Chingleput or Chengalpattu or Chengalpet
(Tamil: செங்கல்பட்டு) is a city and a municipality in Kancheepuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the Palar River about 56 km south-southwest of the city of Chennai (Madras). Chingleput is an important railway junction and commercial center. It has a medical school and other colleges affiliated with the University of Madras.

Chingleput was formerly a capital of the kings of Vijayanagara, after their defeat by the Deccan sultanates at Battle of Talikota in 1565. In 1639 a local governor or Nayak, subject to these kings, granted a piece of coastal land to the British East India Company where Fort St George now stands, which became the nucleus of the city of Madras. The fortress at Chingleput, built by the Vijayanagara kings in the 16th century, was of strategic importance, owing to its swampy surroundings and the lake that flanked its side.

Chingleput was taken by the French in 1751, and was retaken in 1752 by Robert Clive, after which it proved of great strategic advantage to the British, especially when Lally failed to capture the fortress in his advance on Madras.

During the wars of the British with Hyder Ali of Mysore it withstood his assault, and afforded a refuge to the nearby residents; in 1780, after the defeat of Colonel W. Baillie, the army of Sir Hector Munro took refuge there. By 1900 the town was noted for its manufacture of pottery, and was a local market center, especially of the rice trade. The surrounding district was home to cotton and silk weaving, indigo dyeing, tanneries, and a cigar factory, and extensive salt manufacturing took place along the coast.

In the past Chingleput was established as a district of the Madras Presidency in 1765. The administrative headquarters were at Saidapet. The area of the district was 3079 sq. mi., and the population was 1,312,122 in 1901. In 1999, the district was split into the districts of KanchipuramThiruvallur. and

Chingleput derives its name because of water body that surrounds it containing 'red lillies' ('Chen'gazhu-neer-pattu in Tamil or Chengaluva-peta in Telugu).

Education

There are number of educational institutes located in Chingleput.

• Chengalpattu Medical College
• Asan Memorial College of Engineering and Technlogy
• Ambedkar Law College
• Government Arts College
• Vidhya Sagar Women's Arts & Science College
• St. Joseph's Hr Sec School
• St. Joseph's Kinder Garden School.
• St. Mary's Hr Sec School
• St. Mary's Primary School
• Sri Ramakrishna Mission Boys' Hr Sec School
• Sri Ramakrishna Mission Girls' Hr Sec School
• St. Columbus's Hr Sec School - 190 Years old
• SDA Matric Hr Sec School
• Brindavan Public school
• Government Girls Higher Secondary School
• Arignar Anna Govt Boys Higher Secondary School
• Blessings Matriculation Higher Secondary School
• Vivekananda Matriculation School
• Progress Matriculation School

Transport

Chenglapattu is well connected by road and rail. The Chennai Airport lies just 48 km north of the town which could be reached in about 40 mins by road.

Chengalpattu is a Railway junction and it lies in the Main Broad Gauge line and most of the south bound trains stop here. There is also a railway connection to Arakkonam via Kanchipuram. There are many trains running from Kanchipuram via Chingleput to Beach stopping at all stations up to Tambaram. Super fast train is also available which will start at Chingleput and stops at Tambaram, Guindy, Mambalam, Egmore, Park and finally reach Beach Station. Besides, there are facilities for advanced computerised reservation of train tickets. Frequent trains between Chengalpattu and beach are available.

Peculiarities

The first and foremost attraction that anyone who passes through Chengalpattu notices is the Kolavai lake. It is the Second Largest lake in the Kanchipuram District after the Madhuranthagam Lake. Kolavai lake is well known for its perenniality which has no records of going dry in Summers. It even supplies Water to industries in Chennai when the lakes in Chennai go dry. Its ecstatic location surrounded by mountains fills one's heart with joy. It is sad to note that the lake is now being polluted due to the rapid urbanisation of Chengalpattu. The ingress of people to the outskirts of Chennai city due to lack of space can be considered the major cause for this. The establishment of Mahindra City in Paranur which lies on the other side of Kolavai lake has compounded the problems.

Tourism

Today Chengalpattu has developed as a touristic spot for many foreign travellers on their way to Mamallapuram, Thirukazhukundram and Kanchipuram. The boat house established by Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) in the Kolavai lake which is situated alongside of the NH 45 highway has now turned into a place where people can relax with their families on weekends. The monsoon rains flooded the gates of the lake in December 2005 due to which the TTDC boat club operation has been stopped. It also serves as a bridge connecting all nearby districts with the renowned tourist places like Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu, theme parks on East Coast Road (ECR), Thirukazhukundram etc.

Mamallapuram It is about 60 kms from Chennai.The monuments of Mamallapuram date back to the Pallava period of the 7th-8thcenturies. It is also a beach resort offering wide range of hotels to stay. Tourists are charged a one-time Entry fee for all monuments

Vedanthangal (85 kms) This is a bird sanctuary for migratory water birds. It is about 85 kms from Chennai.

Season: November- March.

Notable Industries around

There are several industries located around Chengalpattu and several more are coming up. The primary reason of this being the town's close proximity to Chennai and its frequent connectivity to other places through rail and road.

Several companies like Tech Mahindra, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Infosys, Nokia, Pepsi, TVS, Siemens have their production plants near Chengalpattu.