From Kottur to Kotturpuram – adding to the city’s kaleidoscopic heritage

-- by Sriram V.

In my quest for new locations where I could conduct heritage walks, outside the beaten track of the old city that is, I organised one at Kotturpuram on Saturday, October 24. It was well attended, including among others the local ward councillor and some of his associates. More importantly, it helped throw light on the rich past of what to most people is a modern, upmarket, housing district. As is usual in such explorations, I learnt a lot more than what I set out with.

The walk beganat the intersection of Gandhi Mandapam and Vellaiyan Roads. As you face Guindy at this point, there is to your right a network of streets all of which is modern development. Most of these well laid out and beautifully maintained thoroughfares commemorate members of the Murugappa family. But the old name for the area, which is still in use is Nawab Gardens. This takes us to a time when much of Kottur was a hunting preserve of the Nawabs of Arcot. There is of course a far older history to the area but we will come to that later. Suffice it to say that by the 18th century much of Kottur was in the possession of the Nawab.

He was perennially short of money and so many of his properties changed hands frequently. Kottur came under the ownership of Sir Edward John Gambier, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Madras in the 19th century. It seems to have been bought and sold repeatedly thereafter, finally coming into the possession of S. Sankaran the son of Justice Dr. S. Subramanya Aiyar, Judge of the High Court of Madras. That was early in the 20th century. Legend has it that Sankaran purchased the land speculating that this was where the Nizam of Hyderabad would build his Madras palace. That however never came to be and he was saddled with a large piece of real estate he did not want. Sankaran’s financial troubles seem to have brought the property to auction in 1926. The two bidders were S.Rm.M. (later Raja Sir) Annamalai Chettiar and (afterwards Dewan Bahadur) AMM Murugappa Chettiar. As per S. Muthiah in his book Looking Back from Moulmein, which is the biography of AMM Arunachalam the land was vested in the name of the wife of Dr. S. Subramania Aiyar and so it was only in 1947, following her death, that the two Chettiars obtained possession. However, this seems to be incorrect as Subramanya Iyer’s wife Lakshmi Ammal had passed away in 1884 itself. Very likely it was Sankaran’s wife who owned the property. Legend once again has it that faced with the prospect of dividing the land the two Chettiars tossed a coin and Raja Sir Annamalai got what was to the left of Gandhi Mandapam Road and Murugappa Chettiar got what was to the right. They also planned out the width of the road dividing their properties – Murugappa Chettiar opined 60 feet would be enough while Annamalai Chettiar suggested 80 feet and his view prevailed. Even today Gandhi Mandapam Road is 80 feet in width.

Interestingly that is a new name for in the 1950s this was just a dirt track with a lot of overgrowth. But by the early 1950s development came to the area when M.A. Chidambaram, the younger son of Raja Sir Annamalai inherited his father’s land holdings in Nawab Garden. Having driven over one day in a lorry, such being the condition of the property, he decided that he would build his house here. All it contained apart from acres of wild growth was a ruined hunting lodge. Architect Kiffin Ray Peterson designed what would be named Adyar House and therefore the road in front of it came to be known as Adyar House Road, later to be named Gandhi Mandapam Road. The exquisitely designed mansion still survives in much of its original expanse. It must be mentioned here that a part to the south was sold off when Chdambaram and his son AC Muthiah decided to promote SPIC, the fertilizer company. On the riverside, within the same property is Adyar Villa, the house of AC Muthiah. By the side of Adyar Villa is what is known as River View Road, though of river you get no view as a high wall has been constructed to prevent flooding.

However, deluges happen with unfailing regularity, thanks in part due to the construction of slum tenements by the Government on the riverbed itself, much against professional advice. This is where there are other large houses one being Riviera which is the residence of MA Chidambaram’s daughter Seetha and by its side is the residence where the noted statesman C. Subramaniam lived in the second half of his life. Kotturpuram has had over times as its residents several prominent personalities including former Presidents of India, R. Venkataraman and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the noted singers D.K. Pattammal and M.S. Subbulakshmi.

On the right side of Gandhi Mandapam Road, as I said earlier is the part that was developed by the Murugappa family. Road names here commemorate this. Ambadi Road, interestingly is named after Ambadi Investments, the holding company of the group and under whose auspices the business house began in India almost a century ago. Vellaiyan Road is named in memory of the second son of Dewan Bahadur Murugappa Chettiar who was sadly shot dead in Burma in 1948. Valliammal Road commemorates Murugappa Chettiar’s wife. Murugappa Road could well be commemorating the patriarch himself or his eldest son AMM Murugappa. Arunachalam Road commemorates AMM Arunachalam, Murugappa Chettiar’s youngest son and for long the guiding light of the family’s businesses and trusts. The AMM School, promoted by the AMM Foundation, which is the CSR arm of the Murugappa Group, functions on the opposite side of Gandhi Mandapam Road. Begun in 1985 with two students, it now is a flourishing institution.

The Adyar, viewed from Kotturpuram.

The Ferry Road.

Behind all of these is Ranjit Road. There is a very interesting history behind the name. It was in the 1920s that M. Rajagopal Naidu, working till then in Addison & Co decided to set out on his own and become entrepreneur. Rajagopal Motor Works on Mount Road became a very successful entity dealing in automobile chassis and in car servicing. Rajagopal Naidu expanded this into a clutch of businesses which included bus transport in Tirumala, cinema theaters in Tirupati and finally by the 1950s, manufacturing. It was he who founded Engine Valves Limited which following his early demise in the 1950s was acquired by Rane Madras Limited and would lay the seed for what would become today’s Rane group.

Shortly before his demise, Rajagopal Naidu had embarked on manufacturing typewriters in collaboration with a Swedish company. His son M.R. Pratap felt that the potential was huge in this business and having settled all the other interests on other family members focused on the typewriter company. A manufacturing facility for Halda typewriters came up in Guindy and this is still remembered in name though factory and typewriter do not exist any longer. In order to facilitate an easy commute to the factory M.R. Pratap bought ten acres of land by the river and built his house Villa Enchantress which still remains the family residence. The road leading to it he named after his son Ranjit.

Branching off Ranjit Road towards the river is Ferry Road. A short stretch, it slopes sharply towards the river before rising again owing to an embankment. At the end of Ferry Road you see a short set of steps leading to the river. More details of it are provided in the first page, in the Heritage Watch column. Also by Ranjit Road is the Anna Centenary Library, set up by the Government in 48 acres of land. It has become a hugely popular amenity for the city.

As you walk along the river towards the north, you come to a huge tombstone, under a banyan tree. This is where Baba Fariduddin lies. Not much is known about him, and he was very likely a holy man whom the Nawabs revered.

If Kottupuram is largely 17th century and later, Kottur, which lies on the opposite side is even older. More on that in the next issue.

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