The Island, also called as Island Grounds, is a

river island River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online. Best known for its trend focused womenswear offering, River Isla ...

situated on the

Coovum River The Cooum river, or simply Koovam, is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about in length, flowing in the city of Chennai (urban part) and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted ...

in the northern part of the Indian city of

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 ...

. The island was created artificially in the early 19th century by merging the Coovum River with the then "Elambore River". An

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

of Sir Thomas Munro, popularly known as "His Stirrupless Majesty", is located on the island. The

Madras Gymkhana Club The Madras Gymkhana Club (MGC) is a club in Chennai, India, which was founded in 1884 to promote sports and social and cultural activities. It owns and operates one of Chennai's two 18-hole golf courses, one of Asia's oldest courses. Tamil Na ...

and Pallavan Illam, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai are also located here. The Island Grounds constitute a vast empty space on the island where fairs and exhibitions are held.

Anna Salai Anna Salai (), formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It starts at the Cooum Creek, south of Fort St George, leading in a south-westerly direction towards St. Thomas Mount, and end ...

, one of the arterial roads of Chennai, originates on this island, running mostly in the southwest direction towards the south. The

Kilometer Zero Kilometer Zero is a collective of international artists and writers that produces magazines, theatre, and artistic performances. It was founded in Paris, France, at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in 2000. The group operates as an associ ...

of Chennai is located at the midpoint of Muthuswamy Bridge on the Muthuswamy Road on the northern side of The Island. Since 1975, the annual India Tourist and Industrial Fair, popularly known to the locals as the ''trade fair'', is conducted on this island by the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

during the months of January to March. Island Grounds - Chennai

Notes

Geography of Chennai Islands of Chennai River islands of India Neighbourhoods in Chennai {{Chennai-geo-stub