The word was inscribed on the walls around the sanctum sanctorum at Marundeeswarar temple in Tirukachur village, near Chengalpattu.

[6] The earliest mention of Tambaram dates back to the 13th century when the word 'Taamapuram' was inscribed on the walls around the sanctum sanctorum at Marundeeswarar temple in Tirukachur village, near Chengalpattu.

[8] On 13 May 1863, Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist with the Geological Survey of India (GSI), discovered a hand axe belonging to the Lower Palaeolithic Age at Pallavaram (Pallavapuram).

[10] The oldest locality in the city, Pallavapuram, existed during the reign of Pallava king Mahendravarman I (600–630 CE).

The remains of a cave shrine constructed by the Pallava ruler have been found at Asthana-E-Moula Ali Dargah.

[11] During the reign of Later Cholas, from ninth to twelfth century CE, the region was called Churathur Nadu.

[12][13] During the Carnatic wars in the late 17th century, the city was an entrenchment camp for the British East India Company.

During the 17th century, Pallavaram neighborhood of the city remained dependent upon the Portuguese colony of San Thome.

[23][24] Following a supreme court ruling to conduct rural local body elections by October 2021, the village panchayats elections for Pozhichalur, Cowl Bazaar, Tirusulam, Moovarasampattu, Kovilambakkam, Nanmangalam, Medavakkam, Vengaivasal, Perumbakkam, Sithalapakkam, Ottiyambakkam, Madurambakkam, Agaramthen, Thiruvancheri, Mudichur of the St.Thomas Mount panchayat union were held.

[27] In January 2025, Agaramthen, Medavakkam, Kovilambakkam, Cowl Bazaar, Mudichur, Urapakkam, Vandalur, Vengadamangalam, Perumbakkam, Nanmangalam, Pozhichalur, Tirusulam, Ottiyambakkam, Thiruvanchery, Vengaivasal, Madurapakkam, Moovarasampattu and Sithalapakkam village panchayats will be merged with Tambaram city.

[32][33] In September 2021, the government revealed its plans of reforming the Greater Chennai City Police and setting up two new commissionerates in Tambaram and Avadi.

Subsequently, Director General of Police (DGP) M. Ravi was deputed as special officer to form the Commissionerate.

The new Police Commissionerate in Tambaram was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on 1 January 2022.