Azeempet - The Arcot Nawabs Trail at Triplicane, A Heritage Walk with Kobai Anwar. Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

…a continuation post to The Arcot Nawabs trails at Triplicane. A Heritage Walk with Kombai S Anwar - Part - I.

21^st August 2017.

After the Khalas Mahal visit, we walked towards the  Wallajah Road entrance ( Pattabhiram Gate ) of M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. This stadium was part of the Nawab's Palace once. The gardens residential Quarters for the servants, Horse stable, etc were once in this complex. The remains of this are the arch  Gate pillars with terracotta reliefs on the three sides. The reliefs contain floral arrangements.

Pattabhiram Gate of MAC Stadium- one of the surviving triple arch gates of Khalas Mahal

Our next stop was at another archway gate Pillar further towards Triplicane High Road. Mr Anwar said that the Nawab’s Palace had tipple arch gateways and this was one of them. The pillar also has the terracotta reliefs of Hindu god Vishnu’s incarnations. Hope the freedom was given to the contractors to choose their own design and materials for construction

             Vishnu’s incarnation reliefs on the archgate pillars

On the opposite side of the road, there is a white building called Guest House. It was said that during the British period, this building served as a residential quarters for the British soldiers.

Further down the arch Gates, we stopped on  Triplicane High Road, a junction from where Mr Anvar pointed out a red building that was once a kitchen cum dining for vegetarian food served to the poor prepared by Brahmins, called Langar Khana. Now the Triplicane Police Station is functioning in this building.

Langar Khana.( Triplicane Police station is functioning )

Little further on the Triplicane High Road, stopped opposite an arch on a lane called Appavu Gramani Street squeezed between residential complexes. The name “AZEEMPET” is written on the arch painted with light bluish green. Mr Anwar said that the arch has an interesting story.  

The arch was once the entrance of the palace of Sultanuniss Begum,  sister of the Nawabs Dynasty’s third ruler Umdat-ul-Umra. It was said that she held the power behind the throne during the late 1790s. Both brother and sister want their sons to succeed in becoming Nawab of Arcot. Sultanuniss Begum’s dream of her son succeeding was not fulfilled. So she didn’t allow his brother’s body after his death to cross the arch. The body was kept overnight on the street and the wall was broken to take out the body the next day morning.

On the opposite side of Azeempet Arch, Mr Anvar pointed out a building called Mohammadian Public Library, which started in 1819 CE. Still, the 167-year-old Library is functioning on the first floor. Some of the books were donated by the then Governor of Bengal and Egypt.

…. To be Continued The Arcot Nawabs Trail At Triplicane - A Heritage walk with Kombai S Anwar - Part - III ( Wallajah Big Mosque )