The earliest mention of Tambaram dates back to the 13th century when the word 'Taamapuram' was inscribed on the walls around the
sanctum sanctorum at
Marundeeswarar temple in Tirukachur village, near Chengalpattu. Pallavapuram is most commonly known today as
Pallavaram. On 13 May 1863,
Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist with the
Geological Survey of India (GSI), discovered a hand axe belonging to the
Lower Palaeolithic Age at Pallavaram (Pallavapuram). Since then, several Stone Age artefacts have been discovered.
Chola Dynasty During the reign of
Later Cholas, from ninth to twelfth century CE, the region was called Churathur Nadu. Churathur Nadu was named after Thiruchuram, the present-day
Trisulam. The Churathur Nadu extended from Tambaram in the south to
Adambakkam and
Alandur in the north. The region included the areas of Pammal, Pallavaram, and Thiruneermalai.
Colonial Period During the
Carnatic wars in the late 17th century, the city was an entrenchment camp for the
British East India Company. During the 17th century, Pallavaram neighborhood of the city remained dependent upon the Portuguese colony of
San Thome. Later, the British established a cantonment at Pallavaram, supplementary to the one at
St. Thomas Mount. A
wireless station was established in the early years of the 20th century. The Madras Aerodrome was opened at Pallavaram in 1929.
Post-Independence In the 1951 census, Tambaram was classified as a
Town Panchayat for the first time. In 1964, Tambaram Town Panchayat was incorporated as a Grade III Municipality by annexing the Village Panchayats of Pulikoradu, Kadapperi, Tambaram, Irumbliyur, and Selaiyur. Due to rapid development and growth of the town commercially and residentially, the Municipality was classified as a 'Selection Grade Municipality'. The Tambaram range comprises forest lands in Nanmangalam, Madurapakkam, Tambaram, Pulikoradu, Kumili, Vandalur, Onnamancherry, Erumaiyur, Vattampakkam and Vadakupattu. In 2009, Tambaram taluk was trifurcated into Tambaram, Sholinganallur and Alandur taluks. Clubbing all the three taluks, a new revenue division with Tambaram as headquarters was formed.
City status The
Tambaram City Municipal Corporation was established to address administrative challenges stemming from rapid urbanization in the Tambaram region. On 24 August 2021, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for
Municipal Administration,
K. N. Nehru, announced a proposal in the
Legislative Assembly to create the corporation by merging five municipalities (
Anakaputhur,
Pallavaram,
Pammal,
Sembakkam and Tambaram), five town panchayats (
Chitlapakkam,
Madambakkam,
Perungaluthur,
Peerkangaranai and
Tiruneermalai), and 15 villages from the St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union. However, the inclusion of the villages was halted after the
Supreme Court of India mandated rural local body elections by October 2021. Consequently, these villages were excluded from the final plan. The Tambaram City Municipal Corporation Act of 2022 formally established Tambaram City under the municipal corporation’s governance, incorporating only the municipalities and town panchayats. The excluded villages are anticipated to merge with the city after their elected term concludes in 2026. == Geography ==