Sowcarpet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sowcarpet is a sprawling locality in the north of Chennai. It is a major business area which houses a range of wholesale markets. It is well known for its narrow streets and violated buildings, which has violated the building norms, in Chennai city.
It is dominated by a majority north Indian community. Marwari moneylenders and businessmen from northern India (mainly from Gujarat and Rajasthan) settled in and around the area in the 1950s.
The name Sowcarpet is a polyglot mix of Sahukar (Hindi for "moneylender") and pettai (Tamil for "neighbourhood").
There is also many later 19th century temples in this area, which has to be noted for its cultural reflections of the people of those days in the Chennai City. Kasi Viswanather Temple is one such temple with various celebrations taking places on various occasions, continuously for many decades with the presence of the local communities.
