. That is why you won’t be allowed to have a walk there. But you can study one of its impressive parts.
There is a museum on the fort premises, and it is available for tourists. It displays a huge collection of artifacts telling the history of Chennai: arms, medals, crockery, ancient dresses, a very detailed scale model of the fort showing what it looked like right after the construction was finalized. Besides, the museum owns one of the biggest archives in the country encompassing the colonial period of India. The second half of the museum is devoted to the «fighters for the country’s independence». Here, you can read archival documents and see ancient photographs and the same flag that rose above the fort on the day when India received the status of an independent country.