[1][2] The city of Chennai (originally called "Chennapatam") was founded by his sons, Venkatappa and Ayyappa, and named after Chennapa Nayaka.
[5] The line of Nayakas were chieftains during the Vijayanagar empire and attained full power after its decline, becoming independent Nayaks.
Sriranga defeated the Sultan's forces with the assistance of his generals Chennappa(Damarla was his surname) and Kasturiranga.
The East India Company established the St.George fort in the present day Chennai, for which the permission was granted by Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, the local polygar of that area, under the condition that the area is to be named in the honour of his father from Chennapatnam, which was a nearby town named by Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka in honour of his father, Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, the East India Company in brief named the area as Madras.
[citation needed] .History of madraspattanam as detailed by famous archeologist Edgar THURSTON, c.i.e., Superintendent, Madras Government Museum; Correspondent Etranger, Soci£t6 d'Anthropologie de Paris; Socio Corrispondante, Societa Romana di Anthropologia