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| Ft.David,Cuddalore,TN .tourtravelworld.com |
Above image: Fort St. David, a heritage structure established by the ETC in the vicinity of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, saw many battles between the French army and the English company to gain control over the region. It is on the backwaters of the river Gadilum close to the Coromandel Coast. This historical monument is under the custody of ASI..........
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| Fort David,Cuddaloretourtravelworld.com |
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| en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._David |
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| Gov.Elihu Yale voiceofindia. |
Above image: Yale was a benefactor of Yale university, USA which began as Yale college, New Haven, CT, USA. Privately managed, it is an Ivey league institution with a large endowment. A gift of about £1,162 ($1,486) now equal to more than £200,000 from Yale made the College management to name it after him to honor him. However, he has become a controversial figure because the world looks upon him as a colonialist who plundered India and engaged in slave trade on the sideline........
Elihu Yale (1649 – 1721), remembered globally as a benefactor of Yale University, New Heaven, Connecticut, NJ in the United States, served as the Governor of Madras from 1687 to 1692 under the East India Company.
His involvement with Fort St. David near the coastal town of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and the resultant accusations marked a controversial chapter in his administrative career in colonial India. In 1690, the British East India Company acquired the strategic fort at Devipatnam (modern-day Cuddalore) from the Marathas, who had earlier taken control of it from the Gingee Nayaks. The acquisition occurred through an auction, and Yale, then Governor, played a pivotal role in securing the fort, later named Fort St. David, in honor of the patron saint of Wales.
There were allegations that Yale used company funds for private gains during the purchase, including land at Tevnapatam (Cuddalore). Although he denied the charges, his dubious dealings with local traders, along with his failure to act transparently, earned him severe criticism from Company officials.
His governance in Cuddalore was marked by authoritarianism and strained relations with both the local population and British soldiers. Yale imposed heavy taxes to finance the upkeep of the garrison and town, creating resentment among the inhabitants. His lack of diplomacy and detachment from the garrison’s concerns led to unrest. In response to a soldier uprising, Yale resorted to violent suppression. In one notorious incident, he ordered the hanging of a young stable boy for riding away on a Company horse—an act that highlighted his harshness and lack of empathy.
The Company was compelled to intervene due to mounting criticism of his oppressive rule. By 1692, Yale was removed from his post. Though he later gained fame in the academic world, his tenure in Cuddalore remains a reminder of the darker aspects of early colonial administration in India.
Fort St. David, c. 1763, Francis Swaine, British Library
