The history of Velachery dates back to ninth century CE when it was a small village.
Epigraphs indicate that the area was contemporary to other historical townships in the Tondaimandalam region of
Tamilakam. The oldest kalvettus in Velachery are in the ancient Selliamman temple from the reigns of Parakesarivarman/
Parantaka Chola (9th century) and Parthivendravarman. The
Dhandeeswaram temple contains many epigraphs from the times of
Gandaraditya Chola (10th century) and emperors
Raja Raja Chola I and
Rajendra Chola I (11th century). During the 12th century, Velachery, along with the rest of Tondaimandalam, was thought to have briefly come under the rule of the Kadavas (or Kadavarayas) who were feudatory powers under the Cholas and subsequent Pandya emperors. An epigraph from king Kopperunjingan I of Sendamangalam of
South Arcot region is found in Velachery. As in other contemporary Madras regions, the Velachery epigraphs attest to the remarkable system of local administration systems under
Pallavas and
Cholas of
Tamilakam. There was harmonious functioning of the institutions of central government along a vast network of village 'sabaikal'/'sabhas' or assemblies which enjoyed considerable local autonomy and which were the real guardians of villages. The functioning of the sabaikal in places like Velachery, Kunrattur, Thirumazhisai, Poonamalle and Padi are well attested, with their composition of village elders and learned members of the community, and maintaining law and order, levying taxes and ensuring the functioning of the economy. However, under the subsequent
Vijayanagara empire and their feudatories, the power of the local assemblies seems to have progressively declined in favour of more centralized rule. The Velachery kalvettus mention instances of an Alanganattar family's (thought to be the title of the village elders) donation to the Dhandeeswaram temple, and of two people buying land from the sabai and donating them to the temple. Contemporary accounts from Kavanur near
Tiruvottiyur describe how the village assemblies received money from individuals and agreed to pay interest on it. It is clear that the village assemblies possessed the right of buying and disposing of land or other categories of properties owned jointly by the villagers for them and on their behalf. A Chola record from Velachery mentions a Council of Justice, called Dharmasana, presided by the King and assisted by learned Brahmins, called Dharmasanabhattars. Lesser cases were decided by local courts named as Nyayattar. In the epigraphs, some parts of the Velachery village were known as Dinachintamani Chaturvedimangalam in honour of land grants given to Brahmins for teaching the four
Vedas. (In current times, the Mettu Theru areas of Dhandeeswaram are thought to correspond to the references). In such
Brahmadeya villages or Agarams, the lands were held by the village in common on a tenure system known as Ganabhogam, cultivated under joint ownership by the community and the profits shared in proportion to the share held on the land. Another kalvettu mentions a sale of land by non-Brahmins with the permission of king
Rajendra Chola I, indicating that even non-Brahmins held land in the Brahmadeya villages.
20th century and later Velachery is a prominent residential neighbourhood in Chennai, which gained importance as the city expanded in the late 20th century. The American Advent Mission School has been a key educational institution in the area since the 1950s. The transformation of Velachery occurred with the widening of Bypass Road in 2005, when it was expanded to a six-laned road, leading to ample opportunities for commercial development. ==Location==