Walking (or rather stumbling) about in George Town the other day, I saw the signboard shown alongside – Badrian Garden Street. And that set me off on the several times this name cropped up in my research. About this garden and also PR Square. But the first of these concerned Mr S Muthiah and not me.
Badrian Garden Street
Sometime in the late 1980s, S Muthiah was informed that an obelisk had been discovered at the intersection of this street and NSC Bose Road. They were demolishing a private house, and had found a 15-ft obelisk. All excited, the Chief as I always referred to him, rushed there only to find the obelisk demolished as well. The owner was unapologetic. He feared that if the Government got to know of the existence of the pillar, his property would be taken over!
Badrian Street, and not Garden
The obelisk was one of six erected in the 1770s, to mark the southern boundary of George Town.
A census survey of Madras dating to 1961, says they were at China Bazaar, Parry’s Corner, Kondi Chetty Street, Stringer Street, Broadway, and Badrian Street (the name has changed considerably over time – it was Budreeah, Badraiya, Badriah and Badrian).
The census says four were still standing in 1961 though as to which they were it does not detail.
Today, as we know, only one survives, in the shadow of Dare House, protected by the Murugappa Group. The Badriah Street I refer to above is however not Badrian’s Garden.
Guardhouses and Dubashes
From Love’s Vestiges of Old Madras we know that as early as 1718, there were six guardhouses meant for the protection of Madras, of which four were on the northern side, facing Royapuram.
The fifth, facing the sea, was unnamed. The sixth, alone was on the west, by the river, by which was meant the Elambore that is now part of Buckingham Canal. In later years, these guardhouses came to be known as block houses and still later, batteries.
Barring the one facing the sea, the others were named after dubashes – Sunkurama, Gangarama, Balu, Kalasti and Badriah. With peace, his battery probably became a garden named after him.
Who Was Badriah?
Who was he? In 1717, he became recognised as the leader of Left Hand Castes in the city, along with Gangarama. Their predecessors, namely Kalavai and Kalasti Chettis had been fomenting caste riots, which seems to have been the favourite dubashi occupation when not making money, and had been dismissed. Not much is known of Badriah otherwise.
Rise of a Residential Locality
In the 1830s, Badriah Garden became a residential locality and a prominent house owner there was Vambakkam Raghavachariar, the first Indian to be appointed Police Magistrate in Madras.
He was also a graduate of Pachayappa’s school and so became one of the first managing trustees. Badrian’s Garden came to be known informally as Police Raghavachariar (PR) Square.
The family lived in a massive house known as Vani Vilas and the upper storey was a curiosity, being shaped like a ship. This was because someone in the family made a fortune as a ship dubash.
Raghavachariar’s grandson was VV Srinivasa Aiyangar, a prominent advocate of the High Court of Madras, and a member of Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar’s Suguna Vilasa Sabha, where he played lead roles in theatrical productions.
Nothing Remains Today
Walking down Badrian’s Garden is something of an adventure today, putting life and limbs at risk.
But from what little I managed, I could find no trace of Vani Vilas, or its neighbour Terrace Mahal, once a hostel for Pachaiyappa’s College students. Like the obelisk, they have gone. History fades fast in Town.
This article appeared in The Hindu-https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/a-lost-garden-and-a-forgotten-square-in-chennai/article70289765.ece
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-http://- https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/
