page_title: Cuddalore
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cuddalore / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Painting of the Battle of Cuddalore (June 20th 1783) between the French navy commanded by the Bailli de Suffren and the British one under the orders of Rear-Admiral Edward Hughes Français&#160;: Bataille de Gondelour près de la côte de Coromandel, le 20 juin 1783. Les vaisseaux de Suffren (à gauche) affronte l'escadre de Hughes (à droite).
context_page_description: Cuddalore is the headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
  While the early history of Cuddalore remains unclear, the town first rose to prominence during the reign of Pallavas and Medieval Cholas. After the fall of Cholas, the town was ruled by various dynasties like Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thajavur Marathas, Tipu Sultan, French and the British Empire. Cuddalore was the scene of Seven Years' War and the Battle of Cuddalore in 1758 between the French and British. It has been a part of independent India since 1947. During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the subsequent tsunamis it generated, Cuddalore was one of the affected towns, with 572 casualties.
  Apart from fishing and port-related industries, Cuddalore houses chemical, pharmacological and energy industries in SIPCOT, an industrial estate set up by the state government. The town is administered by a special-grade municipality covering an area of 27.69 km² and had a population of 173,676 in 2011. Cuddalore is a part of the Cuddalore legislative assembly constituency which is a part of the Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency.
context_section_description: From ancient times the old town has been a seaport. For two centuries, Cuddalore had been subject to a number of foreign powers including the Netherlands, Portugal, France and more recently, the British. Until 1758 Cuddalore was the capital to South Indian territories which was under British control. Britain ruled a greater part of South India (entire Tamil Nadu, parts of present Andra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka) from this fort (St. David).
  In the early 17th century, the Dutch obtained permission from the ruler of Cuddalore to build a fort there, but political pressure from their Portuguese rivals forced them to abandon it.
  Later, the French and English came to Cuddalore for trade and business. The French established a settlement 10 miles up the coast at Pondicherry in 1674, followed in 1690 by the British settlement of Fort St. David at Cuddalore.
  During the 18th century, various wars between the European powers spilt over to their colonial empires, and to their allies, including those in the Indian subcontinent. During this period the French and British fought several times in the area.
  In 1746, during First Carnatic War, part of the War of the Austrian Succession, French forces besieged the British at Fort St. David for several months before being driven off in 1747. 
  In 1758, during the Seven Years' War, the Fort was taken by the French, and there was an inconclusive naval action, the Battle of Cuddalore, off the coast.  The fort was later abandoned, in 1760, when the British attacked Pondicherry.
  In 1782, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, at the time of the American War of Independence, the French again took Cuddalore, and were besieged there in 1783 by the British. During the siege French and British naval forces again clashed off the Cuddalore coast. The siege failed, but the fort was returned to the British in 1795. In all there were five different naval actions off the coast during this period, all of which were indecisive.
  Some streets in Cuddalore retain their British names, such as Clive Street, Wellington Street, Sloper Street, Canning Street, Rope Street (Rope Street, Wellington Street, Sloper Street and Canning Street jointly known as Salangukara Village), Lawrence Road and Imperial Road. The Cuddalore Central Prison, opened in 1865, is a historically important landmark. Subramania Bharati and other political leaders served prison terms there.
  Tsunami waves that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near Sumatra hit the eastern coast of India on 26 December 2004 at 08:32 a.m.(IST), resulting in 572 casualties. Several fishing hamlets disappeared, while Silver Beach and the historically important Cuddalore Port was devastated. Fort St. David survived without damage. On 30 Dec 2011, Cyclone Thane caused widespread damage to crops and buildings.
caption: The siege of Cuddalore in 1783 in sea
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