Tamil Nadu Timeline

PoliticsRise of Dravidian rule

Death of C. N. Annadurai

· Anna Memorial

Death of C. N. Annadurai
Gowtham Sampath, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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

C. N. Annadurai died of cancer on 3 February 1969, about two years after becoming Chief Minister. His funeral procession in Madras drew an estimated 15 million people and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest attendance. He was buried at the northern end of Marina Beach, at the site now called Anna Memorial. V. R. Nedunchezhiyan served briefly as interim Chief Minister.

Related events

  1. 1967

    1. 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.

  2. 1969

    1. 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.

  3. 1972

    1. 25 Dec 1972ChennaiPolitics

      Death of C. Rajagopalachari

      C. Rajagopalachari, once Governor-General, Chief Minister of Madras and founder of the Swatantra Party, died in Madras at 94.

  4. 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.

  5. 1975

    1. 2 Oct 1975ChennaiPolitics

      Death of K. Kamaraj

      K. Kamaraj, former Chief Minister and Congress president, died in Madras and was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1976.

  6. 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.

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