Kodambakkam, Chennai
Encyclopedia
Kodambakkam is a residential neighbourhood in the city of Chennai
in Tamil Nadu
, India
. It is famed as the centre of the Tamil film industry known as Kollywood
.
to the east and West Mambalam and T. Nagar
to the south. It is bounded by Vadapalani
to the west and K. K. Nagar
and Ashok Nagar to the south-west.
Kodambakkam is located at a distance of 8 kilometres from Fort St. George.
Present-day Kodambakkam originated in the 17th and 18th centuries AD, when it supposedly served as source for the horses of the stable of the Nawab of the Carnatic
. It is believed that the name "Kodambakkam" itself might have been derived from the Urdu word Ghoda Bagh meaning "garden of horses". Another version says that "Kodambakkam" derives its name from "Karkodagan Pakkam". Karkodagan is the name of a famous snake in Hindu mythology. It is said that the snake worshiped Lord Shiva
here. There is still a temple for Lord Shiva by the name Vengeeshwarar in Kodambakkam. Several sculptures and images of the snake Karkodagan can be seen in the temple, even today.
Under the British, Kodambakkam was administered as a municipality
in Chingleput district till the draining of the Long Tank in 1921, when Kodambakkam was incorporated into the Madras city and formed the Kodambakkam-Saligrammam-Puliyur district of Greater Madras along with other localities to the west of the now extinct Long Tank, with a population of 497 people in 1939. Kodambakkam also played an important role in the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1938 when Maraimalai Adigal
presided over a conference denouncing the imposition of Hindi in the Madras Presidency
on June 3, 1938.
The first movie studio was established by Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar
in 1948. Since then, a number of other movie studios have been established, notable among them being L. V. Prasad
Studios and Vijaya Vauhini studios. Liberty theater which is the oldest theater among others theaters in chennai, in those days all film stars were used to see film in this theater. But now that theater been demolished because of no maintenance.
Residences of most film and television stars are located in and around Kodambakkam due to proximity to the movie studios. A film directors' colony situated in Kodambakkam is the home of many Tamil film directors and producers.
Indian music director A.R.Rahman's house and his AM Studios is located in the same street.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is famed as the centre of the Tamil film industry known as Kollywood
Kollywood
Kollywood is a word referring two different movie industries in India and Nepal, derived from the word Hollywood and their local movie centers.* Tamil cinema, the Tamil language film industry based on Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,...
.
Location
Kodambakkam is situated at 13.0481 N latitude and 80.2214 E longitude. It is one of the westerly located neighbourhoods of Chennai city. It is bounded by the neighbourhoods of NungambakkamNungambakkam
Nungambakkam is one of the wealthiest localities in the heart of Chennai, India's fourth largest metropolitan city. The neighborhood is abound with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, sprawling educational institutions, shopping malls,...
to the east and West Mambalam and T. Nagar
T. Nagar
Theagaraya Nagar , popularly known by its abbreviated form T. Nagar, is a neighbourhood in the city of Chennai, India. Though originally conceived as a residential locality, it is presently one of the principal shopping districts of the city....
to the south. It is bounded by Vadapalani
Vadapalani
-Murugan Koyil:Built about 125 years back, this much-hallowed and regularly frequented Lord Muruga sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par with ancient places of worship...
to the west and K. K. Nagar
K. K. Nagar
KK Nagar is a small township located in the southern part of Chennai, India. This is situated west of Ashok Nagar and the Chennai Airport is around 5 km south of this place. KK Nagar was a locality developed in the 1970s and early 1980s...
and Ashok Nagar to the south-west.
Kodambakkam is located at a distance of 8 kilometres from Fort St. George.
Location in Context
History
The neighbourhood of Kodambakkam has a history going back to about 2,000 years. During the period of the Pallavas and the Later Cholas, the western part of Kodambakkam formed a portion of the historically important temple town of Vadapalani. One of the oldest temples in Kodambakkam is the Bharthukesavar temple which is over 500 years old.Present-day Kodambakkam originated in the 17th and 18th centuries AD, when it supposedly served as source for the horses of the stable of the Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
. It is believed that the name "Kodambakkam" itself might have been derived from the Urdu word Ghoda Bagh meaning "garden of horses". Another version says that "Kodambakkam" derives its name from "Karkodagan Pakkam". Karkodagan is the name of a famous snake in Hindu mythology. It is said that the snake worshiped Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
here. There is still a temple for Lord Shiva by the name Vengeeshwarar in Kodambakkam. Several sculptures and images of the snake Karkodagan can be seen in the temple, even today.
Under the British, Kodambakkam was administered as a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Chingleput district till the draining of the Long Tank in 1921, when Kodambakkam was incorporated into the Madras city and formed the Kodambakkam-Saligrammam-Puliyur district of Greater Madras along with other localities to the west of the now extinct Long Tank, with a population of 497 people in 1939. Kodambakkam also played an important role in the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1938 when Maraimalai Adigal
Maraimalai Adigal
Maraimalai Adigal was an eminent Tamil orator and writer. He was a devout Hindu as a staunch follower of Saivism. He has authored more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas, but most famous are his books on his research into Tamil literature. Most of his literary works were...
presided over a conference denouncing the imposition of Hindi in the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
on June 3, 1938.
The first movie studio was established by Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar
Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar
Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar , also known as A. V. Meiyappan or AVM was an Indian film producer, director and philanthropist who established the AVM Productions in Vadapalani, Chennai. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Tamil cinema, and one of three movie moguls of the South Indian film...
in 1948. Since then, a number of other movie studios have been established, notable among them being L. V. Prasad
L. V. Prasad
Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao , more popularly known as L. V. Prasad was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution to cinema from the Government of India for the year 1982...
Studios and Vijaya Vauhini studios. Liberty theater which is the oldest theater among others theaters in chennai, in those days all film stars were used to see film in this theater. But now that theater been demolished because of no maintenance.
Kollywood
Kodambakkam is the centre of the Tamil film industry known as Kollywood, a portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood. A. V. M. Studios established by Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar was the first movie studio to be established in Kodambakkam. The Vijaya Vauhini Studios was established a little later followed by Prasad Labs in 1974. Today, most of the Tamil movie studios are located in and around Kodambakkam.Residences of most film and television stars are located in and around Kodambakkam due to proximity to the movie studios. A film directors' colony situated in Kodambakkam is the home of many Tamil film directors and producers.
Indian music director A.R.Rahman's house and his AM Studios is located in the same street.
Localities
Some of the important localities of Kodambakkam include:- TrustpuramTrustpuramTrustpuram is a nice and quiet residential area. It is a part of Kodambakkam, the home of Kollywood, located right in the middle of metropolitan city of Chennai, South India. It is in the vicinity of Mahalingapuram Nungambakkam, T Nagar, one of the prominent central business districts of Chennai,...
- United India ColonyUnited India ColonyUnited India Colony is a sub-division of Kodambakkam, Chennai, India.United India Colony is a planned residential area and is a relatively greener locality in Chennai....
- RangarajapuramRangarajapuramRangarajapuram is a locality in the Kodambakkam area of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, India. Rangarajapuram is primarily a residential area. The pincode for Rangarajapuram is 600024....