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{{Short description|Historical street in Chennai, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox street
|marker_image=
|name= Mint Street
|native_name=
|alternate_name=
|maint= [[Corporation of Chennai]]
|image=
|caption=
|map=
|length_mi= 1.6
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|length_notes=
|established=
|decommissioned=
|direction_a=North
|terminus_a=North Wall Road–[[Old Jail Road, Chennai|Old Jail Road]] Junction, [[Washermanpet]], [[Chennai]]
|junction=
|direction_b=South
|terminus_b=[[Poonamallee High Road, Chennai|Poonamallee High Road]], [[Park Town, Chennai|Park Town]], [[Chennai]]
|coordinates={{coord|13|5|2|N|80|16|41|E|display=inline,title}}
|counties=
|cities=
|system=
}}

'''Mint Street''' is one of the prime streets of the commercial centre of [[George Town, Chennai|George Town]] in [[Chennai]], India. The street is one of the oldest streets in Chennai and is believed to be the longest street in the city.<ref name="PrintWeekIndia_WalkthroughHistory"/><ref name="TOI_MadrasWeek_MemoriesDownTheStreet"/> Running north–south, the street connects [[Poonamallee High Road, Chennai|Poonamallee High Road]] at [[Park Town, Chennai|Park Town]] in the south with North Wall Road–[[Old Jail Road, Chennai|Old Jail Road]] Junction at [[Washermanpet]] in the north. Running parallel to the [[Wall Tax Road, Chennai|Wall Tax Road]], another historical thoroughfare in the city, the street passes through thickly populated residential and commercial areas of the historical neighbourhood.

==Etymology==
The street was named so during the 1840s when the [[British East India Company]] established its coin-making facility here.<ref name="TH_MeltingPot">{{cite news
| last = Kandavel
| first = Sangeetha
| title = A melting pot of cultures and trades
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 28 August 2019
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/a-melting-pot-of-cultures-and-trades/article61579268.ece
| access-date = 9 January 2023}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Mint Street Ekambareshwarar Temple.jpg|thumb|Ekambareshwarar Temple at Mint Street]]
In the 16th century, [[Madras Synagogue]] and Jewish Cemetery was established on the street by a [[Portuguese Jews|Portuguese Jewish]] trader, [[Jacques de Paiva]]. It was later moved to Lloyd's Road and became the [[Lloyd's Road Jewish Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Muthiah S.|title=The Portuguese Jews of Madras|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-portuguese-jews-of-madras/article2252700.ece|work=The Hindu|date=3 September 2007}}</ref>

In the early 18th century, washers and bleachers employed by the [[British East India Company]] for its cloth business settled around the street, given it the name 'Washers' Street'. Several of them were Telugu speaking, followed by the middlemen or dubashes (men who knew two languages), chiefly Telugu-speaking Komutti and Beri Chetties.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/north-madras-has-a-rich-history/article6328384.ece|title=North Madras has a rich history|website=Frontline|language=en|access-date=2019-06-01}}</ref> By the 1740s, [[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]] and [[Saurashtra people|Saurashtrians]]<ref name=":0" /> from the [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra region]] closely associated with the [[Clothing|cloth]] [[trade]] settled down in the area to the west of the street.<ref name=":0" /> Soon, the area also became home to [[Marwari people|Marwari]]s,<ref name=":0" /> who were chiefly pawn brokers and money lenders. Mint Street thus became a confluence of various language speakers, which has remained so till date.<ref name="PrintWeekIndia_WalkthroughHistory">{{Cite web
| last = Sriram
| first = V.
| author-link =
| title = A walk through the history of Mint Street, Chennai
| work = Print Week India
| publisher = PrintWeek.in
| date = 12 June 2013
| url = http://www.printweek.in/Feature/346489,a-walk-through-the-history-of-mint-street-chennai.aspx
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 16 Mar 2014}}</ref>

In 1841–1842, the East India Company moved its coin-making facility to this street, and since then the street became known as Mint Street.<ref name="PrintWeekIndia_WalkthroughHistory"/> Later the mint was converted as the Government Press, which still functions. Next to the Press stood Crown Talkies, one of the city's earliest cinema theatres built by a photographer named Ragupathy Venkaiah, who also built other theatres such as Gaiety and Globe in various parts of the city. The street also housed Muragan Theatre, where ''Kalidasa'', the first Tamil talkie, was released.<ref name="TOI_MadrasWeek_MemoriesDownTheStreet">{{cite news
| last = TNN
| first =
| title = Madras Week: Memories down the Mint Street
| newspaper = The Times of India
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Times Group
| date = 29 August 2011
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Madras-Week-Memories-down-the-Mint-Street/articleshow/9777333.cms
| accessdate = 16 Mar 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = Top 5 streets of George Town in Chennai
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 28 August 2017
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/real-estate/top-5-streets-of-george-town-in-chennai/article19575578.ece
| accessdate = 24 September 2020}}</ref>

The city's first ticketed Carnatic concert was conducted in this street in the 1880s for a concert by Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan at the Thondaimandalam Thruva Vellalar School, which is now in a dilapidated condition. The concept, however, did not succeed.<ref name="TOI_MadrasWeek_MemoriesDownTheStreet"/><ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories">{{cite news
| last = Sriram
| first = V.
| title = Mint Street, music and memories
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| date = 10 December 2011
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/mint-street-music-and-memories/article2703706.ece
| accessdate = 16 Mar 2014}}</ref>

In 1889, the Hindu Theological School was established, where the legendary C. Saraswathi Bai gave her first harikatha performance in 1909, becoming the first woman to do so.<ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories"/> The school was visited by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in 1896.<ref name="TOI_MadrasWeek_MemoriesDownTheStreet"/>

==The present-day street==
[[File:Mint Street Jain Temple.jpg|thumb|Shri Chandraprabhu Jain temple]]
The street is known for its authentic Rajasthani cuisine, which Marwaris believe is only available in this area.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Ramkumar
| first = Pratiksha
| title = Led by nose, group explores Mint St
| newspaper = The Times of India
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Times Group
| date = 27 August 2012
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Led-by-nose-group-explores-Mint-St/articleshow/15797729.cms
| accessdate = 16 Mar 2014}}</ref>

The memorial house of savant Ramalinga Swamigal is located near the northern end of the street, in Veerasami Street, a lane off Barracks Street.<ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories"/>

The street houses two historic schools, namely the Tondaimandalam Tuluva Vellalar (TTV) School, founded in 1854, and the Hindu Theological School, founded in 1889. The TTV School was home to one of the earliest music sabhas—the Tondaimandalam Sabha. It was at a meeting of this Sabha at the school in 1905 that the decision to celebrate the Aradhana of Tyagaraja in a grand manner at Thiruvaiyaru was taken by a large group of musicians.<ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories"/>

Mint Street housed several bhajan centres (''bhajanai mandirams''), to nurture the bhajan tradition of Carnatic music, of which at least two still survive. One of these centres has transformed into a temple. Known as the 'Sumai tangi' (load-bearing) Rama temple, it has two exquisite Thanjavur paintings of Rama and Narasimha, which were the original objects of worship before the erection of stone idols. In a talk that Tiger Varadachariar gave over the All India Radio, composers and music publishers Tachur Singaracharlu Brothers organised bhajan sessions at this temple in the 1890s.<ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories"/>
Mint Street has several temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha.<ref name="Hindu_MintStreetMusicMemories"/> [[Kandaswami Temple, Georgetown|Kandaswami Temple]], dedicated to Lord Murugan, is located on Rasappa Chetty Street, off Mint Street. The street is also home to the [[Ekambareswarar Temple, Chennai|Ekambareswarar Temple]].

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Parry's Corner]]
* [[George Town, Chennai|George Town]]
* [[History of Chennai]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | title=Madras Discovered| last=Muthiah| first=S.| year=1981| author-link=S. Muthiah| publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|page=124}}

{{Chennai Topics}}
{{Roads of Chennai}}
{{Transport in Chennai}}

[[Category:Roads in Chennai]]
[[Category:Streets of George Town, Chennai]]

Mint Street, Chennai - Revision history

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