Chingleput District (Madras Presidency) facts for kids

Chingleput district was a large area in British India. It was part of the Madras Presidency. Today, this area includes parts of Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts. It also covered some parts of the big city of Chennai. The district was divided into six smaller areas called taluks. Its total size was about 7,970 square kilometers (3,079 square miles).

The first main town, or capital, of Chingleput was Karunguzhi. For a short time, between 1825 and 1835, the capital moved to Kanchipuram. Later, in 1859, a place called Saidapet became the main administrative center. Saidapet is now a neighborhood in Chennai.

A Look Back: Chingleput's History

Ancient Times and Early Kingdoms

Scientists have found old tools and signs that people lived in the Chingleput area a very long time ago. This was during the Stone Age! Around 1000 BC, the area was ruled by kings called Thondaiman.

Later, around 500 AD, the Pallavas became powerful. Their capital city was Kanchi. When the Pallava kingdom started to get weaker, another group called the Western Gangas took over in 760 AD.

Changing Rulers Through the Centuries

For many years, different powerful groups ruled Chingleput. These included the Rashtrakutas, the Cholas, and the Kakatiyas from Warangal. This continued until the 13th century AD.

Then, the Delhi Sultanate, a Muslim empire, took control. After that, the Vijayanagar Empire conquered the area. They ruled Chingleput from 1393 to 1565. After 1565, it was part of the kingdom of Chandragiri until 1640.

British Rule and Independence

In 1687, the Mughals took over the area. Later, the Nawab of the Carnatic conquered it. In 1763, Chingleput was given to the British East India Company. This happened when Mohammad Ali, the Nawab at the time, handed it over.

Chingleput was an important place during the Carnatic Wars. These were wars between the British and other European powers. Tipu Sultan, a powerful Indian ruler, often captured the area in the late 1700s.

After India became independent in 1947, Chingleput district became part of the new Madras State in 1950. In 1956, the state's borders were changed. This was done to group people together who spoke the same language.

People of Chingleput

Population and Languages

In 1901, Chingleput had a total population of 1,312,222 people. Most of the people, about 96 percent, were Hindus. The rest were Christians and Muslims.

Most people in the district spoke Tamil as their main language. This was about three-fourths of the population. The other people mainly spoke Telugu. Because Chingleput was close to the big city of Madras, many Europeans also lived there.

Images for kids

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  View of Chingleput Fort in 1913. The fort was the scene of the Battle of Chingleput in 1752