Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur[note 1]), or Thirumayilai,[3] is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India.

[citation needed] It is also believed by Christians to be the place of martyrdom of St. Thomas the Apostle, who preached along the Malabar Coast, and established the Malankara Nasrani community.

[10] Historically, peacocks have been known to thrive in the area, which is evident from the several statues in the Kapaleeshwarar Temple towers and in the emblem of the San Thome Basilica.

As the available historical and archaeological evidence show, it could well be the oldest part of Chennai, with written records of early settlements going back to the first century BCE.

[11] It was known for its ancient port with a flourishing trade with the Roman Empire, receiving gold in exchange for its products like pepper and fine cloth.

[6][7][8][9] Ptolemy had recorded in the second century CE that the port of Mylapore was known to the Greeks and the Romans, but does not mention any thing about St. Thomas or Christians.

Mention has been made of the early settlement of Santhome (currently known) by Arab travelers and merchants of the ninth and tenth centuries.

After 1749, the British East India Company took possession of the settlement in the name of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, the Nawab of Arcot.

The name finds its origins from the 'Nossa Senhora Da Luz' (Our Lady of Light) church built by the Portuguese in 1516 CE.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the town became the commercial and intellectual hub of Madras city and home to British-educated lawyers and statesmen, the most elite of whom formed the Mylapore clique.

The neighborhood is bordered by Triplicane in the north, Royapettah in the northwest, Alwarpet in the west, and Mandaveli in the south.

[19] It has long been a site of cultural importance for Brahmins, which can be attributed to Mylapore's early role as a temple centre.

[citation needed] More accurate statistics are not available as Mylapore is not a separate township by itself, but a part of Chennai city.

During the brahmotsavam the utsavar goes in a procession accompanied by Sridevi & Bhudevi in the mada streets and also gives the chance to see the Theppam festival in the centuries-old kulam (tank).

Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshiped as Madhava Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Amirtagadavalli.

According to some, the temple is believed to be the birthplace of Peyalvar, one of the first three of the twelve Alvar saints of the sixth to ninth century CE.

San Thome Basilica was built over his original tomb in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, and rebuilt with the status of a cathedral by the British in 1893 which still stands.

In 1956, Pope Pius XII raised the church to the status of a Minor Basilica, and on 11 February 2006, it was declared a national shrine by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.

[citation needed] Although at the time the church was built, the locality was a thick forest, now it is part of a bustling metropolitan area.

December is often set aside as the Music Season when regular and continuous kutcheris are organized by the Sabhas in Mylapore.

The Madras Music Academy in the north of the district is an important nucleus of art events in the city.

Thirumayilai Railway Station, on the Mass Rapid Transit System network, connects Mylapore to Chennai Beach to the north and Velachery on the south.