Freedom Struggle

Second Polygar War

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

Jambudweep proclamation of the Maruthu brothers

The Maruthu brothers issued a proclamation calling on all people of the peninsula, whatever their religion, to fight the British.

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.

Execution of Oomaithurai

Oomaithurai, brother of Kattabomman, was captured and hanged at Panchalankurichi with Sevathaiah, ending the Second Polygar War.

Execution of Dheeran Chinnamalai

Dheeran Chinnamalai, a Kongu chieftain who fought the Company for several years, was hanged at Sankagiri Fort.

Madras Native Association founded

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

Birth of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, later the founder of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, was born at Ottapidaram in Tirunelveli district.

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.

Birth of C. Rajagopalachari

C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), later Chief Minister of Madras and the last Governor-General of India, was born at Thorapalli.

Swadesamitran Tamil newspaper launched

G. Subramania Iyer started Swadesamitran, the first Tamil newspaper owned and run by Indians, in Madras.

Birth of poet Subramania Bharati

Subramania Bharati, a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and a nationalist journalist, was born at Ettayapuram.

Madras Mahajana Sabha formed

The Madras Mahajana Sabha, an early political association of educated Indians in the Madras Presidency, was formed in 1884.

Birth of Subramania Siva

Subramania Siva, independence activist, writer and associate of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, was born at Batlagundu.

Madras delegates at the first Indian National Congress

Of the 72 delegates at the first session of the Indian National Congress in Bombay, 22 came from the Madras Presidency.

Indian National Congress holds first Madras session

The third session of the Indian National Congress met in Madras under the presidency of Badruddin Tyabji.

Congress session in Madras presided by Alfred Webb

In December 1894 Madras hosted the tenth Indian National Congress session, presided over by Alfred Webb, an Irish nationalist MP.

Congress session in Madras presided by Ananda Mohan Bose

The fourteenth session of the Indian National Congress met in Madras in December 1898 under Ananda Mohan Bose.

Congress session in Madras presided by Lalmohan Ghosh

The nineteenth Congress session met in Madras in December 1903; president Lalmohan Ghosh called for compulsory primary education.

Kasturi Ranga Iyengar acquires The Hindu

S. Kasturi Ranga Iyengar bought The Hindu in 1905; it has remained with his family since.

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.

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.

Coral Mill strike in Tuticorin

Led by V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva, Coral Mill workers in Tuticorin struck against poor pay and harsh conditions.

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.

Congress session in Madras after the Surat split

A year after the Congress split at Surat, the moderate-led Congress met in Madras in December 1908 under Rash Behari Ghosh.

Sri Aurobindo settles in Pondicherry

Facing continued British repression, Bengali nationalist Aurobindo Ghose moved to French Pondicherry in April 1910.

Assassination of Collector Robert Ashe

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

Congress session in Madras presided by Bhupendra Nath Bose

The Indian National Congress held its 1914 annual session in Madras under Bhupendra Nath Bose, months after the First World War began.

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.

Annie Besant interned

The Madras government interned Annie Besant at a hill station for her Home Rule activities, provoking protests across India.

Periyar joins the Indian National Congress

E. V. Ramasamy of Erode, later known as Periyar, joined the Indian National Congress, beginning a political career that later led to the Self-Respect Movement.

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.

Thiru. Vi. Ka. launches Navasakthi

Tamil scholar and labour leader Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram started the Tamil weekly Navasakthi.

Gandhi adopts the loincloth at Madurai

During a tour of the Madras Presidency, Mahatma Gandhi gave up his full attire and began wearing only a loincloth at Madurai.

Death of Subramania Bharati

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

Singaravelar chairs first Communist conference at Kanpur

M. Singaravelu, a labour leader from Madras, presided over the founding convention of the Communist Party of India in Kanpur.

S. Srinivasa Iyengar presides over Gauhati Congress

S. Srinivasa Iyengar, a Swarajist leader from Madras, was president of the Indian National Congress at its Gauhati session.

Neill Statue Satyagraha

Nationalists in Madras campaigned for the removal of the statue of Colonel James Neill from Mount Road.

Madras session of the Indian National Congress

The annual Congress session held in Madras under M. A. Ansari called for complete independence and a boycott of the Simon Commission.

Simon Commission boycott in Madras

Protesters in Madras demonstrated against the Simon Commission, and T. Prakasam famously defied police during the protest.

Muthulakshmi Reddy resigns over Gandhi's arrest

Muthulakshmi Reddy resigned from the Madras Legislative Council in protest against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi during civil disobedience.

Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha

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

The Indian Express founded in Madras

P. Varadarajulu Naidu started the English daily The Indian Express in Madras; it was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka.

Death of Tiruppur Kumaran

Freedom fighter Tiruppur Kumaran died of injuries from a police assault during a protest march, holding the national flag.

Death of Annie Besant at Adyar

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

Dinamani launched

The Tamil daily Dinamani published its first edition on 11 September; it later became part of the Indian Express group.

Death of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

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

Thyaga Bhoomi released and banned

Thyaga Bhoomi, K. Subramanyam's nationalist film adapted from a Kalki story, was banned by the British administration after release.

Subhas Chandra Bose received in Madurai

After launching the Forward Bloc, Subhas Chandra Bose visited Madurai, where Muthuramalinga Thevar organised his reception.

Congress ministry resigns over the Second World War

The Rajagopalachari ministry resigned in protest against the Viceroy declaring India at war without consultation, and Governor's rule followed.

K. Kamaraj becomes TNCC president

K. Kamaraj was elected president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, beginning his rise as the leading Congress organiser in the region.

Kalki magazine launched

Writer R. Krishnamurthy (Kalki) and T. Sadasivam launched the Tamil weekly Kalki, which serialised popular historical novels.

Kamaraj elected Virudhunagar municipal chairman while in jail

While imprisoned for opposing war contributions, K. Kamaraj was elected chairman of the Virudhunagar municipality.

Rajagopalachari resigns from Congress over Pakistan resolution

C. Rajagopalachari left the Congress after his proposals to negotiate with the Muslim League were rejected, and opposed Quit India.

Quit India Movement in the Tamil districts

Congress leaders in the Tamil region were arrested as the Quit India Movement began, followed by strikes, sabotage and police firing.

Death of S. Satyamurti

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

Lakshmi Swaminathan leads Rani of Jhansi Regiment

Madras-born doctor Lakshmi Swaminathan was appointed to lead the women's Rani of Jhansi Regiment of Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army.

Rajagopalachari's C. R. formula

C. Rajagopalachari's proposal to resolve the Congress and Muslim League deadlock became the basis of the 1944 Gandhi and Jinnah talks.

Gandhi presides over Hindi Prachar Sabha silver jubilee

Gandhi came to Madras to preside at the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha's silver jubilee.

Royal Indian Navy mutiny reaches Madras

A revolt by Indian ratings of the Royal Indian Navy that began in Bombay spread to ships and shore establishments including Madras.

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.

Death of writer Kalki Krishnamurthy

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

Gandhi Memorial Museum opens in Madurai

Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the Gandhi Memorial Museum in the Rani Mangammal palace at Madurai.