Tambaram

History

The earliest mention of Tambaram dates back to the 13th century when the word 'Taamapuram' was inscribed on the walls around the sanctum sanctorum at Marundeeswarar temple in Tirukachur village, near Chengalpattu. Pallavapuram is most commonly known today as Pallavaram. On 13 May 1863, Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist with the Geological Survey of India (GSI), discovered a hand axe belonging to the Lower Palaeolithic Age at Pallavaram (Pallavapuram). Since then, several Stone Age artefacts have been discovered. During the reign of Later Cholas, from ninth to twelfth century CE, the region was called Churathur Nadu. Churathur Nadu was named after Thiruchuram, the present-day Trisulam. The Churathur Nadu extended from Tambaram in the south to Adambakkam and Alandur in the north. The region included the areas of Pammal, Pallavaram, and Thiruneermalai. During the Carnatic wars in the late 17th century, the city was an entrenchment camp for the British East India Company. During the 17th century, Pallavaram neighborhood of the city remained dependent upon the Portuguese colony of San Thome. Later, the British established a cantonment at Pallavaram, supplementary to the one at St. Thomas Mount. A wireless station was established in the early years of the 20th century. The Madras Aerodrome was opened at Pallavaram in 1929. In the 1951 census, Tambaram was classified as a Town Panchayat for the first time. In 1964, Tambaram Town Panchayat was incorporated as a Grade III Municipality by annexing the Village Panchayats of Pulikoradu, Kadapperi, Tambaram, Irumbliyur, and Selaiyur. Due to rapid development and growth of the town commercially and residentially, the Municipality was classified as a 'Selection Grade Municipality'. The Tambaram range comprises forest…

Geography

Tambaram features a tropical savanna climate with a dry winter. Tambaram lies on the thermal equator and is also coastal, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. For most of the year, the weather is hot and humid. The hottest part of the year is late May and early June, known locally as Agni Nakshatram ("fiery star") or as Kathiri Veyyil, with maximum temperatures around . The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around . The lowest temperature recorded is and highest (30 May 2003) both being recorded at the observatory at IMD Numgambakkam. The average annual rainfall is about . The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-September to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit Tambaram. The highest annual rainfall recorded is in 2005 for IMD Nungambakkam. The most prevailing winds in Tambaram is the Southwesterly between the end of May to end of September and the Northeasterly during the rest of the year. Some of the notable lakes in and around the suburb are Chitlapakkam Lake, Pallavaram Lake (locally known as Periya eri), Thiruneermalai Lake, Thirupananthal Lake, Peerkankaranai Lake, and Perungalathur Lake.

Most-observed species

• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  25,651
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  23,080
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,702
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  18,936
• Asian Koel

  Eudynamys scolopaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,579
• Large-billed Crow

  Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 · Aves
  14,411
• Common Tailorbird

  Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant, 1769) · Aves
  12,432
• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,328