Chepauk Palace, the long red-and-white complex facing the Marina on Kamarajar Salai, was built for Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah of the Carnatic and completed in 1768. It is often called the first building in the Indo-Saracenic style, the mix of Mughal and European forms that later shaped the High Court, Central station and Senate House. Its two wings, Kalas or Khalsa Mahal and Humayun Mahal, have spent the last fourteen years being rescued after a fire in January 2012.
The state has said Humayun Mahal will hold a new museum on Tamil Nadu’s part in the freedom struggle. Here is the palace’s story, what the restoration has involved, and what to know before you go to look.
A Nawab’s palace by the sea
The Nawabs lived here as the East India Company’s allies and, increasingly, its debtors. The palace was their official residence until 1855, notes Citizen Matters, when the British abolished the title and took over the property. The estate was far bigger than what survives: about 117 acres, stretching west to today’s Bells Road and taking in the ground where the Chepauk cricket stadium and the Madras Cricket Club now stand, writes historian Sriram V.
The two wings had separate jobs. Humayun Mahal held the private quarters and Khalas Mahal the public rooms. Between them stands a tower added later by the architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm, who went on to design Senate House and other Indo-Saracenic landmarks. Several names in Triplicane still recall the palace, such as Kaman Darwaza, a narrow arch, and Yanai Kulam, the elephant tank.
From palace to offices
After 1855 the complex became a government office block. Over the next century and a half, departments partitioned the halls, ran wiring along the walls and stored old files and furniture in the corridors. By the 2000s parts of the roof of Humayun Mahal had collapsed while staff continued to work in the building.
On the night of the fire in January 2012, Khalsa Mahal was gutted. A short circuit was blamed, and observers listed poor maintenance, haphazard wiring, water seepage from toilets added inside, and piles of paper and wooden furniture as reasons it spread, Sriram V wrote in 2014. A minister initially spoke of demolishing what was left. After public criticism, the government formed an expert committee instead. The PWD’s 2012-13 policy note records that the committee included a former structural engineering dean of Anna University, the department’s Engineer-in-Chief for buildings and CMDA’s Chief Planner, and that the government accepted its report on Khalsa Mahal.
The restoration, step by step
- 2012: the government invites conservation architects to bid for Khalsa Mahal and says the job should not follow normal PWD new-building rates.
- 2014: a Mysuru-based conservation architect is appointed, with the contract asking for original materials to be reused where possible.
- 2018: work on the palace is described as in full swing under a combined estimate of Rs 14.04 crore, while Humayun Mahal awaits its own sanction (Madras Musings).
- 2019: Rs 34 crore is allotted to the PWD to restore Humayun Mahal within 18 months, with traditional lime-based methods, Citizen Matters reports.
- 2024: the Department of Museums says Humayun Mahal will house the freedom struggle museum.
The work took years longer than planned, as heritage projects often do. Commentators have welcomed the rescue while questioning some choices, including heavy use of new Athangudi tiles, new-looking doors and false ceilings, and the loss during the works of a marble plaque that identified the buildings as part of the Nawabs’ palace.
The freedom struggle museum
A state press release of 26 April 2024 said Humayun Mahal, opposite the Marina, had been chosen for a museum of about 80,000 sq ft honouring Tamil Nadu’s role in the independence movement. It asked the public to donate items such as letters, period newspapers, jail tokens, charkhas, INA uniforms and stamps, either at the Government Museum in Egmore or at any of the 23 district museums, with certificates for donors.
A July 2024 Madras Musings report said the plan included galleries on women freedom fighters and lesser-known figures, and that a detailed project report was being prepared before tenders. We could not confirm an opening date in our checks this week.
Seeing it today
- The best view is from Kamarajar Salai, across from the beach, or from Wallajah Road on the stadium side.
- Parts of the complex remain government offices, so there is no general public access. Do not enter work sites.
- Look for the three-domed structure at the north-west end, likely the Nawab’s private mosque, and the Chisholm tower in the middle.
- Combine it with Senate House and Presidency College nearby, which stand on land that once belonged to the palace grounds.
Quick answers
Who built Chepauk Palace?
It was built for Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah of the Carnatic and completed in 1768.
What happened in the 2012 fire?
Khalsa Mahal, one of the two wings, was gutted in January 2012. The government chose to restore it rather than demolish it.
Is Chepauk Palace open to visitors?
Not as a monument. Parts are government offices. Humayun Mahal is to become a freedom struggle museum; check the Department of Museums for an opening date.
Why is it called the first Indo-Saracenic building?
Its mix of Mughal arches and domes with European construction is often cited as the earliest example of the style.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- World’s first Indo-Saracenic building set to regain old glory (Citizen Matters, Nov 2019)
- Press release No. 621: museum on Tamil Nadu’s role in the freedom struggle at Humayun Mahal (DIPR, Government of Tamil Nadu, 26 Apr 2024)
- Public Works Department (Buildings) Policy Note 2012-13 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Better times for Chepauk Palace (Sriram V, March 2014)
- Some progress in restoring heritage (Madras Musings, Dec 2018)
- Yet another government-run museum in city (Madras Musings, July 2024)
- When historic markers go missing (Sriram V, July 2026)
