The bombardment was initiated by the German light cruiser Emden at the outset of the war in 1914.

[1] With Captain Karl von Müller in command, on the night of 22 September 1914, SMS Emden quietly approached the city of Madras on the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula.

After entering the Madras harbour area, Müller illuminated six large oil tanks belonging to the Burmah Oil Company with his searchlights, then fired at a range of 3,000 yards.

After ten minutes of firing, Emden had hit five of the tanks and destroyed 346,000 gallons of fuel, and the cruiser then successfully retreated.

[2] Soon the word Emden entered the Tamil dictionary and was used to describe someone powerful, frightening and with a wicked intent.