Madras Presidency was a major administrative region of British India that, at its largest, covered much of the subcontinent's southern portion. Its territory encompassed the whole of what is now Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, together with areas that today lie in parts of Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, as well as the island group now administered as the union territory of Lakshadweep.

Administrative centres

The Presidency's principal city was Madras (now Chennai), which served as its winter capital. During the hotter months the administration often moved to the hill station of Ootacamund (commonly called Ooty). For a limited period in the late 18th century the British also administered the island commonly known as the island of Ceylon from Madras before it was established as a separate Crown colony.

Population and languages

British authorities carried out periodic censuses of the Presidency from the early 19th century. The first comprehensive count in 1822 recorded a population of 13,476,923; the last colonial census held before Indian independence, in 1941, recorded 49,341,810 inhabitants for the Presidency.

The region was linguistically diverse. Estimates from the 19th century include the following speaker counts (from the 1871 census):

  • About 14,715,000 Tamil speakers
  • About 11,610,000 Telugu speakers
  • About 2,324,000 Malayalam speakers
  • About 1,699,000 Canarese (Kannada) speakers
  • About 640,000 Oriya speakers
  • About 29,400 Tulu speakers

Political and historical role

The Presidency was an important political and educational centre in southern India, and in the early 20th century it produced many prominent figures who took part in the Indian independence movement. The institutions and networks established under colonial administration also shaped regional politics in the decades that followed.

After independence

Following Indian independence in 1947, the territory that had been the Madras Presidency was reorganised as Madras State. Over time, state boundaries were adjusted on linguistic and administrative grounds. In 1969 Madras State was officially renamed Tamil Nadu during the tenure of Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai, reflecting the region's dominant Tamil-speaking identity.