Equestrian statue of Thomas Munro

The bronze statue sculpted by Francis Chantrey in the United Kingdom in 1834 and shipped to Madras in 1839, is one of the popular landmarks in Chennai.

Born in Glasgow in 1761, Munro arrived in India as a soldier in 1789 and fought with distinction in the Anglo-Mysore Wars.

[1] Munro is credited with having introduced the Ryotwari System in South India and drafting an education policy for the Madras Presidency.

As there was a delay in appointing a new Governor, Munro decided to visit the Ceded Districts of the Madras Presidency, where he had served as a settlement officer in the early 19th century, in the meantime.

[3]After spending a few days at Ananthapur, Thomas Munro and his party reached Gooty on 4 July 1827.

[3] When the news of Munro's death reached Madras, it was mourned by all classes of people in the city.

The government issued a Gazette Extraordinary on 9 July 1827 with the message: His sound and vigorous understanding, his transcendent talents, his indefatigable application, his varied stores of knowledge, his attainments as an Oriental scholar, his intimate acquaintance with the habits and feelings of native soldiers and inhabitants generally, his patience, temper and facility of access, and kindness of manner would have ensured him distinction in any line of employment.

These qualities were admirably adapted to the duties which he had to perform in organizing the resources, and establishing the tranquility of those provinces where his latest breath has been drawn, and where he has long been known with the appellation of the Father of the People[3]A public meeting was soon held in his memory in Madras city in which was made a proposal to erect a statue to Munro through public subscription.

[3] A total of nine thousand pounds (£8000, according to some sources[4]) were collected through public subscription and the British sculptor Francis Chantrey was commissioned to make the statue.

In doing so, Chantrey had opted to follow, for commemorative purposes, the prevalent Western practice of portraying authority.

[5] It is believed that Chantrey might have modelled the statue upon his own earlier work of George IV at Trafalgar Square, London.

[11] The horse gazes calmly while Munro strikes a thoughtful pose, both still, yet ready to lunge forward into motion.

[14] During the World Classical Tamil Conference held in Coimbatore in 2010, there were demands to remove the statue of Thomas Munro, evoking strong protests from conservationists.