Rajaji Salai, also known as North Beach Road or First Line Beach, is one of the main thoroughfares of the commercial centre of George Town in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The road connects

Royapuram Royapuram is a locality in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is best known for its beach, and for Royapuram Railway Station. The station is the first railway station of South India, opening in 1856, and is today ...

in the north with Quibble Island in the south. As the main thoroughfare connecting the erstwhile Whitetown and Blacktown, the road has several historical landmarks dating back to the colonial era.

Landmarks

Once the seat of power, Rajaji Salai still retains its importance with several important buildings, including

Fort St. George Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further ...

, Chennai Port Trust,

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

, Chennai District Collectorate and the

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

. Halfway towards the south, the road borders the eastern end of China Bazaar Road, marking one of the most famous junctions of the city, the

Parry's Corner George Town, also known as Muthialpet and Parry's corner, is a neighbourhood in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. It is near the Fort Saint George. It is an historical area of Madras city from where its expansion began in the 1640s. It ext ...

. More historical and heritage buildings are located on important streets around Rajaji Salai, such as the Armenian Church, the Anderson Church, the Gokhale Hall, the State Bank of India local head office, Dare House and the Collectorate Building. During the regime of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, the present subway on Rajaji Salai was constructed, replacing the level crossing between Chennai Beach and Chennai Fort stations.

References

Bibliography

* {{Transport in Chennai Roads in Chennai Streets of George Town, Chennai Memorials to C. Rajagopalachari

Landmarks

See also

References

Bibliography