Anna Nagar (formerly known as Naduvakkarai), is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of

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 ...

. Named after former

chief minister of Tamil Nadu The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian Federated state, state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governor (India), governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de ...

C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part of the Aminjikarai taluk and the Anna Nagar Zone. It is one of the costliest and most sought after prime areas in Chennai and is home to several prominent doctors,civil officers,actors,lawyers and politicians. Real estate prices are among the highest in the city. A recent addition to the area is VR Chennai Mall, located near Shanthi Colony and Thirumangalam junction. Anna Nagar is the first and the only neighbourhood in Chennai to follow a standard addressing system followed in the

western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

. One of the primary landmarks in Anna Nagar is the Anna Nagar Tower, built in 1968 as part of the World Trade Fair. Other important locations include the Anna Arch, Chinthamani, Blue Star, 14 shops, Shanthi Colony, Thirumangalam junction, Padi grade separator, Anna Nagar East, and the Anna Nagar West bus depot. Anna Nagar has several established schools and colleges, places of worship, shopping areas with both independent shops and

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many p ...

s, and numerous restaurants. The 2nd avenue is an arterial road in Anna Nagar which has emerged as a hub for several restaurants and shops. There are also a number of midsize hospitals and nursing homes catering to the local population.

History

Anna Nagar originated as a suburban village called Naduvakkarai. It was called Mullam Village. Anna Nagar was developed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in the early 1970s following the World Trade Fair in the area in 1968. The board developed residential plots, apartments, commercial complexes, wide roads, school zones, bus termini, and large parks.

Geography

As of 2018, Anna Nagar zone had a green cover of more than 20 percent, as against the city's 14.9 percent average.

Religion

Several prominent temples, churches and mosques are located in Anna Nagar.

Temples

* Thirumani Amman Temple * Shyam Mandir * Balamurugan Temple * Anna Nagar Ayyappa Temple * Chandra Mouleeshwarar Thirukovil * Arulmiga Mahakali Amman Temple * Srinivasa Temple * "Sai Sahara Samithi" - Sri Sathya Sai * Siru Tirupathi – Perumal Temple * Vetri Vinayagar Temple * Sri Vallabha Viyanagar Temple

Churches

* St. Luke's Church * Shrine Of Divine Mercy * Assembly Of God Church * Don Bosco Shrine Centre * Don Bosco Church * CSI Redeemer Church Pastorate * ST Thomas Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church * The Pentecostal Mission.

Mosques

* Masjid Javeed Pallivasal * Masjid Thaqwa * Madina Masjid * Masjid Ul Jannah * Masjid E Noor * Masjid E Rahmaniah Villivakkam * Masjid E Noor * Masjid Al Noorul Madrasa

Education

* Chinmaya Vidyalaya * Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Vidyalaya * Chennai Public School * SBOA School & Junior College * Valliammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School * CSI Jessie Moses Matriculation Higher Secondary School * Shri Krishnaswamy Matriculation Higher Secondary School *

Kendriya Vidyalaya The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of Government of India, central government schools in India. Governed by the Ministry of Education (India), Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,257 schools in India, ...

* Aachi Global School

Landmarks

Anna arch

A large twin arch called the Anna arch marks the entrance of the southern part of Anna Nagar on the Third Avenue, which was built in 1985 by the Corporation of Chennai at a cost of Rs. 1.2 million to commemorate the platinum jubilee celebrations of former chief minister C. N. Annadurai, when Anna Nagar was still a developing area. It was inaugurated by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu,

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), popularly known by his initialism M.G.R. and as Makkal Thilagam/Puratchi Thalaivar, was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of ...

on 1 January 1986. Each arch stands 52 ft tall and weighs 82 tonnes. The road from the arch leads to the roundtana (

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

) which is a major landmark and for all practical purposes, the centre of Anna Nagar. In 2012, the arch was proposed to be demolished to leave way for a flyover that was planned to connect Anna Nagar with Aminjikarai. Demolition work began on 2 September 2012. However, the alignment of the flyover was modified slightly to prevent the removal of the arch, and the arch was restored at a cost of 6.4 million.

Anna Nagar Tower

The Anna Nagar Tower is a tall tower built for the 1968 World Trade Fair, by B. S. Abdur Rahman. Its main entrance is from the 3rd Main Road and a back entrance from the 6th main road. It is popular with morning walkers and joggers, and with families and young people in the evenings to play and relax. For a nominal fee, one could walk to the top of the tower from where excellent views of the city could be seen. Entry inside the tower has been stopped for the last few years due to safety concerns as there had been a few cases of suicide in the past. The tower and park are now renovated and has a skating rink. Currently, it boasts of a good turnout of children who come in for practising their skills on roller skates. There is also a group of regulars who practice silambattam – an ancient Tamil martial art form – here. From atop the tower one can have a panoramic views, and the rapidly changing skyline of the city can be appreciated.

Transport

Road

Anna Nagar has two bus termini, Anna Nagar West and Anna Nagar East. The East terminus is located near Anna Nagar Roundtana while the West terminus is situated on the Inner Ring Road. The West terminus is one of the largest bus terminuses in the city. Buses to different parts of the city beginning from the West Terminus. The roads in Anna Nagar are designed based on a matrix structure similar to roads in developed countries in the

; all the roads are laid parallel and perpendicular to each other. In addition, a standardized naming nomenclature is adopted. In Anna Nagar, 2nd, 4th and 6th Avenues run east–west and 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th Avenues run North South. All the streets are interconnected to these avenues. Areas expanded after the formation of the initial 1970 layouts do not follow the standard nomenclature. Auto rickshaws and share autos are also available connecting Anna Nagar to different parts of the city.

Anna Nagar Roundtana

The Anna Nagar Roundtana located at the intersection of 2nd avenue and 3rd avenue is a sprawling and burgeoning high-scale commercial neighborhood. This was initially developed for the Madras EXPO during the 1970s and was named "Round Turn Over", whose name has colloquially changed to "Roundtana" with the use of Tamil language. It has a wide variety of markets and showrooms in the vicinity such as Croma,

Tanishq Tanishq is an Indian jewellery brand owned by Titan Company. Founded in 1994, it is based in Bengaluru. As of 2023, it has more than 400 retail stores across India, the UAE, the US, Singapore and Qatar. History By the end of the 1980s, Tita ...

, Bata, etc. and thus is a very important landmark for shoppers.

Railway

The Anna Nagar railway station was inaugurated in the year 2003. It is located on the Thirumangalam road, a road that connects Anna Nagar West with

Villivakkam Villivakkam is a neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is served by the Villivakkam railway station on the Chennai Central–Arakkonam suburban section. Villivakkam is the largest state assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu in terms of ...

. The railway line stretches for 3.09 kilometers and links Anna Nagar with the Tiruvallur-Chennai suburban line. Between 2003 and 2007, five suburban trains were operated from Anna Nagar to Chennai Beach via

. The station was closed in 2007 for the construction of the Padi elevated rotary. However, after the completion of the rotary in 2009, the station remained closed owing to its low patronage. There were plans to reopen the station in 2011. None of them materialised, however.

Metro

Anna Nagar metro was inaugurated and started on 14 May 2017. It is the most convenient form of transportation and connects every part of the city. Three underground metro stations, two in Anna Nagar and one in Anna Nagar East, which form a part of the phase 1 metro project. Anna Nagar has 2 metro stations: Anna Nagar Tower metro station and Anna Nagar East metro station. Both of these metro stations are underground. They are well managed and maintained. These metro stations have 2 platforms, and their trains have different sections for women specially. These stations have 4 entry and exit points, which makes it accessible in all possible ways.

Politics

Anna Nagar (State Assembly Constituency) is part of

Chennai Central (Lok Sabha constituency) The Lok Sabha constituency Chennai Central is one of three constituencies in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 4 of 39. Formerly it was known as Madras Central.It is also one of the smallest constituencies ...

. List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies; 2008-10-08, Tamil Nadu, Election Commission of India

1968 Indian International Trade and Industries Fair

The 1968 Indian International Trade and Industries Fair in Anna Nagar was a significant event that showcased India's industrial development after independence. Assembled by the All India Manufacturers Organisation (AIMO), it was planned to be the largest international trade fair in Asia. The fair was initially scheduled to open in 1967 but was pulled back due to political events such as the

1967 Indian general election General elections were held in India between 17 and 21 February 1967 to elect 520 of the 523 members of the fourth Lok Sabha, an increase of 15 from the previous session of Lok Sabha. Elections to State Assemblies were also held simultaneously ...

. The fair was inaugurated by

Vice President of India The vice president of India (ISO: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in t ...

VV Giri, who lit up a neon sign over the parabolic arch. In spite of the language tensions in the south, the fair went ahead with participation from eleven ministries, 23 public sector companies and private sector industries. The foreign participants were mainly from the East European Communist bloc countries led by the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. It featured the Anna Nagar Tower and seven concrete parabolic arches that astonished visitors with their gravity-defying design. The fair played a crucial role in bringing Anna Nagar into focus and transforming it into a prestigious habitation in Chennai.

Location in context

References

{{Chennai topics Neighbourhoods in Chennai Memorials to C. N. Annadurai