Where Chennai falls in love: The old-world romance of St Thomas Mount
A nostalgic exploration of the St Thomas Mount neighborhood in Chennai, detailing its historical significance and the author's personal memories. The article highlights the area's colonial architecture and its evolution over the decades.
Why it matters
It documents the preservation of local history and the emotional connection residents maintain with changing urban landscapes.
Last night I dreamt I went to St Thomas Mount again. (To paraphrase the famed beginning of the Daphne Du Maurier classic, Rebecca .) I stood at the bottom of the hill, where once a red mud road wound its way to the shrine that marks the site of the martyrdom of St Thomas, the apostle of Christ. The adjoining Portuguese-built Church of Our Lady of Expectation was built in 1523. The road was macadamised sometime in 1986 to receive Pope John Paul II on his visit.
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My love for this grand old neighbourhood came from a childhood summer spent with my grandparents. I often crossed a wooden bridge across a rivulet of the Adyar river to walk to Mount Hotel for a tumbler of Horlicks, another life-long love.
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