Death

Tamil scholar F. W. Ellis dies at Ramnad

Francis Whyte Ellis, Collector of Madras and founder of the College of Fort St. George, died of cholera on 10 March 1819 at Ramnad.

Death of Nawab Azim-ud-Daula; Azam Jah succeeds

Azim-ud-Daula, the Nawab of the Carnatic who had signed away his civil administration to the Company in 1801, died and was succeeded by Azam Jah.

Bishop Reginald Heber dies at Tiruchirappalli

Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta and hymn-writer, died suddenly at Trichinopoly during a tour of South India.

Death of composer Syama Sastri

Syama Sastri, the eldest of the Trinity of Carnatic music, died in 1827.

Governor Thomas Munro dies of cholera

Sir Thomas Munro, Governor of Madras and architect of the ryotwari system, died of cholera at Pattikonda while on tour.

Death of Serfoji II of Thanjavur

Serfoji II, Thanjavur's scholarly ruler who had handed its administration to the Company in 1799, passed away.

Death of composer Muthuswami Dikshitar

Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, died at Ettayapuram on Deepavali day.

Death of missionary C. T. E. Rhenius at Palayamkottai

C. T. E. Rhenius, the missionary known as the Apostle of Tirunelveli, died at Palayamkottai.

Death of Tyagaraja

Tyagaraja, the most celebrated composer of the Carnatic Trinity, died at Thiruvaiyaru on the banks of the Kaveri.

Ayya Vaikundar's mission ends

Ayyavazhi tradition records that Ayya Vaikundar's earthly mission ended on 2 June 1851.

Governor Lord Hobart dies in office

Lord Hobart, Governor of Madras since May 1872, died unexpectedly of typhoid at Government House, Madras.

Great Famine of 1876-1878

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

Death of Tamil scholar Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai

The poet Mahavidwan Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, teacher of U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, died and left behind a large hoard of palm-leaf manuscripts.

Death of Shaiva reformer Arumuka Navalar

Arumuka Navalar, the Jaffna scholar who revived Shaiva Tamil learning in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu and printed early Tamil classics, died.

Influenza pandemic reaches Madras

The 1918 influenza pandemic reached Madras by the end of June 1918 and caused heavy mortality across the presidency.

Death of Srinivasa Ramanujan

The self-taught mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan died in Madras at the age of 32, a year after returning from Cambridge.

Death of Subramania Bharati

The poet and nationalist Subramania Bharati died in Madras, leaving a body of work central to modern Tamil literature.

Death of P. Theagaraya Chetty

P. Theagaraya Chetty, a founder and leader of the Justice Party and of the non-Brahmin movement, died in Madras.

Death of the Raja of Panagal

Panaganti Ramarayaningar, the Raja of Panagal and Justice Party First Minister from 1921 to 1926, died in Madras.

Death of Annie Besant at Adyar

Annie Besant, Theosophical Society president and Home Rule leader, died at Adyar in Madras.

Death of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

Nationalist pioneer V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, who had started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, died in Thoothukudi.

Death of S. Satyamurti

Congress leader S. Satyamurti, a former Mayor of Madras and mentor of K. Kamaraj, died in Madras.

Death of Ramana Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai

The sage Ramana Maharshi died at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, where he had lived for over five decades.

Death of writer Kalki Krishnamurthy

Kalki R. Krishnamurthy, journalist and author of popular Tamil historical novels, died in Madras.

Ariyalur train accident

A train fell into the Marudaiyaru river near Ariyalur after a bridge collapsed in heavy rain, killing over 150 passengers.

Death of Muthuramalinga Thevar

Forward Bloc leader U. Muthuramalinga Thevar, an influential figure in southern Tamil Nadu, died on the eve of his birthday.

Death of poet Bharathidasan

Bharathidasan, the rationalist Tamil poet influenced by Subramania Bharati and Periyar, died in Madras.

Death of C. N. Annadurai

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

Death of C. Rajagopalachari

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

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.

Death of K. Kamaraj

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

Kamaraj awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously

Former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, who died in October 1975, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.

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.

M. G. Ramachandran awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously

M. G. Ramachandran, the former Chief Minister who had died in December 1987, was honoured posthumously with the Bharat Ratna, India's top civilian award.

Mahamaham stampede at Kumbakonam

A stampede at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam during the 12-yearly festival killed 48 pilgrims.

Erwadi mental home fire

Chained to their beds, 28 inmates died when fire swept through a faith-based mental asylum at Erwadi.

Kumbakonam school fire

A fire at a school in Kumbakonam killed 94 children after a thatched roof caught fire, leading to new school safety rules.

Veerappan killed in Operation Cocoon

The forest brigand Veerappan was killed by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force near Dharmapuri, ending a decades-long manhunt.

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.

2005 Chennai floods and relief camp stampedes

Heavy north-east monsoon rain flooded Chennai, and two stampedes at relief distribution camps killed more than 50 people.

Sivakasi fireworks factory explosion

Forty people died and over 70 were hurt when an explosion hit the Om Sakthi fireworks factory near Sivakasi.

Moulivakkam building collapse

An eleven-storey apartment block under construction collapsed at Moulivakkam in Chennai, killing 61 people, mostly construction workers.

2015 Chennai floods

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

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.

Death of S. Anitha and the NEET protests

Dalit student S. Anitha, who had challenged NEET in the Supreme Court, died by suicide, triggering protests across the state.

Cyclone Ockhi strikes Kanyakumari

Cyclone Ockhi caused heavy damage in Kanyakumari district and many fishermen out at sea were lost.

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.

Helicopter crash near Coonoor kills General Bipin Rawat

An Indian Air Force Mi-17V-5 crashed in the Nilgiris, killing Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 others.

Death of Vijayakanth

Actor and DMDK founder Vijayakanth, a former Leader of the Opposition, died in Chennai.

Kallakurichi illicit liquor deaths

Methanol-laced illicit liquor killed more than 60 people in Kallakurichi district.

Cyclone Fengal brings record rain to Viluppuram

Cyclone Fengal crossed the coast near Puducherry and caused extreme rainfall, flooding and a landslide in northern Tamil Nadu.

Karur crowd crush at TVK rally

A crowd crush at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam campaign rally addressed by Vijay in Karur killed 41 people.