The 6m high walls of the fort have withstood several fierce sieges. The fort was attacked by Daud Khan, general of Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1701, by the Marathas in 1741 and by Hyder Ali on several occasions in the late 18th century.  In 1746, the British lost possession of their fort for a two year period when they surrendered the keys to the victorious French admiral, La Bourdonnais. The keys were restored only in 1749 under the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. It had a 150 ft high flagstaff made of teakwood and is replaced by a new metal flagstaff.  This proudly hosts the Indian tri-colour and is the tallest flagstaff in India even today. An old light house erected in 1844 to show the way to the passing boats around the Bay of Bengal also stands in its compound.

The fort houses several interesting monuments within its precincts. St Mary's Church, built in 1678-80, is one of them and is the oldest surviving church built by the British in India. The church with beautiful stained glass windows, solid teak, ornate marble walls is the pick amongst the monuments. It is said to have served as the marriage  venue of Lord Clive to Margaret Maskelyne in 1753. Elihu Yale, Governor of Madras (1687-1692) who was the founder of Yale University in USA was the first to be married in this Church.

The Fort houses a Museum which has 10 different galleries showcasing the arms and armor of East India Company, traditional Indian weapons, fragments of shells fired in the 1st world war, exhibits of a bomb dropped by a Japanese aircraft during 2nd world war, East India Company’s ceremonial uniforms, European crockery & cutlery, tableware ordered by Nawab of Arcot with Persian engravings, breathtakingly beautiful paintings including that of Queen Victoria and stamps of George V series amongst other relics of the British East India Company.  A gallery is dedicated to Indo French Relationship which has French artifacts like the French porcelain lamps, clocks, furniture and coins. A gallery displays the exhibits about the 'Odeyars of Mysore’. The last gallery of the museum deals exclusively with the prints of Madras, notably that of Fort St George through different periods and of the Government House now known as 'Rajaji Hall'.

Fort St. George is also considered as the birthplace of the modern Indian army. The credit of laying the foundation of the modern Indian army goes to Major Stringer Lawrence who was Robert Clive's mentor. Major Lawrence had organized a formal militia by 1747 that consisted of Indian natives, who were working for the British East India Company. He made the militia a regular sepoy army in 1760. Its seven battalions, stationed in four different centers, formed the nucleus of the Madras Army, which later on grew into the Indian Army under the British. The fort still serves as an important base for the Indian Army

After independence, Fort St George has been the seat of the Government of Tamil Nadu and houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the State Secretariat. It also houses the office of the Chief Minister, cabinet room and a Governor's room.

All in all, this fort reminds one of the innumerable sacrifices of Indian Independence struggle and the lives that were pledged for an independent democratic India, which we all are enjoying today.

                                                                                                                                          Source :    Internet