Senate house in Chennai is a historical monument in the University of Madras located on Chennai Beach Marina and is one of the landmarks of the city of Chennai. The Senate House of Chennai is one of the most magnificent buildings built during the British era.

Senate House in Chennai’s University of Madras was a masterpiece constructed under the supervision of Robert Fellowes Chisholm, one of the greatest architects of the 19th century. Senate House harmoniously blended the Indo-Saracenic style with Byzantine and European architectural features. The Senate House has a central hall on the ground floor, 130 feet long, 58 feet broad and 54 feet high, with the corridors supported by six massive stone pillars on either side. The stone arches between the pillars, with the four towers rising high at the corners of the building, surmounted by exquisitely shaped domes (painted in different colours) gives the building a grandeur that is difficult to match.

The main entrance at the north, leads to the convocation hall, while a corresponding entrance, in the South, leads to the rooms on the southern wing. Besides these, there are two entrances on the eastern wing of the convocation hall and two corresponding entrances on the west. Elegantly constructed porticos adorn the frontage of all these entrances. A parapet surrounds each of these porticos, at the corner of which appears a decorated dome of a miniature size.

Senate House

Initially, the Senate House housed some of the University departments and the offices of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar. In some of the smaller halls the meetings of the Senate, Academic Council and the Faculties were held. But after the construction of the new departmental library building and later on the centenary building, the use of Senate House was limited to the holding of the convocation and examinations, besides being used as classrooms for teaching foreign languages. However, since 1965, convocations have been held only at the massive centenary auditorium, built in 1960.

The extreme climatic conditions have left the Senate House dilapidated with cracks on the walls and ceilings. The University of Madras renovated the Senate House in 2006 with contribution from alumni, lovers of art, philanthropists, the public and private organisations interested in the preservation of this heritage monument.

Enjoy a visit to Senate House in the University of Madras, in a city trip to Chennai, India.