China Bazaar Road, Chennai
China Bazaar Road | |
Parry's Corner, George Town, Chennai | |
West end | Wall Tax Road, Park Town, Chennai |
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China Bazaar Road, officially Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Road (or NSC Bose Road), is one of the main thoroughfares of the commercial centre of George Town in Chennai, India. The road connects Rajaji Salai in the east and Wall Tax Road in the west. Passing through thickly populated residential areas of the historical neighbourhood, the road has several streets, lanes, and by lanes joining it, housing several commercial establishments of the city.
History
After
Till the 19th century, the road was occupied by a large number of tiled houses. In 1787,
In 1850, Pachaiyappa's Hall, another landmark on the road, was built and named after the philanthropist Pachaiyappa Mudaliar. The building remains today with the ground floor being occupied by several shops.[2]
The road was one of the major junctions in the city when tram transportation began in 1895. The road also housed the Kothawal Chavadi market to where vegetables from various places around the city were brought. The market was considered the largest in Asia. The intense business in the market resulted in wholesale vegetable vendors renting the shops in the market on an hourly basis.[2] The market remained in the area till 1996, when it was shifted to Koyambedu.[3]
The road is also considered the origin of the jewellery market in the city. The road housed several gold and diamond merchants. The Madras Jewellers & Diamond Merchants' Association, which was established in 1938, was initially headquartered at China Bazaar Road. Later it was shifted to Car Street in Sowcarpet, but it again moved to its own premises on Badria Garden Lane, one of the several lanes of the road.[2]
The office of the
Landmarks
From the eastern side, the roads begins at the Parry's Corner and the eastern entrance of the
The present-day road
NSC Bose Road runs from Parry's Corner on the east to Wall Tax Road on the west for a length of 1.5 km. The width of the road ranges from 50 m near Parry's Corner to 10 m near Wall Tax Road junction. However, owing to congestion, less than one-third of the road remains motorable in many parts, chiefly between Wall Tax Road and Flower Bazaar.[6]
Despite the central business district of the city having moved gradually towards the south side, the road still remains an important commercial hub of the city.[2] The thoroughfare is the second biggest bullion market in the country. For a long time, it remained the nerve centre of the city till the principal bus terminus was shifted to Koyambedu in 2002. Wholesale businesses based in this area includes drugs, cosmetics, hardware, stationery, and grocery.[6] Every street radiating from the road is known for its own distinct business. For instance, Badrian Street located opposite the Flower Bazaar houses the city's retail flower trade. Although, the wholesale trade has been shifted to Koyambedu with the shifting of the Kothawal Chavadi market, there are still several shops on Badrian Street dealing with varieties of flowers. Devaraja Mudali Street, which lies closer to the Chenna Kesavaperumal temple, is famous for turmeric and kumkum powder meant for Hindu ritual purposes, with several shopkeepers having it as their family business.[2]
The tiled houses of the 18th and 19th centuries, many with a verandah on the top, have been gradually replaced with modern commercial complexes. However, there are few buildings that still remain on the western side of the NSC Bose Road and Govindappa Naicken Street.[2]
In January 2013, further to the public interest litigation petition filed in the court, the
See also
- Parry's Corner
- George Town
- History of Chennai
References
- ^ "Chennai High: Where history beckons". The Times of India. Chennai. 27 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Madhavan, T. (12 May 2012). "NSC Bose Road: Thoroughfare of George Town". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ISBN 978-81-88661-24-4.
- ^ Muthiah, S. (22 September 2008). "100 years of U.S. representation". The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Top 5 streets of George Town in Chennai". The Hindu. Chennai: Kasturi & Sons. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ^ a b Philip, Christin Mathew (14 March 2013). "No Freedom on Bose Road". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group.
- ^ "Broadway bus stand to get facelift". The Hindu. Chennai. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "கலக்கப் போகுது பிராட்வே பஸ் நிலையம்". Dinamalar. Chennai. 22 July 2012.
Bibliography
- Muthiah, S. (1981). Madras Discovered. East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd. p. 124.