T. Nagar

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name=T. Nagar
state_name=Tamil Nadu
metro=Chennai
latd = 13.03416
longd=80.23006
altitude=
taluk=
mp=
parliament_const=
mla=
assembly_const=
mayor=
zone_name=
corp_zone= | corp_ward=
postal_code= 600017
footnotes = |

Thyagaraya Nagar (also spelled Tyagaraya Nagar, and abbreviated T. Nagar) is a large, primarily commercial, locality in Chennai, India. It is situated in the middle of the city, south-west of the Anna Flyover. It is named after Sir P. Thyagaraya, whose Justice Party was in power when the settlement was laid out. The place is an important centre for shopping and entertainment, and also a major hub for the intra-city bus service.

Geography

Thyagaraya Nagar is located at coord|13.04|N|80.24|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/25/Theagaraya_Nagar.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Thyagaraya Nagar] ] . It has an average elevation of 13 metres (45 feet). It 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.

Real estate prices are extremely high (among the highest in the city of Chennai) as space is inadequate. T.Nagar,like many other parts of Chennai, has often experienced an acute water-shortage in the recent years. Other problems include pollution and traffic congestions.

History

Until the early 1900s, 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 ["Madras Rediscovered" by S.Muthiah] . This event marks the origin of Theagaroya Nagar(named after Sir Pitti Theagaroya Chetty, a stalwart of the Justice Party which was then ruling over Madras) and the start of expansion of the city beyond the western limits. A residential suburb was conceived in the middle of this reclaimed land by the Justice Party Government of the Raja of Panagal . 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. As per the opinion of historian S.Muthiah, it was initially known as 'Soundarapandia Bazaar' [ [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/08/29/stories/2006082903011900.htm Article on The Hindu Business Line on the history of T.Nagar] ] .

The broad roads in this new locality were tree-lined, as were other parts of the city, and were named after stalwarts in the ruling Justice party then. Two of the roads, however, were named after two workmen, Nagamani and Govindan, who died while digging trenches for the new drainage system.

Nalli's showroom was the first prominent shop to appear. This was in the year 1935. Soon other establishments began to make their presence felt. From the 1950s onwards, T.Nagar has steadily risen as the most preferred shopping centres in the city.

Prominent Localities

Prominent Localities of Thyagaraya Nagar include

* Pondy Bazaar
* Panagal Park
* Ranganathan Street

Demographics

T.Nagar does not have a significant static population though its 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 a day. During festival season, due to the discounts and reductions offered by dealers of silk sarees and jewellers, this number might reach 2 million.

Economy

Pondy Bazaar, the main shopping area, stretches for around a kilometre on Thyagaraya Road. Pavement shops found in Pondy Bazaar sell a variety of items, including clothes, toys, and electronics, at cheap rates. Bigger stores often sell both indigenous goods and imported designer brands.

The area around Panagal Park is known for its silk saree shops. Many prominent jewellery stores are also found here. The variety in shopping options makes T.Nagar one of the most crowded areas in Chennai during the festival seasons (usually beginning in October before Deepavali and ending in January after Pongal). The area around Panagal Park has seen the oncoming of new clothing stores, including "RmKV", "Kumaran", and "Nalli", over the past few years.

Ranganathan Street, located on the approach to the Mambalam train station, is forbidden to motor traffic as it is crowded with shoppers during the day time. Ranganathan St. contains Saravana Stores which bring a constant supply of shoppers hoping to buy its low cost products

Culture

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.

ociety

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 thats 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.

Temples

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam(TTD) is located on Venkatanarayana Road. It has a replica of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati. Darshan bookings and one-day trips can be arranged here itself. There is also a Sringeri Shrada Peetham Mutt on Venkatanarayana Road itself. The temple is very good for its ambiance and large meditation hall. There is a Krishnan Koil in South West Boag Road.

A "Shiva-Vishnu" temple is located near the bus depot.

Food and Lodging

Recent years have seen a spurt of hotel constructions in T.Nagar. A few hotels have restaurants serving international cuisine, and facilities common in big hotel chains.

T.Nagar is known for its large number of affordable eateries. Many of these are located in Pondy Bazaar and most of them are vegetarian.

Food served is typically South Indian, though North Indian dishes are also available. Most restaurants offer meals during lunch hours and during dinner time. There are three typical kinds of meals on offer: Chennai Meals, Bombay Meals and Andhra Meals.

In a few South Indian restaurants, the food is served on a plantain leaf, the traditional way of serving food in south India. In some places, this leaf is placed on a plate, while in others, the leaf is doled out as such.

Bars are relatively rare, but some hotels have their own bars. Examples are the Hotel Aruna Bar and Raj Palace.

Transport

Bus

T.Nagar is easily accessible from most parts of the city by bus. The T.Nagar bus stand is a hub and is located off Usman Road. Regular services operate to Mylapore, Kodambakkam, Tiruvanmiyur, Annanagar, Tiruvallur and other areas.

Other important bus stops are Panagal Park, Pondy Bazaar, Power House, and Vani Mahal.

Train

T.Nagar is serviced by the two stations. One by a railway station located in Mambalam, off "South Usman Road" and another one at Kodambakkam again off "North Usman Road" serving both southern and northern T.Nagar. Local "electric-trains" connect T.Nagar with other parts of Chennai.

Education

T.Nagar is home Ramakrishna Mission,Holy Angels higher secondary school for girls, Sri Sankara Bala Vidyalaya H. Sec School, Adarsh Senior Secondary School, Shrine Velankanni school, Vidyodaya, and Venkata Subba Rao.

There are a number of private libraries with vast collections of books.

Landmarks

* Panagal Park located in the middle of the locality bearing the same name.
* Alaiyamman Temple adjacent to Mount Road
* Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha
* Thyagaraya Nagar Nagar Bus Stand is located off South Usman Road
* Vani Mahal is located at the intersection of G.N.Chetty Road and Dr. Nair Road
* Krishnan Temple is located in South west Boag Road and at the end of South Dhandapani Street
* Nadigar Sangam is located at Habibullah Road, which also houses the S.G.S.Sabha

News

* On September 1st, 2008, a fire broke out at Saravana Stores, a utensils shop, on Ranganathan street. The entire street was closed in an effort to prevent fatalities if the building collapsed. [The Hindu: http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090258290100.htm]

Politics

T. Nagar assembly constituency is part of Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency). [cite web
url = http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S22/TN_ACPC.pdf
title = List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies
accessdate = 2008-10-08
work = Tamil Nadu
publisher = Election Commission of India ]

References

SRI CHAKARA VINAYAKAR TEMPLE - SOUTH DHANDAPANI STREET