I wrote the first version of this post for the 375th Madras Day in 2014. Additional information about places and few stamps were added for the 377th Madras Day in 2016. Further philatelic items were added for the 379th Madras Day in 2018. Now it is the 383th Madras Day in 2022 and this post definitely needs an update.

Being born and brought up in this lovely city and being a stamp collector, I don’t have a better way to show my love for this city than through stamps.

Here are some Indian stamps on well known landmarks in Madras i.e., Chennai.

Chennai Central Station

One of the popular landmarks of Chennai city is the Central Railway Station. The construction of this station began in 1873 to de-congest the Royapuram station, which was then the main railway station. Today, over 5,00,000 people use this station daily. The Chennai Central Station stamp was issued on 16 August 2009 as part of “Heritage Railway Stations of India” theme.

Chennai General Post Office
The Chennai General Post Office (GPO) on the first line beach road is located in a building that was built in 1884. The building had suffered damages during natural calamities and fire accidents. The Madras GPO stamp was issued on 09 October 1986 to commemorate the Bicentenary of Madras GPO.

Madras High Court
The Madras High Court was established during Queen Victoria period in 1862. The current court building was inaugurated in 1892. The building was hit during the beginning of First World War. It houses the old lighthouse too within its campus. The Madras High Court stamp was issued on 06 August 1962 to commemorate the Centenary of High Courts.

Senate House

The Senate House is inside the University of Madras campus. It was constructed between 1874-79 and is considered to be the finest example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The Senate House stamp was issued on 31 December 1957 to commemorate the Centenary of Indian Universities.

Government Museum

The Government Museum was established in 1851 and is the second oldest museum in India. It has the largest collection of Roman antiques outside Europe. Within its campus are the Museum Theatre and Connemara Library. A miniature sheet of the Government Museum was issued on 19 June 2003 to commemorate the 151st Anniversary of Government Museum. The miniature sheet shows three stamps – (a) Natesa, the 12th century bronze statue from Thanjavur, (b) Museum Theatre, and (c) a sculptured medallion from Amaravathi (circa. 150 AD).

Connemara Public Library
One of the largest libraries in Asia, the Connemara Public Library, was established in 1890. It receives each and every publications and books printed in India and has over 600,000 books. The Connemara Pubic Library stamp was issued on 05 December 1998 to commemorate the centenary of the library.

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering inside Anna University is one of the oldest engineering institutions in India, founded in 1794. Some well-known alumnus are Venu Srinivasan (industrialist), Krishnamachari Srikkanth (former cricket player), Akkineni Nagarguna (actor), Crazy Mohan (actor, playwright, comedian). The College of Engineering stamp was issued on 19 December 1994 to commemorate its 200 years of establishment.

Integral Coach Factory
The Integral Coach Factory is the manufacturing unit of Indian Railways. Established in 1952 and beginning production in 1955, it has built over 50,000 coaches. Apart from supplying to Indian Railways, it also exports rail cars to many countries in Asia and Africa. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) stamp was issued on 19 December 2005 to commemorate the 50 years of ICF, Perambur in Chennai.

Theosophical Society
Adyar is known for the big banyan tree, which is believed to be 450 years old. Annie Besant, J. Krishnamurti, and many others have given disclosures to around 3000 people who sat under the banyan tree shade. That banyan tree is inside the acres of orchards and park of the world headquarters of the Theosophical Society, which was founded in New York in 1875. The society moved to Adyar in 1883. The Theosophical Society Emblem stamp was issued on 20 December 1975 to commemorate the centenary of the society.

Madras Christian College
One of oldest extant colleges in Asia is the Madras Christian College, which was founded in 1837. Its alumnus includes many noted personalities, such as Dr. S.Radhakrishnan (2nd President of independent India), T.N.Seshan (former election commissioner), Indira Nooyi (Indian American business executive). The Madras Christian College stamp was issued on 16 April 1987 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the college.

Santhome Church
The Santhome Church was originally built in 16th century by the Portuguese, but rebuilt as a cathedral by the British. It is built over the tomb of St.Thomas, an apostle of Jesus. It is a pilgrimage centre for Christians in India. The following first day cover showing the Santhome Church and the stamp of St. Thomas on the first day cover was issued on 02 December 1964.

St. Thomas Mount
Located on the south side of Chennai, the St. Thomas Mount provides a panoramic view of the city. It is believed that St. Thomas was martyred on this small hill. The following stamp on the Stone Cross in the church on St. Thomas Mount in Madras was issued on 03 July 1973 to commemorate the 19th death centenary of St. Thomas.

Mahabalipuram
Located 60 KMs from Chennai is the historic town, Mahabalipuram. It was a busy seaport during ancient times. The rock sculptures there have been declared as heritage sites by UNESCO. The following stamp that shows the famous Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram was issued on 14 March 1983 to commemorate the Commonwealth Day.

Madras Medical College
Madras Medical College was established in 1835 to supply surgeons and hospital assistants for the army. It is third oldest medical college in India. One of the first female doctors in the world, Mary Ann Dacomb Scharlieb, graduated from this college. The Madras Medical College stamp was issued on 06 March 1985 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the college.

Loyola College
Founded in 1925, Loyola College ranks among the top institutions in India for its courses in arts, science, and commerce. The following stamp showing the church inside Loyola College in the background was issued on 18 December 1997 to commemorate the birth centenary of Jerome D’Souza S. J. (Educationist and Statesman).

Great Trigonometrical Survey
The following First Day Cover on the Great Trigonometrical Survey was issued on 28 June 2004. It is in this survey, the heights of the Himalayan ranges (Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga) were measured. The survey was started in Chennai in 1802! The miniature sheet shows Nain Singh and Radhanath Sikdar, two great contributors to the survey.

Police Headquarters
The Police Headquarters building is a heritage building constructed in 1839. It is located facing the Marina Beach opposite to the Light House. It houses the director general (DGP) of the Tamil Nadu police. The stamp showing the Police Headquarters building was issued on 30 November 2009 to honour the Tamil Nadu Police.

Luz Church
The Luz Church at Mylapore in Chennai that was built in 1516 by Portuguese is considered to be one of the oldest European monuments in India. A special cover was designed by South Indian Philatelists’ Association (SIPA) and issued by the Tamil Nadu Postal Circle on 25 November 2016 to commemorate the 500 years of the church.

First Lighthouse
The first lighthouse in Madras was constructed in November 1796 on top of the Fort Museum. A special cover on the first lighthouse at Madras was issued on 22 August 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Postal Circle on the 377th Madras Day.

Kilpauk Water Works
The Kilpauk Water Works was the first water treatment and distribution plant in Madras that was constructed in 1914. A commemorative cover designed by SIPA was issued by the Tamil Nadu Postal Circle on 31 December 2014 to commemorate 100 years of the plant.

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