Aminjikarai, originally Amaindakarai, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods 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 ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, India. The arterial

Poonamallee High Road EVR Periyar Salai (SHU 86)(EVR High Road), earlier known as Poonamallee High Road ( NH 48) and originally the Grand Western Trunk Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It is the longest road in Chennai. Running from east to west, the r ...

( NH 4) runs through it. Aminjikarai was annexed to Madras District in 1946, and Arumbakkam and

Anna Nagar Anna Nagar (formerly known as Naduvakkarai), is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Named after former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part o ...

were carved out of Aminjikarai in the 1950s and 1970s, respectively. The Nelson Manickam Road which traverses Aminjikarai is an important commercial road in Chennai city.

History

A delta formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river Cooum towards its journey to the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

is called "Amainda Karai" which means Fluvial Landforms ( நீரால் உருவாக்கப்பட்ட நிலப்பரப்பு ) and later on Aminjikarai colloquially. In the early days, it was known as a suburb after the tollgate (near

Pachaiyappa's College Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency. History Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...

). Now, it is a central part of Chennai which links the residential Anna Nagar to the central business district of Chennai. It comprises Mehta Nagar, Gill Nagar, Railway Colony, Collectorate Colony and Ayyavoo Naidu Colony. Mehta Nagar is connected by a small pedestrian bridge and is almost like a peninsula. Thiru Vi Ka Park is a well-known park that is close to Aminijikarai.

Culture

Aminjikarai hosts the Sri Ekambareshwara Kamakshi Amma temple and the Sri Varadaraja temple. Since these two temples are in very close vicinity, some people refer to Aminjikarai as mini Kancheepuram. The Mangali Amma temple (Ellai Amma) is also located between the toll gate and Aminjikarai. The

Brahmotsavam A brahmotsava (), also rendered mahotsava and tiruvila () is the principal festival of a Hindu temple. Commonly held in South India, the ''murti''s of a temple's deities are dressed in silk garments, decorated with ornaments, garlands, and other ...

of Ekambareshwara and Varadaraja temples is a famous festival held between March and May every year. Pradosham is also a famous event at the Ekambareshwara temple. Near the Ekambareswarar temple, there is a

Vinayagar Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hind ...

temple called "Varasidhi Vinayagar temple", well known for its Vinayagar Chathurthi festival. Aminjikarai also has a mosque called Jamia Masjid, and a burial ground on Poonamallee High Road. There is another mosque called Fathima Islamic Cultural Society on Nelson Manickam Road. There are numerous churches as well.

Infrastructure

Aminjikarai offers shopping facilities for people of all classes. The Aminjikarai Market hosts very fresh vegetables, some roadside makeshift vegetable shops offer very fresh vegetables at nominal rates. There is a huge shopping mall, Ampa Skywalk, at the intersection of Nelson Manickam Road and Poonamallee High Road. The mall has 7 multiplex cinemas, a spacious hypermarket, a food court, restaurants and branded retail outlets. The nearest suburban railway station is Nungambakkam railway station, which is just from Aminjikarai. The proximity to the Chennai Metropolitan Bus Terminus (CMBT) has made Aminjikarai one of the most accessible routes in

. Aminjikarai has many hospitals, including Billroth Hospitals, which is a fully-fledged multi-speciality hospital. MR Hospital, a dedicated Renal (kidney) Transplant centre, is located on Govindan Street.

In popular culture

Aminjikarai is usually referenced in

Tamil film Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Chen ...

comedy scenes. The name is usually compared with

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as a

play on words Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...

to contrast someone locally from Aminjikarai with someone from a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

society.

References

External links