Madras which is the
short form of Madrasapattinam is the old
name of Chennai , the capital city of the state of Tamilnadu. The city was one of the important early holds of the British East
India Company who purchased a
fishing village of Chennapattinam or Madrasapattinam in 1639 and built the Fort St. George there , around which the city of Madras grew. It has three rivers , the Adyar , the Cooum and the Kosasthalaiyar flowing through it in addition to the Manmade Buckingham Canal. Post independence , it became the capital city of the state of Tamilnadu. August 22 every year is celebrated as 'Madras day'.