Cantonment In India

St Thomas Mount Cantonment

St.Thomas Mount cum Pallavaram Cantonment Board was established in the year 1774CE, while it is the second oldest establishment among the Military cantonments in the country, located at 18km distance from the Chennai’s Central Railway Station.

This cantonment covers three adjacent locations which are St.Thomas Mount, Pallavaram and Meenambakkam, all these being parts of Chennai City claiming their own importance such as

• St. Thomas Mount is the hillock where St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ  breathed his last when he visited India,  Christians considering it a sacred place
• The Anna International Airport situated at Meenambakkam and
• The Officers Training Academy, the only Army training establishment of the Country located at Pallavaram.

History

The present St. Thomas Mount –cum- Pallavaram Cantonment was commissioned as two separate Military agglomerations one in the year 1774CE and the other a little later, subsequently becoming a single cantonment by a merger event, and St Thomas Mount is known to be the second oldest cantonment in the Country.

At the initiative of Lt. Col. James, Commanding the Artillery force at Fort St. George, the then Directors of the Cantonment Boards consented on 1st Dec 1774 to take off the artillery forces from Madras (which is present Chennai) and Vellore to be accommodated at the Mount, upon which direction, in 1805CE, the collector of Chengleput Distt started organizing the infrastructure there and after many improvements the Cantonment came to the full form by 1830CE.

Later in 1905CE, the British India Government approved the amalgamation of the Pallavaram Cantonment, which came up during 1820s, with St. Thomas Mount cantonment, after the Native Infantry Depot at St. Thomas Mount was withdrawn, however due to various reasons the total merger could take place only by 1927CE.

How to Reach St. Thomas Mount (Dehradun) Cantonment

St. Thomas Mount Cantonment is right in the Chennai Corporation limits, the Suburban Train from Beach to Thambaram having a stop at St. Thomas Mount as also Pallavaram Stations, thus enabling one to easily visit this place, while one can take a Bus travel from any point in the City to this Cantonment area.

Taxis and Auto rickshaws are available in plenty from Chennai Central Station and also Chennai Egmore Station, both the points having train services from all the parts of India, these transport services are well regulated from the Railway Stations through Pre-Paid counters established by the Transport authorities.

Meenambakkam is the area where both Anna International Terminal and Kamaraj Domestic Terminal of Chennai International Airport, which is an adjacent location to St. Thomas mount, thus reaching the Cantonment from the Airport are very easy and convenient.

Location Map