Memorial Pillar, Arasu Pannai

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDS :

The memorial pillar or obelisk mentioning the construction of bridge acros a brook near saidapet (Saidapet Taluk, Chennai District) is located within th premise of Tamilnadu Highway department depo which is quite opposite to M.C Raja students hostel.

Apart from means of transport, bridges plays a vital role in bridging the societies, parted by water bodies and facilitate socio cultural exchange amoung them. It is a land rank of vital importance for the traders to conduct trade with case.

It was built in the year 1786 A.D. by Andrew Fourbeck and named after the village marmalong (Mambalam) as "Marmalong Brook Bridge" Obelisk bearing the inscriptions in Tamil, English, Latin and Persian languages which mentions its origin. It is a protected monument under the control of Department of Archaeology Govt. of Tamilnadu.

INSCRIPTION IN ENGLISH

  • 1.This Bridge
  • 2.Erected as a Public Benefit
  • 3.From a Legacy
  • 4.By Bestowed
  • 5.Mr. Adrian Four Beck
  • 6.A Merchant of Madras
  • 7.Is a monument
  • 8.Useful as lasting
  • 9.r Of the Good citizen's
  • 10.Munificent – liberality
  • 11.It was erected
  • 12.By his executors
  • 13.T. Pulling I Defries & P. Bodkin
  • 14.From the plan
  • 15.and under the direction
  • 16.Lieut:t col:L Pat:K Ross
  • 17.Chief Engineer
  • 18.In the year of our lord
  • 19.1786
  • 20.Maj:r Gen:1 Sir Arch:d Campbell
  • 21.Knight of the most Honble
  • 22.Being then order of the batch
  • 23.Governor of Fort St. George