Administrative divisions of Madras Presidency

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Map of "Madras Presidency" from Pope, G. U. (1880)

The

Travancore-Cochin
respectively.

Administrative Zones of the Presidency

The Districts of Madras Presidency were divided into five zones:[1]

The West Coast

The districts of the Presidency along the Arabian Sea constituted the West Coast. They were mainly the coastal districts of present-day Kerala and Karnataka states.[1]

The Deccan

These were also known as ceded districts since they were ceded to the British after the

Anantpur, Kadapa and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh came under this zone.[2]

The Agencies

The mountainous regions of the

(District) Collectors, who were agents to the Governor.[2]

Northern Circars

This zone included the coastal areas of districts of present-day Coastal Andhra and Ganjam of Orissa.[2]

The Coramandel

The Southern Division of the Presidency comprising much of modern

Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh was called the Coramandel.[2]

Districts of the Presidency

Madras

The modern district of Chennai in Tamil Nadu constituted the Madras District. This was one of the earliest areas to be colonized by the British. The present day city of

Carnatic Wars between the English and the French.[5]
For a long time, Madras was the administrative capital of the Presidency.

Chingleput

Nawab of Arcot handed it over to solve his debt.[5] The town of Sardas was a Dutch possession till 1819, before it was handed over to the British.[5] The capital of the district was Karunguzhi before it was shifted to Conjeevaram in 1825 to 1835. Again, the capital became Karunguzhi between 1835 and 1859. Later in 1859, the capital was shifted to Saidapet
.

North Arcot

See also: North Arcot

The modern districts of

Thiruttani, pallipattu) in Tamil Nadu constituted the North Arcot District. Chittoor was the administrative headquarters city for the district.[4]

South Arcot

See also:
South Arcot

The modern districts of

Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu constituted the South Arcot District. Before its possession by the British, it was part of the Carnatic along with North Arcot, Chengalpet and Nellore.[6]

Salem

Main article: Salem District (Madras Presidency)

The modern districts of

T. V. Sundaram Iyengar.Salem is the Administrative headquarters of The District[8]

Coimbatore

The modern districts of

Dheeran chinnamalai, Tipu Sultan in 1792 and 1799 respectively.[10][11]

Madura

The modern districts of

Madurai royal family. Most of the Polygars who surrendered or helped the British were appointed as Zamindars in a few villages. The kingdoms of Ramnad and Sivaganga were merged into Madura as Zamindaris in 1803.[13][14][15]

Nilgiris

Tinnively

The modern districts of

Tuticorin was acquired from the Dutch.[16]

Trichinopoly

Main article: Trichinopoly District

The modern districts of

Trichinopoly Airport
was established as the second airport in Tamil Nadu. In 1938, Tata Airlines carried its first service. Trichinopoly is famous for its branded cigars. The fort of Trichy built by the Nayak kings served as an important garrison in the battle against the French.

Tanjore

See also: Thanjavur Maratha kingdom

The modern districts of

Tanjore Nayakar Kingdom which ruled till 1673. In 1674, the area came under the Marathas
who ruled till 1855. After the death of the last king, Tanjore came under the British and became a part of the Presidency.

Malabar

See also: Malabar District

The Malabar district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad (excluding Alathur and Chittur Taluks), and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District (former part of Ponnani Taluk) in the northern part of Kerala state.

South Canara

See also: South Canara

The South Canara district covered the areas of the present-day districts of

Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of Karnataka and the Kasaragod
District of Kerala. The district was one of the most heterogeneous of Madras Presidency with Kannada, Tulu, Konkani and Malayalam being the principal languages spoken.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Thurston 1913, pp. 8–9
  2. ^ a b c d Thurston 1913, pp. 10–11
  3. ^ "District Profile - CHENNAI". Chennai.tn.nic.in. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  4. ^ a b A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 12–13
  5. ^ a b c A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 7–9
  6. ^ A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 14–15
  7. ^ A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 33–34
  8. ^ TVS Iyengar Archived 8 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 35–36
  10. ^ "The city that is Coimbatore". The Hindu. 30 April 2005. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ISBN 9781843310044
    .
  12. ^ A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 21–22
  13. ^ "Sethupathi Tondaimans". The History of Tamil Nadu.
  14. ^ "Holder of History:The Ramnad Sethupathis". Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Sethupathi Dynasty of Ramnad - Guardians of Rama Sethu". Bridge of Ram. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011.
  16. ^ a b A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 24–25
  17. ^ A Short Account of the Madras Presidency 1862, pp. 16–17

References

Bibliography

  • The Maratha Rajas of Tanjore by K.R. Subramanian, 1928.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Administrative_divisions_of_Madras_Presidency&oldid=1196096976"