Purasawakkam, also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai / Purasawalkam, is a residential

shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...

area in the district 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 ...

in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

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 close to the

Chennai Central Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...

and

Chennai Egmore Chennai Egmore, formerly known as Madras Egmore, also known as Chennai Elumbur (station code: MS), is a railway station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Situated in the neighborhood of Egmore, it is one of the four intercity railway terminals in t ...

railway stations.

Etymology

The name "Purasai" came from the name of a tree called 'purasai maram' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. In olden days this area was abundant with these trees. Also, there were a lot of stables at once in an age which was referred as (horse) "puravi" in Tamil, puravivakkam later termed as purasaiwakkam. The Gangadeeshwarar temple near the Purasawalkam tank speaks about this history. The tank belongs to this temple. The Gangadeeshwarar temple is very famous temple for ages. Here the Shiva Lingam which is situated at mulasthanam, has a unique feature of wetness throughout the year. Even in the drought conditions and severe summer seasons, the wetness near the Shiva Lingam is observed. Another story is that, in 1799, Company Assistant Surgeon John Underwood of the British East India Company in the then Madrasapattanam, established in "Poorshewak", now known as Purasawalkam, what may be considered the first hospital in India meant solely for the Indian poor; the Native Infirmary.

Politics

Purasawalkam legislative assembly constituency is a part of Chennai Central (Lok Sabha constituency).

Landmarks

Kellys Signal on the West and Doveton Signal on the East. Further this area is still known by the prominent theatres like Motcham, Mekala, Abhirami, Roxy, though all of have been demolished now.

Economy

Abirami Mega Mall Abirami Mega Mall was a shopping mall located in Purasawalkam, Chennai. It was constructed in 2003. Named after its owner Abirami Ramanathan, it was closed in 2019. Theaters * Abirami 7 Star Theatre * Shree Annai Abirami * Robot Bala Abirami * ...

, is a

Multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

including four main cinemas and shopping outlets. Tana Street, the heart of Purasawalkam, is one of the busiest streets in Chennai. It has

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

clay pot cooking Clay pot cooking is a process of cooking food in a pot made of unglazed or glazed pottery. History Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the Etruscans in first century BC but likely dates to several c ...

and

pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...

. It also features a busy grocery market. There are also many

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

showrooms. Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College's boys hostel is also situated here opposite to Motcham theater. Shri Gangadeeshwarar temple

Education

Colleges

Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training(HIMT) ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

Madras Veterinary College The Madras Veterinary College, the college affiliated with Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, is a veterinary college in Vepery, a suburb of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The college was established on 1 October 1903 in a smal ...

* Madras Theological Seminary &College * Lutheran Theological College * Hindustan Bible College * Chengalvaraya Polytechnic College * Guru Shanthi Vijay Jain College for Women *

Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in Chennai is the oldest art institution in India. The institution was established in 1850 by surgeon Alexander Hunter as a private art school. In 1852, after be ...

Schools

*Tulsi Adarsh Vidya Mandir Nuesery & Primary School *Satya Matriculation Higher Secondary School *Alagappa Matriculation Higher Secondary School, *Chinmaya Vidyalaya (Taylors Road) *Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram, *J.M matriculation school *Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School *St.Joseph's Anglo Indian Boys Higher Secondary School *St. Aloysius Anglo Indian Girls Hr.Sec School *Sir MCTM Boys Hr.Sec. School *Sir MCTM Girls Hr.Sec. School *Kola Saraswathi Senior Secondary School *Bentick Girls Hr.Sec. School *St.Pauls Hr.Sec. School *Guru Shree Shanti Vijai Jain Vidyalaya *St. Matthias Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, *CSI Bains Hr.Sec. School, *Doveton Corrie Anglo-Indian Boys Hr.Sec. School *Doveton Corrie Anglo-Indian Girls Hr.Sec. School *Doveton Matric Hr. Sec School *C.S.I Ewarts Girls Hr.Sec. School *Anita Methodist Matriculation Higher Secondary School *St. Andrews Boys Hr.Sec. School *ELM Fabricus Hr.Sec. School *St.Joseph's Girls Hr.Sec School *St.Joseph's Primary School *Raja Nursery School *Corporation Girls School *Corporation Boys School *Sri Muthukuaramswamy Hr.Sec School *T.E.L.C.Primary School *Seventh-Day Adventist Matric. Hr.Sec School (Vepery)

References

{{Chennai Topics Neighbourhoods in Chennai Cities and towns in Chennai district