Guindy

Guindy
கிண்டி
Neighbourhood
Ashok Leyland Corporate Headquarter in Guindy, Chennai
Ashok Leyland Corporate Headquarter in Guindy, Chennai
Nickname: 
Gateway to Chennai
Guindy is located in Chennai
Guindy
Guindy
Guindy, Tamil Nadu
Guindy is located in Tamil Nadu
Guindy
Guindy
Guindy (Tamil Nadu)
Guindy is located in India
Guindy
Guindy
Guindy (India)
Coordinates: 13°00′24″N 80°13′14″E / 13.006700°N 80.220600°E / 13.006700; 80.220600
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictChennai
MetroChennai
Government
 • BodyChennai Corporation
Area
 • Total
7.88 km2 (3.04 sq mi)
Elevation
37 m (121 ft)
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
600032
Vehicle registrationTN-09
Lok Sabha constituencyChennai South
Planning agencyCMDA
Civic agencyChennai Corporation
Websitewww.chennai.tn.nic.in

Guindy (/ˈɡɪn.di/) is a neighborhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, home to many important landmarks in Chennai, the most well known being Guindy National Park.

A commercial hub, Guindy is home to the headquarters of Ashok Leyland, and also serves as a main hub for several small and medium scale industries, especially within the Guindy Thiru Vi Ka Estate. It is an important nodal point of road traffic in the Chennai metropolitan area. Transportation to and from the neighborhood is catered by the Guindy railway station and Guindy metro station.

Etymology

The precise origin of the name is unclear. According to regional Hindu tradition, the sage Bhringi is said to have performed penance on the Parangimalai hill, before which he had to circumambulate the regions surrounding the hillock, considered an abode of Shiva. The place where he completed the circumambulation and left his kindi (vessel) before starting the journey to the hilltop is said to have been named as kiṇḍi, and later the region's name was anglicized as Guindy during the British Raj.

Transportation

Guindy is well connected by road and train services. Many buses ply through Guindy and connect it to the rest of Chennai. The area is also connected by train with the Chennai Suburban Railway and Chennai Metro. Guindy is located approximately 10 km away from the Chennai International Airport.

Government House and Guindy under the British Raj

Guindy skyline

The governor lived in Government House, Fort St. George, a palatial residence with numerous servants, and had an official Daimler car at his disposal. For the governor's ceremonial use, there was a glittering coach with prancing horses, accompanied by a bodyguard of Indian troopers with red uniforms, glittering steel accoutrements and pennoned lances.

There was also Guindy, a spacious and elegant country home on the outskirts of Madras, surrounded by an extensive park. Nearby were a golf course, hockey pitches, riding stables and the Guindy Horse Racing Track. From May to October each year during the hot season, the Madras Government and its officials, the governor, and his family went to Government House in the hill station of Ootacamund in the Nilgiri hills.

Geography

Important landmarks

References

  1. ↑ "What's in a name?". The Hindu. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Southern India painted by Lady Lawley described by F.E.Penny. A & C Black, prem London. 1914
  3. ↑ "Sir Arthur Lawley, Eloquent Knight Errant, David J, Hogg". Chapter 5 Ruler of the Raj. Lady Lawley Cottage (Western Australian Red Cross) 2008, ISBN 978-0-9554457-2-9 iBooks
  4. ↑ The Times Obituary for Lord Wenlock, 15 June 1932