Tamil Nadu Timeline

A history of modern Tamil Nadu, in order

1041 events from 1800 to today: the Polygar wars and colonial rule, the freedom struggle and the Dravidian movement, language politics, governments and their schemes, industry, culture and disasters. Each one cites its sources.

Search and filter everything in the explorer, or start with an era below.

Eras

  1. 1800 to 1857
    East India Company rule

    At the start of the nineteenth century the East India Company completed its hold over the Tamil country. The Polygar wars ended, the Carnatic and Thanjavur passed under Company control, and the Vellore Mutiny of 1806 shook the Madras Army.

    112
  2. 1858 to 1915
    British Crown rule

    After 1858 the British Crown governed the Madras Presidency directly. Railways, ports, canals and dams changed the economy, while the Great Famine of 1876 to 1878 showed how fragile rural life remained.

    138
  3. 1916 to 1947
    National and Dravidian movements

    From 1916 the Justice Party, the Self-Respect Movement and the Indian National Congress competed to shape the future of the Madras Presidency. Reservation in public jobs, temple entry, women's rights and the place of Tamil all became public questions.

    169
  4. 1947 to 1966
    Madras State (Congress era)

    In independent India the Madras State was governed by the Congress, first under leaders such as Rajaji and then under K. Kamaraj, whose years are remembered for schools, noon meals, dams and industry.

    95
  5. 1967 to 1976
    Rise of Dravidian rule

    In 1967 the DMK under C. N. Annadurai formed the first non-Congress government, and in 1969 the state was renamed Tamil Nadu. After Annadurai's death M. Karunanidhi became Chief Minister.

    76
  6. 1977 to 1988
    MGR era

    M. G. Ramachandran led the AIADMK to power in 1977 and remained Chief Minister until his death in December 1987. His governments are remembered especially for the nutritious noon meal scheme.

    77
  7. 1989 to 2016
    DMK-AIADMK alternation

    From 1989 to 2016 power alternated between the DMK under M. Karunanidhi and the AIADMK under J. Jayalalithaa. Both governments launched large welfare programmes, from free electricity for farmers to subsidised food and health insurance.

    249
  8. 2017 to now
    Contemporary Tamil Nadu

    After Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016 the state went through a period of political change, from the Marina jallikattu protests of 2017 and the Thoothukudi police firing of 2018 to the death of Karunanidhi the same year.

    125

Turning points

89 events that changed the course of the state's history.

  1. 1800

    1. 1800 to 1801SivagangaConflict

      Second Polygar War

      One year after Kattabomman was executed, a broad coalition of Tamil palayakkarars and their allies revolted against the East India Company.

  2. 1801

    1. 31 Jul 1801ChennaiGovernance

      Carnatic Treaty transfers the Carnatic to the Company

      Nawab Azim-ud-Daula signed the Carnatic Treaty, handing the civil and military administration of the Carnatic to the East India Company.

    2. 24 Oct 1801Tiruppathur, SivagangaConflict

      Execution of the Maruthu brothers

      Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu, rulers of Sivaganga and leaders of the 1800-01 rising, were hanged at Tiruppathur fort.

  3. 1806

    1. 10 Jul 1806Vellore FortConflict

      Vellore Mutiny

      Indian sepoys of the Madras Army rose against the East India Company at Vellore Fort over new dress regulations.

  4. 1820

    1. 1820 to 1827Fort St. GeorgeGovernance

      Thomas Munro becomes Governor of Madras

      Thomas Munro served as Governor of Madras, establishing revenue and administrative systems that lasted into the twentieth century.

    2. 1820ChennaiAgriculture

      Ryotwari system adopted in Madras Presidency

      Under Thomas Munro the ryotwari land revenue system, dealing directly with cultivators, became the main settlement in Madras.

  5. 1852

    1. 26 Feb 1852ChennaiPolitics

      Madras Native Association founded

      One of India's earliest Indian political bodies, the Madras Native Association, was set up by Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty.

  6. 1856

    1. 1856IdaiyangudiLanguage

      Caldwell's Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian languages

      With his Comparative Grammar, Robert Caldwell showed that the Dravidian languages make up a separate language family.

    2. 1 Jul 1856Royapuram railway stationInfrastructure

      First train in South India, Royapuram to Wallajah Road

      The Madras Railway opened South India's first railway line, from Royapuram in Madras to Wallajah Road near Arcot.

  7. 1857

    1. 5 Sep 1857University of MadrasEducation

      University of Madras founded

      An act of the Legislative Council incorporated the University of Madras, among the first three modern universities in India.

  8. 1858

    1. 1 Nov 1858ChennaiGovernance

      Crown takes over the government of India

      Following the Government of India Act 1858, a proclamation by Queen Victoria declared direct Crown rule over British India, the Madras Presidency included.

  9. 1861

    1. 1861ChennaiLegislation

      Indian Councils Act restores Madras legislative powers

      Through the Indian Councils Act 1861, the Madras Presidency regained law-making powers and gained an advisory Madras Legislative Council.

  10. 1862

    1. 26 Jun 1862Madras High CourtLaw Justice

      Madras High Court established

      Crown Letters Patent created the High Court of Judicature at Madras in place of the Supreme Court of Madras.

  11. 1876

    1. 1876 to 1878ChennaiDisaster

      Great Famine of 1876-1878

      Brought on by drought, a severe famine hit the Madras Presidency and other regions of India, killing millions.

  12. 1878

    1. 20 Sep 1878TriplicaneCulture

      The Hindu newspaper founded

      Founded in Madras as a weekly, The Hindu was started by the Triplicane Six, among them G. Subramania Iyer and M. Veeraraghavachariar.

  13. 1887

    1. 1887 to 1898KumbakonamLiterature

      U. V. Swaminatha Iyer publishes Jeevaka Chintamani

      U. V. Swaminatha Iyer published Jeevaka Chintamani, the first of his editions of classical Tamil works recovered from palm-leaf manuscripts.

  14. 1895

    1. 1895Mullaperiyar DamAgriculture

      Mullaperiyar Dam completed

      The Periyar dam, built under John Pennycuick between 1887 and 1895, began diverting water east to the Madurai region of the Madras Presidency.

  15. 1906

    1. 16 Oct 1906 to 1911ThoothukudiEconomy

      V. O. Chidambaram Pillai founds the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company

      To compete with British lines on the Tuticorin-Colombo route, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai registered an Indian-owned shipping firm.

  16. 1908

    1. 1908 to 1918PuducherryLiterature

      Subramania Bharati goes into exile in Pondicherry

      Facing an arrest warrant, the poet and journalist Subramania Bharati moved to French-ruled Pondicherry, where he lived for about ten years.

    2. 12 Mar 1908 to 12 Dec 1912TirunelveliProtest

      Arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Tirunelveli unrest

      The arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva on sedition charges set off unrest in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.

  17. 1911

    1. 17 Jun 1911ManiyachchiConflict

      Assassination of Collector Robert Ashe

      Vanchinathan shot dead Robert Ashe, Collector of Tinnevelly, at Maniyachchi railway station and then killed himself.

  18. 1916

    1. Sep 1916AdyarPolitics

      Annie Besant launches the Home Rule League at Adyar

      Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League at Adyar, Madras, to campaign for self-government within the British Empire.

    2. 20 Nov 1916Victoria Public HallPolitics

      South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice Party) founded

      Non-Brahmin leaders including C. Natesa Mudaliar, T. M. Nair and P. Theagaraya Chetty founded the South Indian Liberal Federation, later known as the Justice Party.

  19. 1919

    1. 6 Apr 1919ChennaiProtest

      Gandhi conceives the Rowlatt hartal in Madras

      While staying with C. Rajagopalachari in Madras, Gandhi conceived a nationwide hartal against the Rowlatt Act, observed on 6 April 1919.

    2. 23 Dec 1919ChennaiLegislation

      Government of India Act 1919 introduces dyarchy

      Based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, the Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, including Madras, transferring some subjects to elected ministers.

  20. 1920

    1. Nov 1920ChennaiPolitics

      Justice Party wins first Madras Legislative Council election

      The Justice Party won the first election held under the Montagu-Chelmsford dyarchy reforms in the Madras Presidency.

  21. 1921

    1. 1921ChennaiLegislation

      First Communal Government Order on reservation

      The Justice Party government issued the first Communal Government Order, reserving government posts for different communities.

  22. 1924

    1. 30 Mar 1924 to 23 Nov 1925VaikomSocial Reform

      Vaikom Satyagraha

      A satyagraha in Travancore demanded that people of oppressed castes be allowed to use the roads around the Vaikom temple; E. V. Ramasamy took part.

  23. 1925

    1. 1925KanchipuramSocial Reform

      Periyar leaves Congress and starts the Self-Respect Movement

      After his resolution on communal representation was not allowed at the Kanchipuram conference, E. V. Ramasamy left the Congress and began the Self-Respect Movement.

  24. 1926

    1. 1926ChennaiSocial Reform

      Muthulakshmi Reddy becomes first woman legislator in India

      Doctor and reformer Muthulakshmi Reddy was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council, becoming the first woman legislator in British India.

  25. 1929

    1. Feb 1929ChengalpattuSocial Reform

      First Provincial Self-Respect Conference at Chengalpattu

      The first provincial conference of the Self-Respect Movement at Chengalpattu passed resolutions against caste and for women's rights.

  26. 1930

    1. 13 Apr 1930 to 28 Apr 1930VedaranyamProtest

      Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha

      C. Rajagopalachari led a march from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam to break the salt law, the Tamil counterpart of the Dandi March.

  27. 1934

    1. 1934Mettur DamInfrastructure

      Mettur Dam completed

      The Mettur Dam across the Cauvery was completed, creating the Stanley Reservoir and expanding irrigation in the delta.

  28. 1937

    1. 14 Jul 1937 to Oct 1939ChennaiGovernance

      C. Rajagopalachari forms first Congress ministry

      C. Rajagopalachari became Premier of Madras at the head of the first Congress government in the Presidency.

    2. 11 Aug 1937 to 21 Feb 1940ChennaiLanguage

      Compulsory Hindi order and first anti-Hindi agitation

      The Rajaji government's move to make Hindi compulsory in schools triggered a large anti-Hindi agitation led by Periyar, the Justice Party and Tamil scholars.

  29. 1939

    1. 8 Jul 1939Meenakshi TempleSocial Reform

      Dalits enter Madurai Meenakshi Temple

      A. Vaidyanatha Iyer led a group of Dalits and Nadars into the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, defying orthodox opposition.

  30. 1944

    1. 27 Aug 1944SalemPolitics

      Justice Party becomes Dravidar Kazhagam at Salem

      Meeting at Salem, the Justice Party, now led by Periyar, took the name Dravidar Kazhagam and gave up contesting elections.

  31. 1947

    1. 15 Aug 1947Fort St. GeorgePolitics

      India becomes independent; Madras Province

      India gained independence and the Madras Presidency became Madras Province of the Dominion of India; Periyar called it a day of mourning.

  32. 1949

    1. 17 Sep 1949RoyapuramPolitics

      Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founded

      Breaking away from Periyar's Dravidar Kazhagam, C. N. Annadurai and his associates formed the DMK in Madras.

  33. 1950

    1. 26 Jan 1950 to 14 Jan 1969ChennaiGovernance

      Madras State established under the Constitution

      With the Constitution of India in force, the Madras Province became Madras State, a Part A state of the Indian Republic.

  34. 1951

    1. Apr 1951New DelhiLaw Justice

      Supreme Court strikes down the Communal G.O. in Champakam Dorairajan case

      Madras State's caste-based Communal Government Order on college admissions was struck down by the Supreme Court.

    2. 18 Jun 1951New DelhiLegislation

      First Amendment enables reservation for backward classes

      Parliament passed the First Amendment, allowing special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes.

  35. 1953

    1. 18 Jun 1953 to 18 May 1954ChennaiEducation

      Rajaji's Modified Scheme of Elementary Education

      Rajaji's two-shift school scheme, criticised as Kula Kalvi Thittam (hereditary education), triggered protests and was later dropped.

    2. 1 Oct 1953KurnoolGovernance

      Andhra State carved out of Madras State

      The Telugu-speaking northern districts were separated from Madras State to form Andhra State, with Madras city remaining in Madras State.

  36. 1954

    1. 13 Apr 1954 to 2 Oct 1963ChennaiPolitics

      K. Kamaraj becomes Chief Minister

      After Rajaji's resignation, K. Kamaraj became Chief Minister of Madras State and served for over nine years.

    2. 1 Nov 1954PuducherryDiplomacy

      French India transferred de facto to India after the Kizhoor referendum

      After the Kizhoor referendum, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe passed de facto from France to the Indian Union.

  37. 1956

    1. 1956 to 1963ChennaiWelfare

      Kamaraj expands free schooling and midday meals

      The Kamaraj government opened thousands of schools, extended free education and expanded free midday meals for schoolchildren.

    2. 1 Nov 1956KanyakumariGovernance

      States Reorganisation redraws Madras State

      Malabar and South Canara left Madras State while Kanyakumari district and Shenkottai taluk were added, leaving a Tamil-majority state.

  38. 1964

    1. 1964New DelhiPolitics

      Kamaraj becomes Congress president and 'kingmaker'

      As president of the Indian National Congress, K. Kamaraj guided the selection of two Prime Ministers.

  39. 1965

    1. 25 Jan 1965 to Mar 1965MaduraiProtest

      1965 anti-Hindi agitation

      Student-led protests against Hindi becoming the sole official language turned into statewide riots, with police firing and self-immolations.

  40. 1967

    1. Feb 1967ChennaiPolitics

      DMK wins the 1967 Assembly election

      A DMK-led alliance defeated the Congress, ending Congress rule in Madras State; Kamaraj lost his own seat.

    2. 6 Mar 1967 to 3 Feb 1969Fort St. GeorgePolitics

      C. N. Annadurai becomes Chief Minister

      C. N. Annadurai was sworn in as the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Madras State since independence, heading a DMK government.

  41. 1968

    1. 23 Jan 1968Fort St. GeorgeLanguage

      Assembly adopts the two-language policy

      The Madras Legislative Assembly scrapped the three-language formula and removed Hindi from the school curriculum, adopting Tamil and English.

    2. 25 Dec 1968KilvenmaniConflict

      Kilvenmani massacre

      Around 44 Dalit agricultural labourers' family members, mostly women and children, were burnt to death at Kilvenmani in Thanjavur district.

  42. 1969

    1. 14 Jan 1969ChennaiGovernance

      Madras State renamed Tamil Nadu

      With the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 in force, the state officially took the name Tamil Nadu.

    2. 3 Feb 1969Anna MemorialPolitics

      Death of C. N. Annadurai

      Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai died of cancer; his funeral was recorded as one of the largest ever attended.

    3. 10 Feb 1969 to 31 Jan 1976Fort St. GeorgePolitics

      M. Karunanidhi becomes Chief Minister

      M. Karunanidhi succeeded Annadurai as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and later became president of the DMK.

  43. 1971

    1. 1971ChennaiSocial Reform

      Reservation raised to 49 percent

      The DMK government raised the backward classes quota from 25 to 31 percent and the SC/ST quota from 16 to 18 percent.

  44. 1972

    1. 17 Oct 1972ChennaiPolitics

      MGR expelled from DMK; AIADMK founded

      After demanding that DMK ministers declare their assets, M. G. Ramachandran was expelled and launched the Anna DMK.

  45. 1973

    1. 24 Dec 1973VelloreSocial Reform

      Death of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

      Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, founder of the Self-Respect Movement and leader of the Dravidar Kazhagam, died in Vellore aged 94.

  46. 1974

    1. 1974KaveriAgriculture

      Expiry of the 1924 Kaveri agreement

      The 50-year Madras-Mysore agreement of 1924 on Kaveri waters expired, opening a long inter-state dispute with Karnataka.

    2. 16 Apr 1974Fort St. George, IndiaPolitics

      Assembly adopts state autonomy resolution

      Chief Minister Karunanidhi moved a resolution in the Assembly demanding state autonomy, based on the Rajamannar Committee's recommendations.

  47. 1975

    1. 25 Jun 1975 to 21 Mar 1977New DelhiPolitics

      National Emergency declared

      Indira Gandhi's government declared a national Emergency; the DMK government in Tamil Nadu opposed it.

  48. 1976

    1. 31 Jan 1976 to 30 Jun 1977ChennaiPolitics

      Karunanidhi government dismissed; President's rule imposed

      During the Emergency the Union government dismissed the DMK ministry and imposed President's rule in Tamil Nadu.

  49. 1977

    1. 30 Jun 1977ChennaiPolitics

      AIADMK wins assembly election, M. G. Ramachandran becomes Chief Minister

      The AIADMK-led alliance won the 1977 assembly election and M. G. Ramachandran was sworn in as Chief Minister.

  50. 1980

    1. 21 Jan 1980ChennaiSocial Reform

      Income ceiling withdrawn, backward class quota raised to 50%

      After electoral setbacks, the MGR government withdrew the income ceiling and raised the backward class quota from 31% to 50%.

  51. 1982

    1. 1 Jul 1982ChennaiWelfare

      Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme launched

      MGR's government expanded the school midday meal into a universal Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme for children across Tamil Nadu.

  52. 1983

    1. 24 Jul 1983 to 29 Jul 1987RameswaramConflict

      Black July and the arrival of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees

      Anti-Tamil pogroms in Sri Lanka in July 1983 sent the first large wave of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Tamil Nadu.

  53. 1987

    1. 24 Dec 1987Marina BeachPolitics

      Death of M. G. Ramachandran

      Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran died in office in Madras; he was buried at Marina Beach next to the Anna memorial.

  54. 1989

    1. Jan 1989 to 30 Jan 1991ChennaiPolitics

      DMK returns to power, Karunanidhi Chief Minister again

      After 13 years in opposition, the DMK won the January 1989 assembly election and M. Karunanidhi became Chief Minister for the third time.

  55. 1991

    1. 21 May 1991SriperumbudurConflict

      Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur

      Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber at an election rally in Sriperumbudur.

    2. 24 Jun 1991 to 12 May 1996ChennaiPolitics

      Jayalalithaa becomes Chief Minister for the first time

      The AIADMK-Congress alliance swept the June 1991 election and J. Jayalalithaa became Chief Minister, the youngest in the state's history at the time.

  56. 1994

    1. Aug 1994ChennaiLegislation

      69% reservation Act placed in the Ninth Schedule

      Through the 76th Amendment, the Constitution's Ninth Schedule came to include Tamil Nadu's 1993 law that kept reservation at 69%.

  57. 1996

    1. May 1996 to May 2001ChennaiPolitics

      DMK-TMC alliance wins 1996 election

      The DMK-TMC alliance won 221 of 234 assembly seats and all 39 Lok Sabha seats; M. Karunanidhi became Chief Minister for the fourth time.

    2. 17 Jul 1996ChennaiGovernance

      Madras officially renamed Chennai

      The Tamil Nadu government officially changed the capital's name from Madras to Chennai.

  58. 1998

    1. 14 Feb 1998CoimbatoreConflict

      Coimbatore serial bombings

      Twelve bombs exploded across Coimbatore, killing 58 people, ahead of a campaign meeting by BJP leader L. K. Advani.

  59. 2004

    1. Oct 2004ChennaiLanguage

      Tamil declared a classical language

      The Government of India declared Tamil the first classical language of India.

    2. 26 Dec 2004NagapattinamDisaster

      2004 Indian Ocean tsunami strikes the Tamil Nadu coast

      The tsunami after the Sumatra earthquake killed about 8,000 people in Tamil Nadu, with Nagapattinam the worst-hit district.

  60. 2014

    1. 27 Sep 2014 to 23 May 2015BengaluruLaw Justice

      Jayalalithaa convicted in disproportionate assets case

      A Bengaluru special court convicted Jayalalithaa, forcing her to resign; the Karnataka High Court acquitted her in 2015 and she returned as Chief Minister.

  61. 2015

    1. Nov 2015 to Dec 2015ChennaiDisaster

      2015 Chennai floods

      Extremely heavy north-east monsoon rains flooded Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore, killing hundreds of people.

  62. 2016

    1. 5 Dec 2016ChennaiPolitics

      Death of J. Jayalalithaa

      Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa died at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, after a 75-day hospitalisation; O. Panneerselvam was sworn in the same night.

  63. 2017

    1. 17 Jan 2017 to 23 Jan 2017Marina BeachProtest

      Pro-jallikattu protests at Marina Beach

      Mass protests led largely by students and youth at Marina Beach forced an ordinance and then a state law allowing jallikattu.

    2. 16 Feb 2017 to 7 May 2021ChennaiPolitics

      Sasikala convicted; Edappadi K. Palaniswami becomes Chief Minister

      After the Supreme Court restored V. K. Sasikala's conviction, AIADMK legislators chose Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister.

  64. 2018

    1. 22 May 2018ThoothukudiProtest

      Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite police firing

      Police fired on protesters marching against the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people; the state ordered the plant closed.

    2. 7 Aug 2018Marina BeachPolitics

      Death of M. Karunanidhi

      Former Chief Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi died in Chennai and was buried at Marina Beach after a High Court ruling.

  65. 2020

    1. 7 Mar 2020 to 2022ChennaiHealth

      COVID-19 pandemic reaches Tamil Nadu

      Tamil Nadu reported its first COVID-19 case in March 2020; the pandemic brought lockdowns and two severe waves.

  66. 2021

    1. 7 May 2021 to 10 May 2026ChennaiPolitics

      DMK wins 2021 election; M. K. Stalin becomes Chief Minister

      The DMK-led alliance won the 2021 Assembly election and M. K. Stalin was sworn in as Chief Minister for the first time.

  67. 2025

    1. 8 Apr 2025New DelhiLaw Justice

      Supreme Court rules against Governor's withholding of bills

      The Supreme Court held that Governor R. N. Ravi acted illegally in withholding assent to ten re-passed bills and set timelines for Governors.

  68. 2026

    1. 10 May 2026ChennaiPolitics

      TVK wins most seats in 2026; Vijay becomes Chief Minister

      In its first election the TVK became the largest party with 108 seats, and C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister with the support of allies.

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