Monday, January 2, 2012

Forgotten pedestal

Few people know why Cenotaph Road is called so; fewer still would have had the patience to figure out where the components of the cenotaph are located today. 

The original cupola, housing the statue of the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, remains untraceable. It's last shelter is now outside, on the grounds of the Fort St George, while the statue itself frowns imperiously on the visitors entering the Fort Museum. The base of the statue has this description of why it was erected. Maybe it is still not in tune with the wishes of Chennai's citizens, but Cenotaph Road has been spared the spate of renaming that the city's roads have been subjected to... and has remained the same for over 211 years, now!




6 comments:

PS Narsesh said...

Good information.

Carine said...

Shantaram,
Please find enclosed my email address for corresponding: carineviac@yahoo.fr
Looking forward to hearing from you back !
Kind regards
Carine

Mohan Balki - YoZenMind Counseling Psychologist, Chennai, India. said...

I am a Chennaite plus my fore fathers too. Your blog seems Interesting and i have gone through it a bit and parcel now. I will read all the rest and willing to follow your articles which are about to come. I must appreciate your passion on Chennai and its bygone monuments. I will get it touch with you. If time permits i will meet you some time!
Regards,
yozenbalki,
www.yozenmind.com

Nirmal said...

HI,

this is nice piece of info... i have gone through the roads multiple times, but have never even thought about it.

Nirmal
https://nomadbird.wordpress.com
https://nomadbird.blogspot.in

Raj said...

I used to stay at 23, Cenotaph road for close to 8 years and never knew why it was called so. And the best part is that I simply cherished the Cornwallis statue which is beneath the stairs in the Fort Musuem. Its absolutely thrilling to know they both are so well connected. Great way to trace back to history.

Shantaram said...

@ Narsesh: Thank you.
@ Carine: I'm sorry - have been away from blogging for a few months! Will send you an email separately.
@ Mohan: Thank you for the kind words. I'm sure we'll meet sooner than later - will connect up!
@ Nirmal: Thank you. Your blogs look interesting!
@ Raj: Glad you found it "thrilling" :) Guess you're away from Chennai now?