Madras Cemeteries

Some cemeteries in the city of Madras.

The Madras Cemeteries Board (300 Kilpauk Garden Road, Chennai 600-010, ph. 611 506) manages all Christian cemeteries in Madras. The Honourary Secretary is Mr. G. Jothi Paul . If you have any questions about any of the Christian cemeteries in Madras, you should address them to the Board. The website has a search facility for burials from 1900

Fort St George, Madras

St Mary's Church

The headstones of St Mary's, Fort St George have been removed from their original locations, but can still be viewed around the church. All the headstones have been transcribed and are listed in a booklet entitled 'A Walk Around St Mary's'. Only the very earliest burials took place here, as the churchyard quickly filled up. Once St Mary's was full, the British Cemetery was opened.

Photographs of 28 gravestones collected and placed nearby St. Mary's Church in the 'Guava Garden' can be viewed via the FIBIS database.

"Monuments in the Old St Mary’s Cemetery" page 189 from Fort St. George, Madras; a short history of our first possession in India by Fanny Emily Penny 1900 Archive.org

Cemetery Index for St Mary’s, Fort St George, Madras City.

Pallavan Salai, Madras

Old British Cemetery

This is a huge cemetery and very overgrown. Although the grounds are in poor condition, most of the headstones appear to be intact, which is unusual for India.

Presbyterian Cemetery

This small, derelict cemetery is not marked on any maps. It is near the overpass of Pallavan Salai near the Old British Cemetery. An old lady, who apparently lives on the grounds, has a complete listing of all the inscriptions. She speaks no English, and will simply hand the booklet to any person of European appearance who wanders into the cemetery. If you visit, you should tip her.

Washermanpettah Cemetery

Washermanpettah is an area of northern Madras. This is a huge and very disorganised cemetery. Although the burial records of my ancestors showed that some had been buried at Washermanpettah Cemetery in the nineteenth century, I was unable to find any graves earlier than the 1940's. It is possible that there may be more than one cemetery, although the locals assured me that there wasn't, or alternatively I may just have not gone to the right spot within the cemetery.

Pursewalkum Cemetery

This is the burial ground for St Matthias' at Vepery. The cemetery has had many of the headstones demolished to build a Tamil church. When I visited in 1993, half of the remainder was under water. Nevertheless, I found the graves of two of my ancestors. To get to this cemetery, you will need to visit St Matthias' on the corner of V.K.Sampath Road and Vepery High Road, and ask for a guide. It is about a 15 minute walk.