Stories
From 'Attapallam' to Broadway: Chennai's Astonishing 200-Year Urban Transformation!
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News18•20-09-2026, 18:33
From 'Attapallam' to Broadway: Chennai's Astonishing 200-Year Urban Transformation!
- •Chennai's bustling Broadway was once 'Attapallam', a low-lying hollow filled with stagnant water and sewage.
- •Lawyer Stephen Popham proposed filling this area with earth from 'Hog Hill', transforming it into a road.
- •In the 1780s, this new route was named 'Popham's Broadway', with Popham introducing streetlights and municipal regulations.
- •The name was later shortened to 'Broadway', and by 1789, 'Popham's Market' was established, making it a commercial hub.
- •Post-independence, it was renamed 'Prakasam Salai' in memory of Andhra Kesari 'Tanguturi Prakasam'.
Key Questions Answered
In the late 18th century, a lawyer named Stephen Popham filled the low-lying drainage area of Attapallam using earth excavated from the nearby Hog Hill mound to create a new road.
Stephen Popham was a lawyer who proposed reclaiming the Attapallam hollow by filling it with earth to build a north-south route. He also introduced streetlights, cross-drains, and municipal regulations to the area.
Following India's independence, Broadway was renamed Prakasam Salai in memory of Andhra Kesari Tanguturi Prakasam.
