| Theagaraya Nagar | |||
| — neighbourhood — | |||
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| Country | India | ||
| State | Tamil Nadu | ||
| Parliamentary constituency | Chennai South | ||
| Assembly constituency | Theagaraya Nagar | ||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) | ||
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Theagaraya Nagar (Tamil: தியாகராய நகர்), popularly known by its abbreviated form T. Nagar, is a neighbourhood in the city of Chennai, India. Though originally conceived as a residential locality, it is presently one of the principal shopping districts of the city.
Theagaraya Nagar was constructed between 1923 and 1925 by the Madras Presidency government of the Raja of Panagal as a part of town planning activities initiated according to the Madras Town Planning Act of 1920. The town was named after Justice Party leader Sir P. Theagaraya Chetty. The streets, parks and localities in the new neighbourhood were named after important officials in the provincial government.
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Thyagaraya Nagar is located about 10 km from the Chennai Airport and about 8 km from Chennai Central and is well connected to both by local train and bus services. It lies to the west of Mount Road (Anna Salai), and is loosely bordered by Saidapet and West Mambalam to the west, Nandanam to the south, and Nungambakkam to the north.
Until the turn of the 19th century, the villages to the west of Mount Road formed a part of Chingleput District. The Long Tank formed the western frontier of the city. The Long Tank was drained-out in 1923[1]. That very same year, the administration of the Mambalam zamindari, situated to the west of the Long Tank, was relinquished by its hereditary chief. During 1923-25, the township of "Theagaraya Nagar" named after Sir P. Theagaraya Chetty was carved out of the southern part of the erstwhile Mambalam zamindari. A park was developed at the centre of this new locality and was named in honor of the then Chief Minister, as Panagal Park. Soon afterwards, Pondy Bazaar began to make its appearance. According to historian S. Muthiah, it was initially known as 'Soundarapandia Bazaar' after Justice Party politician W. P. A. Soundarapandian Nadar.[2]. A well-planned residential area was created. Most of the streets in the new locality were named after provincial cabinet ministers, Justice Party bosses or officials in the administration.
From its early days, Theagaraya Nagar remained one of the most preferred residential localities in the city. The population grew exponentially during the 1930s. In its early days, film artists such as M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan, Vyjayanthimala, N. T. Rama Rao, Thangavelu, Manorama, Sivaji Ganesan and T. S. Balaiah set up their residences here.[3]
Localities of Thyagaraya Nagar include
Neighbourhood Area of Thyagaraya Nagar Include
T.Nagar's bazaars are frequented by a number of shoppers. On a typical weekend, the number of people who move about on Pondy Bazaar, the suburb's principal commercial area, might soar up to 500,000. During festival season, because of the discounts and reductions offered by dealers of silk sarees and jewellers, this number might reach 2 million.
Theagaraya Nagar is one of the busiest shopping districts of Chennai. There are a number of apparel, jewellery and utensil stores based in Theagaraya Nagar. Usman Road is the costliest commercial stretch in Chennai.[4] As of 2006, the real estate prices were Rs. 11,500 per square feet.[4]Wardrobes stores Nalli Chinnasamy Chetti and Naidu Hall are based in Theagarya Nagar. Other important wardrobe stores such as Pothys, Raymond, Garden Vareli, RmKV and The Chennai Silks also have their showrooms in Theagarya Nagar. Retail giant Saravana Stores has a wardrobe showroom and an utensils showroom in Theagaraya Nagar.
T.Nagar offers a variety of entertainment options. It has recently grown to become a major hub for the Carnatic music festival-season, with a number of sabhas (such as Vani Mahal and Bharath Kalachar) hosting famous performers.
It also has a number of parks, cricket grounds, and other recreational facilities. The RKM cricket ground adjoining GN Chetty road hosts division IV and V city-league games.
T.Nagar residents are an unusual mix of the traditional and the modern and this is reflected in the way the neighbourhood has been growing. Several new eateries have come up while at the same time, traditional restaurants are also packed. With the city extending its bed-time more every year, the locality has acquired a reputation of always being in the fast lane. The grand textile showrooms close very late at night, and their hoarding boards constantly illuminate the roads. Early in the morning, joggers and walkers take full advantage of the empty roads, with the fresh air that's so hard to come by in this area at all other times of the day. Panagal Park, Natesan Park and Jeeva Park all have their regular crowd and their walkers' associations are extremely active. T.Nagar is also a place of musical intellects. Lot of sabhas are very active during the December month.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is located on Venkatanarayana Road. It has a replica of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati. Darshan, accommodation and some arjita sevas (types of worshipping) and one-day trips to Tirumala are arranged here. There is also a Sringeri Shrada Peetham Mutt on Venkatanarayana Road. The Temple has a large ambient meditation hall. There is a Krishnan Koil in South West Boag Road. Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple is located in South Dhandapani Street. Agastiyar Temple is located in Raja Street. A Shiva-Vishnu temple is located near the bus depot. Krishna Raghavendra Mutt run by Udipi Pejawar Mutt is located in Raghaviah Road.
T.Nagar is easily accessible from most parts of the city by bus. The T.Nagar bus terminus off Usman Road is a hub for services operating via the commercial district, including routes to Mylapore, Kodambakkam, Avadi, Nungambakkam, Parrys Corner, Enore, Mannali, Tambaram, Ponnthamale, Thiruvanmiyur, Tiruvanmiyur, Ambattur, Pattabiram, Annanagar and Tiruvallur. There are also routes to various places in neighboring Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts.
Other important bus stops in T.Nagar are Panagal Park, Pondy Bazaar, Power House, and Vani Mahal.
T.Nagar is home to Ramakrishna Mission, Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao School, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary school (T.P.Road Branch - From Pre-KG to 8th grade), Holy Angels higher secondary school for girls, Sri Sankara Bala Vidyalaya H. Sec School,T.Nagar High School Adarsh Senior Secondary School, Shrine Vailankanni Sr. Sec School, Vidyodaya Schools, Karnataka Sangha school and MCN School. There are a number of private libraries with vast collections of books.
Most of the streets, landmarks and bazaars in T. Nagar have been named after administrators and politicians of the Justice Party.
| Year | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 48.6% 74,131 | 37.8% 57,654 |
| 2001 | 46.5% 55,376 | 48.6% 57,875 |
| 1996 | 24.1% 27,463 | 67.2% 76,461 |
| 1991 | 61.2% 64,460 | 31.5% 33,147 |
| 1989* | 21.5% 24,920 | 43.0% 49,772 |
| 1984 | 49.3% 49,038 | 40.3% 40,154 |
| 1980 | 50.6% 42,566 | 42.9% 36,100 |
| 1977 | 29.6% 22,316 | 30.9% 23,346 |
T. Nagar is known for voting against the trend, voting against the winning party, on 5 separate occasions, since 1962 assembly elections. It has also become a critical swing constituency, since it has become increasingly closer in recent years. It is worth noting that in the 2006 election, ADMK were able to significantly increase their vote share, winning with a margin of 10.8%. This is mostly due to the high satisfaction of the Jayalalithaa government from 2001-2006, due to significant development that took place in that time period in the T. Nagar area.
T. Nagar assembly constituency is part of Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency).[5]
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