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| King George V Getty imagesin |
No other Indian city has so many statues of King George V, as Chennai (Madras) once had. This city was one of the earliest British settlements, then a fishing village which later after centuries, emerged as one of the largest Indian cities. King George V, a descendant of Prince Albert and the Germanic house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was a popular monarch and during the world war I he had to submit himself to growing anti-German sentiment in the English society and changed the family’s name to ''Windsor''. In the wake of global economic slump in 1931 the king actively promoted the idea of a coalition government among the three major parties in Britain: Conservatives, Labor and Liberals. It shows his depth of knowledge in the nuances of British politics and changing political scenarios. Keenly interested in prompting the extend of the Empire, he visited India twice - in 1905 as Prince of Wales and again in 1911 as a reigning monarch for the Grand Coronation Durbar, Delhi - often dubbed as the greatest show on Earth. It invited criticism from freedom fighters and members of the Indian National Congress. It was a show of pomp and pageantry, a mere waste of money to prove to the world the supremacy and the power of the British Empire.. a publicity bonanza to promote their Imperial Expansionism. At the Coronation Durbar rich Indian Maharajahs and Nawabs were made to bow before the royal couple - it was just short of falling prostrate before them - the paramount power.
King George and his wife participated in many events including on the sidelines, safari - hunting trip to the jungles of Nepal and India to shoot the wild animal with the help of his retinue. After his visit, he became a popular king and several statues came up in the later period as part of memorials or commemoration. Because of his earlier visit to Madras Black town was named as George Town during his coronation year 1911.
Statues of King George V were in the following places of Chennai:
01. Statue/Bust in Flower Bazaar Police Station: Year and whereabouts unknown.
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| Bust of king George V, Chennai. thehindu.com |
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| king George V, Flower bazaar, Chennai. thehindu.com |
02. Statue outside Flower Bazaar Police Station: Made by sculptor Sir Bertram Mackennal; gifted by merchant Kushaldoss Chaturbhujadoss, dating to 1913.
03. Statue in Guindy: Gifted by contractor T. Namberumal Chetty in 1911; whereabouts unknown.
04. Bust in Chingleput Town: Gifted by T. Namberumal Chetty in1911; whereabouts unknown.
04. Bust in Panagal Park: Made by sculptor M.S. Nagappa and unveiled by Sir Mohammed Usman in 1934; whereabouts unknown. (It is replaced by the statue of Panagal Raja).
05. Statue outside Chennai harbor: Made by M.S. Nagappa in 1935; presently in the Govt. museum?
06. Bust of King George V: in Council Chamber, now in St George Fort Museum.
King George V statue (bust) in Thanjavur city, TN:
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| King George V Thanjavur clock tower park credit: J.Ramakrishna Anand |
Above image: This is the bust of king George V located on the NE corner of the Ranee's clock tower park, close to the old bus stand; the access to the park is on the Gandhiji Road. As part of Smart city Program the clock tower built in 1833 (major contribution was from the Maratha queen) during the reign of Serfoji Maharajah is being renovated now. The shabby statue and the pedestal will be cleaned and renovated soon, Presently, the entire park is closed for renovation work including the clock tower. The statue is a gift from late T.N. Kalidoss, a Thanjavur based lawyer - 6 May 1935 (Silver Jubilee). The statue is not an impressive one devoid of a crown on the head and regal regalia. King's moustache and the reseeding and balding head are quite visible and show his age past 50 years.
I believe it is the only statue of King George V out side Chennai city and Chengalpattu. In a nondescript village Vizhuppanur near Sri Villiputhur the statue of the British king was unveiled and the details were not available. Only the plaque is available and the statue is missing. This statue was installed in connection with the Delhi Durbar of 1911(dated 12 December).
https://sriramv.wordpress.com/2021/03/08/the-vi-or-vii-statues-of-george-v/
http://www.madrasmusings.com/vol-30-no-21/lost-landmarks-of-chennai-77/
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/08/stories/2005120804430200.html
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/architect-calls-to-give-heritage-buildings-in-thanjavur-lifeline/article2067160.ece
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2017/02/heritage-structure-ranis-clock-towe.html
https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2020/03/ranees-clock-tower-thanjavur-city-tamil.html
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