The British legacy left many imrints in Chennai and the statue of
King George V near Flower Bazaar Police station, Chennai is one such
monument.
It was opened in 1938 by then the Governor of Madras Province Lord
Erskine.
Dewan Bahadur Govindoss Chatoorbhujadoss, an influential Gujarati
businessman, funded and commissioned two statues – statue of King George
V and the statue of King Edward VII. The Indian sculptor M S Nagappa
sculpted the statue of King George V. The mould came from England and the casting was done here. Lord Govindoss presented the statue to King George in 1935, the silver jubilee year of his ascension to the throne.
Lord Govindoss Chatoorbhujadoss |
A photograph of the statue was sent to England and M.S.Nagappa got a
hand-written reply from the King. The letter read I have been posing to
get my likeness from a local artist with my personal sitting which has
not been very successful, whereas you have brought an immense likeness
with just my photograph. So, we decorate you with the title Rao Bahadur.
King George V, marble portrait statue, formerly situated at the
Flower Bazaar Police Station, Madras, now at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New
Delhi (1916). The statue of King George V near the War Memorial was the
replica of the one unveiled beside the Flower Bazaar police station.
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