Prior to its inclusion in the then city of Madras, Mambalam was a village in the Saidapet taluk of Chingleput district.

[2] The oldest surviving reference to Mambalam is believed to be in a 1726 stone plaque commemorating the construction of the Marmalong Bridge (now known as Maraimalai Adigal Bridge) across the Adyar river by the merchant Coja Petrus Uscan.

[3] The Long Tank, which formed the western frontier of Madras city, was drained out in 1923.

[5] These outlying residential suburbs were connected to the rest of the city by an effective bus service.

In its early days, Mambalam was affected by sanitation issues and was notorious for its filaria epidemics.

Starting from the 1960s, Mambalam grew into a middle-class residential neighbourhood in counterbalance to the sister-township of Theagaraya Nagar which was evolving into a busy shopping district.

Whereas R6 Kumaran Nagar police station serves people of Mambalam near Jafferkhanpet and Saidapet West.

Other less frequent services connect the area to Taramani, Guindy Industrial Estate, Pattabiram, Tollgate and Kundrathur.

In Bhakthavathchalam street in Mambalam there is a playground popularly referred to as "Thambiah Reddy Ground".

There is also a Shirdi Sai Baba temple (Jai Shankar Street), an Annai meditation center and GMCKS (Pranic Energy Healing with Meditation in No.9/6 Mahadevan St. West Mambalam Center) (serving the needy for All Chronic diseases and related Psychological problems.)