page_title: Timeline of Chennai
section_title: 17th century
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of Chennai / 17th century
caption_attribution_description: English: The plan of en:Fort St George, Madras
context_page_description: This is a timeline of major events in the history of Chennai.
context_section_description: 1612: Dutch arrive and capture the region and establish near Pulicat, just north of the city.
  1626: The British East India Company decide to build a factory on the east coast and select Armagon (Dugarazpatnam), a village some 35 miles north of Pulicat, as its site.
  1637: Francis Day, one of the officers of the East India Company, a member of the Masulipatam Council and the chief of the Armagon Factory, makes a voyage of exploration in 1637 down the coast as far as Pondicherry in order to choose a site for a new settlement.
  1639: The English secures a grant from the Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, Nayaks of Kalahasti, for getting a three-mile-long strip of land and the city of Madras is founded (22 August). Foundation is laid for Fort St. George.
  The population of the Portuguese and Dutch settlers in the region reaches 10,000, although substantially outnumbered by the local population.
  1640: Francis Day and Andrew Cogan land with 25 Europeans (20 February). Fort St. George is completed (23 April).
  1646: Population of the city recorded as 19,000.
  1664: First British hospital in the country is started in Fort St. George (16 November); later becomes the Government General Hospital.
  1668: Triplicane is annexed to the city.
  1669: Population of the city increased to 40,000.
  1678: Foundation is laid for St. Mary's Church in Fort St. George.
  Kalikambal Temple was built in its new location.
  1679: St. Mary's Church is completed.
  1688: Madras City Municipal Corporation is inaugurated.
  1693: Egmore, Purasawalkam and Tondiarpet are annexed to the city.
caption: A plan of the Fort St. George and surrounding settlements
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