Purasawalkam

Purasawakkam, also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai / Purasawalkam, is a residential cum shopping area in the district of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations. Purasawakkam is considered a perfect mixture of commercial and residential hubs.

purasawakkam

Purasai, Purasawakkam, purasaiwakkam
Neighbourhood
Nickname(s): 
Purasai
purasawakkam
purasawakkam
purasawakkam
Coordinates: 13.08593°N 80.25047°E / 13.08593; 80.25047
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictChennai
MetroChennai
Government
 • BodyChennai Corporation
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationTN-01
Planning agencyCMDA
Civic agencyChennai Corporation
Websitewww.chennai.tn.nic.in

Etymology

The name "Purasai" came from the name of a tree called 'purasai maram' in Tamil. In olden days this area was abundant with these trees. Also, there were a lot of stables at once in an age which was referred as (horse) "puravi" in Tamil, puravivakkam later termed as purasaiwakkam. The Gangadeeshwarar temple near the Purasawalkam tank speaks about this history. The tank belongs to this temple.

The Gangadeeshwarar temple is very famous temple for ages. Here the Shiva Lingam which is situated at mulasthanam, has a unique feature of wetness throughout the year. Even in the drought conditions and severe summer seasons, the wetness near the Shiva Lingam is observed.

Another story is that, in 1799, Company Assistant Surgeon John Underwood of the British East India Company in the then Madrasapattanam, established in "Poorshewak", now known as Purasawalkam, what may be considered the first hospital in India meant solely for the Indian poor; the Native Infirmary. [1]

Landmarks

Shopping
Abirami Mega Mall on Purasawalkam high road

Abirami Mega Mall, one of the main attractions in Purasawalkam, is a Multiplex including four main cinemas and many shopping outlets.[2] Tana Street, the heart of Purasawalkam, is one of the busiest streets in Chennai. It is famous for its jewelry, vegetables, Clay pot cooking and Pharmacies. It also features a busy grocery market. There are also many textile showrooms, including MadharSha, Deensha, Sree Krishna Collections, Textile India, Ranjanas,The Raymond showroom, Peter England showroom, Ramraj textile showroom and more. And Home appliances/Supermarkets such as Vasanth and Co.,Viveks the Unlimited shop, Chellamani & Co., Rasi & Co., Rathna Stores and Saravana Stores Super Shopping Mall. The Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College's boys hostel is also situated here opposite to Motcham theater.

Restaurants

Popular Restaurants here include Hotel Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Akshaya The Tasty Veg. Restaurant, Raaj Bhavan, Hotel Welcome(Famous for its unique Sambar), Hotel Vasantha Bhavan, The Hot Chips, Doveton Cafe, Hotel Deccan, Hotel Paradise, Hotel Paramount and Hotel Sanmaan along with an umpteen number of Biriyani shops. There are a significant number of wine shops in Purasawakkam.

Roads and Streets

Educational institutions

Purasaiwakkam is a center of education in Chennai

Colleges

Schools
  • Tulsi Adarsh Vidya Mandir Nuesery&Primary School
  • Satya Matriculation Higher Secondary School
  • Alagappa Matriculation Higher Secondary School,
  • Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram,
  • J.M matriculation school
  • Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School
  • St.Joseph's Anglo Indian Boys Higher Secondary School
  • St. Aloysius Anglo Indian Girls Hr.Sec School
  • Sir MCTM Boys Hr.Sec. School
  • Sir MCTM Girls Hr.Sec. School
  • Kola Saraswathi Senior Secondary School
  • Bentick Girls Hr.Sec. School
  • St.Pauls Hr.Sec. School
  • St. Matthias Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School,
  • CSI Bains Hr.Sec. School,
  • Doveton Corrie Anglo-Indian Boys Hr.Sec. School
  • Doveton Corrie Anglo-Indian Girls Hr.Sec. School
  • Doveton Matric Hr. Sec School
  • C.S.I Ewarts Girls Hr.Sec. School
  • Anita Methodist Matriculation Higher Secondary School
  • St. Andrews Boys Hr.Sec. School
  • ELM Fabricus Hr.Sec. School
  • St.Joseph's Girls Hr.Sec School
  • St.Joseph's Primary School
  • Raja Nursery School
  • Corporation Girls School
  • Corporation Boys School
  • Sri Muthukuaramswamy Hr.Sec School
  • T.E.L.C.Primary School
  • Seventh-Day Adventist Matric. Hr.Sec School (Vepery)

Places of Worship

Churches

Purasai also contains a huge Lutheran church, Adaikalanathar Church, operated under the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC). Other churches include Jehovah-Shammah (founder - Bro. Bakht Singh), St. Joseph's Church (Vepery High Road near Periamet), St Andrew's church, St. Paul's Church, St. Mathias Church, CSI Missionary chapel, Emmanuel Methodist, Tamil Methodist, Apostolic Church and Apostolic Fellowship Tabernacle, Apostolic Christian Assembly which is the biggest congregation in Chennai.

Temples

Some of the famous Temples in this area are Gangadeeshwarar Temple, Sumukha Vinayaka (Vandithoti Pilliyar) Temple, Karpaga Vinayaka Temple and Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Vellala Street, Solai Amma Temple and Sri Purushadaniya Parshvnath Jain Temple, Sai baba temple (yemi Street),Sri Varadaraja perumal temple in solaiamman koil street.

Historical famous Shri Gangadeeshwarar temple, Purasawalkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Mosques

Mosques here include Jumma Masjid, Periamet Mosque and PMWA mosque in Yemi street.

Politics
  • Late politician Naanchil Manoharan's house is situated on the Mookathal Street near Saravana Super Stores.
  • Purasawakkam Legislative assembly constituency is a part of Central Chennai (Lok Sabha constituency).
  • Most of the celebrity persons lived in Purasawalkam; example: A.R.Rahaman, D.Imman, Vairamuthu and many.
  • Thana street end (opposite to Indira Gandhi statue); Mukesh ji house is located; he is the person helping others; good character and lovely person; every Purasawalkam people knows him; he has a lot of shops in Thana street.
  • Happiness Guru S. Balaji also lives here.[3]

References
  1. Tales of Old Madras and New by S Muthiah
  2. "Multiplex Unique!". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 18 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
  3. "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
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