The Senate House is the administrative centre of the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is situated in Wallajah Road, along Marina Beach. Constructed by Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879, Srinivasachari, p 341 the Senate building is considered to be one of the best and oldest examples of

Indo-Saracenic Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal, or Hindoo style) was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government ...

architecture in India. Srinivasachari, Introduction, p xxxi

History

Robert Chisholm was a 19th-century British architect who is considered to be one of the pioneers of

architecture. Initially designing buildings using the Renaissance and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

styles of architecture, Chisholm switched over to Indo-Saracenic with the construction of the PWD buildings of the

Chepauk Palace Chepauk Palace was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Chepauk in Chennai, India and is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. History By the end of the Carn ...

in 1871. In 1864, the Madras government gave an advertisement inviting designs for the Senate House building. Srinivasachari, Introduction, p 262 Chisholm's design was eventually approved and the building was constructed between April 1874 and 1879. Srinivasachari, Introduction, p xxxiv Srinivasachari, Introduction, p xxvii A saluting battery was present at the site prior to the construction of the Senate House. Srinivasachari, Introduction, p 244 Prior to the construction of the Senate House, university convocations were held at Banqueting Hall (now Rajaji Hall). Srinivasachari, Introduction, p 327 The first annual conference of the

Madras Music Season Chennai Music Season is an event hosted every Mid November–January in Chennai (formerly known as ''Madras'') Tamil Nadu. Spanning some 9 weeks, it comprises top-flight professional and amateur musicians . The traditional role of the Music Sea ...

was held in the Senate House in the year 1929. During 14 July – 21 December 1937 the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

met at the Senate House.

Architecture

The Senate built in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, incorporates many elements of the Byzantine style. The great hall of the Senate House is of immense height and proportions and considered to be the finest of its kind in India. The unique interior of the building includes, stained-glass windows, rare fresco paintings, intricate murals and painted panels.

Renovation and events

The restoration of the Senate House was completed in 2006 to coincide with sesqui-centenary (150th year) celebration of the

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

. Experts from

INTACH The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with Unite ...

and

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

were consulted to restore the various features of this historic building. In September 2006, the Senate House was re-opened to the public by then president of India

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

. Although, it remained largely unused for nearly a decade, until August 2015 when the prime minister of India

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

, inaugurated the India's first ''National Handloom Day'' at the Senate House building. Recently, it was the venue of a month-long exhibition of the second edition of ''Chennai Photo Biennale'', a first-of-its kind photography conference in India during February–March 2019.

Image gallery

File:Senate House, Madras - Tucks Oileete (1911).jpg, Senate House, Madras - Tucks Oileete (1911) File:Senate House Madras side view.jpg, The Senate House File:Senate House Interior.jpg, Stained-glass windows inside the Senate House File:SenateHouseMadras.jpg, Interior view of the Senate House File:4 Madras University.JPG, Front view of the Senate House File:2 Madras University.JPG, Decorative pillars of the Senate House File:Madras University Senate House.jpg, Garden outside the Senate House

References

External links

Inside Chennai's Senate House
{{University of Madras Buildings and structures in Chennai University and college administration buildings University of Madras Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture Heritage sites in Chennai