Rajaji Hall
Rajaji Hall, once called the Banqueting Hall, is a public building in Chennai, India, used for social events and ceremonies. It was built between 1800 and 1802 by John Goldingham, a British astronomer and engineer, at the request of Edward Clive, the Governor of Madras. The hall was made to celebrate Britain's victory over Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and to serve as a venue for social functions. It cost about two and a half lakh rupees and opened with a grand ball on October 7, 1802.
From 1875, the hall was renovated and enlarged. In 1895, a colonnaded terrace and a verandah were added. The hall hosted the University of Madras convocations from 1857 to 1879, before the Senate House was built. Between 1938 and 1939, the Madras Presidency legislature met there.
After India gained independence, the hall was renamed Rajaji Hall in honor of C. Rajagopalachari. It also served as a place where important political leaders lay in state before their funerals. Today, it houses offices for the Tamil Nadu state lottery.
The former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu—C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi—had their bodies kept there for public viewing before funerals. The construction of a new legislative complex between 2008 and 2010 led to the demolition of the nearby Government House and Gandhi Illam, which damaged Rajaji Hall’s foundations.
Architecturally, Rajaji Hall was built to resemble a Greek temple, inspired by the Parthenon, with a basement of arched cells and a surrounding colonnaded terrace. The exterior is described as Italian Mannerist in style. The southern end is connected to the Government House by a flight of steps.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:27 (CET).