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{{short description|Main street in the downtown region of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox street
|marker_image=
|name= Thiru Vi Ka High Road
|native_name=
|alternate_name= General Patters Road, Westcott Road, Royapettah High Road
|maint= [[Corporation of Chennai]]
|image=
|caption=
|map=
|length_mi= 2.17
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|length_notes=
|established=
|decommissioned=
|direction_a=North
|terminus_a=[[Anna Salai]], [[Chennai]]
|junction=
|direction_b=South
|terminus_b=Lazarus Church Road, [[Mylapore]], Chennai
|coordinates= {{coord|13.0507497|N|80.2683518|E|display=inline,title}}
|location= Chennai, India
|system=
}}

'''Thiru Vi Ka Salai''', or the '''Thiru Vi Ka High Road''', is one of the main streets in the downtown region of [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. Running from north to south, the street branches off of the arterial [[Anna Salai]] north of the [[LIC Building]]<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/> and ends at Luz Corner in [[Mylapore]], continuing as the [[Ramakrishna Mutt Road]]. The street connects the neighbourhoods of [[Royapettah]], [[Mylapore]] and [[Gopalapuram, Chennai|Gopalapuram]].<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Royapettah+High+Rd,+Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu/@13.045449,80.2643679,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x3a52663ab20229e1:0xe98c03290c2aa538!8m2!3d13.045449!4d80.2665566?hl=en Location in Google Maps]</ref> The street includes three individual stretches formerly known as General Patters Road, Westcott Road and Royapettah High Road, respectively. The longest stretch, formerly known as the Royapettah High Road, runs to a length of {{convert|1.17|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name="GeoIQ">{{cite web | url = https://geoiq.io/roads/Royapettah-High-Road/Q793KLfu7r | title = Royapettah High Road | last = | first = | date = n.d. | website = GeoIQ | access-date = 19 November 2021 | quote = }}</ref> The presence of numerous automobile dealers on the northern end of the street resulted in Chennai coming to be known as ''The Detroit of India''.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/>

==History==
The original Woodlands Hotel was located on Royapettah High Road, whose garden space is presently occupied by a namesake cinema complex.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|84–85}} The street is also known for the presence of princely properties of the Arcot Nawab family, including the [[Amir Mahal]] and Acharya Graha. It is said that Amir Mahal and Acharya Graha were connected with a tunnel.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|196}} The Acharya Graha housed the Regional Provident Fund office before the office was moved to its present premises on the same street.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|196}} Previous owners of the Acharya Graha include Justice S. Subramania Aiyer, the Zamindar of Arni, and Congress associate T. M. Srinivasan.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|196}} When it was owned by T. M. Srinivasan, the property had several Congress visitors including [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and [[Balgangadhar Tilak]].<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|196}} Jammi Buildings, from which Jammi Pharmaceuticals, an outgrowth of the clinic and pharmacy established in Mylapore by Ayurvedic physician Jammi Venkataramanayya in 1928 known for its then popular household name 'Jammi Liver Cure', operated from 1949 till the 1980s, is one of the oldest landmarks on the street.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|238–239}}

On the southern side of the street, the Sanskrit Academy was established in 1927 to promote Sanskrit learning. Several Sanskritic organisations, including the [[Madras Sanskrit College]], were founded in the first quarter of the 20th century.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|237–238}} In the 1950s, the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute was established, which now has about 50,000 books in [[Sanskrit]] and on [[Indology]], besides 1000 ''olas'' (palm-leaf manuscripts) in [[Grantham]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and Sanskrit.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|238}} The ''Madras Law Journal'', the oldest in [[South India]], was established in the campus in 1891 and moved out in 2006–2007 when it was acquired by an international publisher.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|238}} When the area west of the Madras Sanskrit College towards the southern part of the street, known as the ''Dhobi Ghat'', was gifted in 1915, it became the permanent location of the Student's Home, a home for destitute boys founded in 1905 in a temporary location by C. Ramaswamy Aiyangar and C. Ramanujachari. In the 1920s, the home expanded to include a high school and a college.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|237}}

By the middle of the 20th century, Anna Salai had become the hub of automobile manufacturers in [[South India]], including conglomerates such as [[Simson (company)|Simson]], [[Addison Motor Company]], [[Royal Enfield]], South India Automotive Company, George Oaks of the [[Amalgamations Group]], [[Standard Motor Products of India Limited|Standard Motor Products of India]], and [[TVS Motor Company]].<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/> This, coupled with low rental rates in the nearby streets, resulted in automobile spare manufacturers and dealers opening shops in the region, including [[Pudupet]], [[Chintadripet]], General Patters Road, Whites Road, State Bank Street and so forth.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/> General Patters Road became the hub of automobile service and spare dealers.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/> This resulted in the region coming to be called ''The Detroit of India''.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/> The stretch was also home to theaters such as Jayapradha and Melody.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/>

On 19 October 1952, at the house of Telugu leader [[Bulusu Sambamurti]], in a street off Royapettah High Road leading to the present-day Vidya Mandir School, [[Gandhian]] [[Potti Sriramulu]] embarked on a fast-unto-death, demanding the creation of a new Andhra state for the Telugu-speaking people, leading to the formation of the state of [[Andhra Pradesh]] the following year.<ref name="TH_IdeaofAndhra">{{cite news
| last = Sriram
| first = V.
| title = Idea of Andhra was born in Mylapore
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 1 August 2013
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/idea-of-andhra-was-born-in-mylapore/article4974866.ece
| access-date = 22 December 2021}}</ref> The old tile-roofed house was later demolished to make way for a memorial for Potti Sriramulu.<ref name="TH_IdeaofAndhra"/>

==The street==
Thiru Vi Ka Salai is connected with [[Anna Salai]] at the northern end.<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa">{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = தெரு வாசகம்: கார்களை அலங்கரிக்கும் சாலை
| newspaper = The Hindu Tamil
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 6 July 2018
| url = https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/sontha-veedu/134991-.html
| access-date = 21 December 2021}}</ref> The northernmost stretch branching off Anna Salai on its eastern side and abutting the Express Estate was formerly known as General Patters Road,<ref name="Muthiah2014">{{cite book | last = Muthiah| first = S. | author-link = S. Muthiah | title = Madras Rediscovered| publisher = EastWest | date = 2014 | location = Chennai | isbn = 978-93-84030-28-5}}</ref>{{Rp|84–85}} running to a length of 0.97 km.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://geoiq.io/roads/General-Patters-Road/HBDEaIHLAv
| title = General Patters Road
| last =
| first =
| date = n.d.
| website = GeoIQ
| publisher =
| access-date = 22 December 2021
| quote = }}</ref> From then on, the street was known as the Royapettah High Road.<ref name="Muthiah2014"/>{{Rp|84–85}} The initial stretch of the Royapettah High Road was in turn known as the Westcott Road for the first 530 meters and the remaining 2 km as the Royapettah High Road.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://geoiq.io/roads/Westcott-Road/obmfop2Cmp
| title = Westcott Road
| last =
| first =
| date = n.d.
| website = GeoIQ
| publisher =
| access-date = 22 December 2021
| quote = }}</ref> The street also has a flyover that connects the neighbourhoods of Royapettah and Mylapore.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Swaminathan
| first = T. S. Atul
| title = Royapettah flyover badly needs more illumination
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 30 November 2018
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/royapettah-flyover-badly-needs-more-illumination/article25632415.ece
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref> The southern end of the street is connected to the Kutchery Road at the Luz Corner Junction.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Madhavan
| first = D.
| title = All eyes on Kalvi Varu Street project
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 6 February 2021
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/all-eyes-on-kalvi-varu-street-project/article33767479.ece
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref> Railway stations that are connected to the main street are the [[Thirumayilai railway station]] and the [[Mundagakanniamman Koil railway station]] of the [[Chennai MRTS]], both near the southern end of the street. The Royapettah underground station of the [[Chennai Metro]] is under construction near the [[Government Royapettah Hospital]] at the northern side of the street.<ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = 3 Indian cos may build 29 underground metro stations in Chennai
| newspaper = The Times of India
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Times Group
| date = 12 October 2021
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/3-indian-cos-may-build-29-underground-metro-stations-in-chennai/articleshow/86955777.cms
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref>

===Traffic junction===
The five-road junction near the northern end of the Royapettah flyover, connecting Avvai Shanmugam Salai and Masilamani Street with the Royapettah High Road stretch of the Thiru Vi Ka Salai is a critical traffic junction on the street.<ref name="NM_FiveRoad">{{cite news
| last = Shekar
| first = Anjana
| title = Why this five-road junction in Chennai's Royapettah is a nightmare for motorists
| newspaper = The News Minute
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = News Minute
| date = 6 September 2019
| url = https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-five-road-junction-chennai-s-royapettah-nightmare-motorists-108491
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="TH_ChaosRules">{{cite news
| last = Swaminathan
| first = T. S. Atul
| title = Chaos rules a busy intersection in Royapettah
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 5 October 2018
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chaos-rules-a-busy-intersection-in-royapettah/article25133971.ece
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref> The junction is one of the busiest in South Chennai owing to various factors such as being a bus route and the presence of several commercial establishments, headquarters of political parties, auto-gas filling stations, and a residential area.<ref name="TOI_TraffNightmare"/> It is also one of the junctions with five arms, one of which leads to a residential colony.<ref name="TOI_TraffNightmare">{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = Royapettah junction a traffic nightmare
| newspaper = The Times of India
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Times Group
| date = 23 July 2019
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/royapettah-junction-a-traffic-nightmare/articleshow/70337016.cms
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref>

==Major landmarks and memorials==
The city's largest peripheral hospital, the 712-bed [[Government Royapettah Hospital]], is located on the northern part of the street.<ref name="TOI_10CroreForCancerUnit">{{cite news
| title = Rs 10cr for cancer unit at Royapettah hospital
| location = Chennai
| date = 17 August 2012
| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-17/chennai/33248577_1_oral-cancer-cancer-centre-cancer-tops
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130224055002/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-17/chennai/33248577_1_oral-cancer-cancer-centre-cancer-tops
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 24 February 2013
| newspaper = [[The Times of India]]
| access-date = 28 Apr 2013}}</ref> Other important landmarks on the street include Sathyamurthi Bhavan (the headquarters of the [[Tamil Nadu Congress Committee]]), the historic Royapettah Police Station, [[Provident Fund]] office, [[Madras Sanskrit College]], [[Valluvar]] Statue, and the [[Luz Anjaneya Temple]].<ref name="THT_ThiruViKa"/><ref>{{cite news
| last = Narayanan
| first = Vivek
| title = In Chennai, this intersection has had no working traffic signal for years
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 14 February 2020
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/in-chennai-this-intersection-has-had-no-working-traffic-signal-for-years/article30820462.ece
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Anand
| first = M. Aaditya
| title = Anjaneyar Devasthanam at Mylapore is two centuries old
| newspaper = News Today
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| date = 4 January 2019
| url = https://newstodaynet.com/index.php/2019/01/04/anjaneyar-devasthanam-at-mylapore-is-two-centuries-old/
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref>

The house where Potti Sriramulu fasted to death now stands as the Potti Sreeramulu Memorial Building, which promotes arts and culture and also houses a Telugu library.<ref name="TH_IdeaofAndhra"/><ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = Andhra Pradesh government urged to protect Potti Sriramulu memorial
| newspaper = The Times of India
| location = Vijayawada
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = The Times Group
| date = 5 December 2016
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/andhra-pradesh-government-urged-to-protect-potti-sriramulu-memorial/articleshow/55802856.cms
| access-date = 22 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = Potti Sreeramulu Memorial Society to hold contests for students; music, art, Telugu poetry
| newspaper = Mylapore Times
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher =
| date = 13 July 2016
| url = https://www.mylaporetimes.com/2016/07/potti-sreeramulu-memorial-society-to-hold-contests-for-students-music-art-telugu-poetry/
| access-date = 22 December 2021}}</ref>

==Development==
Royapettah High Road is one of the major roads that are being developed under the phase I of the Mega Streets Project.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Ramakrishnan
| first = Shivani
| title = Chennai Mega Streets Project: Corporation to revamp 25 km stretch of road in the city under 'quick wins'
| newspaper = The Indian Express
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Express Publications
| date = 27 January 2021
| url = https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/chennai-mega-streets-project-25-km-roads-7155605/
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Nag
| first = Devanjana
| title = Mega Streets Project: GCC to revamp 25 km stretch of road in Chennai under 'quick wins'; details here
| newspaper = Financial Express
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Express Publications
| date = 22 January 2021
| url = https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/roadways/mega-streets-project-gcc-to-revamp-25-km-stretch-of-road-in-chennai-under-quick-wins-details-here/2176344/
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Ramakrishnan
| first = Shivani
| title = Mega Streets Project to give 110 km of Chennai's arterial roads a makeover
| newspaper = The Indian Express
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Express Publications
| date = 13 February 2020
| url = https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/chennai-mega-streets-project-6266110/
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref> In 2016, the [[Greater Chennai Corporation]] sent a proposal to the [[Government of Tamil Nadu|Tamil Nadu government]] on widening the road and began the work on preparation of land plan schedule.<ref>{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| title = Buildings on 132 roads may be razed
| newspaper = The Hindu
| location = Chennai
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Kasturi & Sons
| date = 26 August 2016
| url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/Buildings-on-132-roads-may-be-razed/article14589347.ece
| access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Transport in Chennai]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

[[Category:Roads in Chennai]]
[[Category:Roads in Tamil Nadu]]

Thiru. Vi. Ka. Salai - Revision history

AlfonzoGuess50: starting first pg from scratch...