From the archive record
The Chennai Municipal Corporation (officially the Corporation of Chennai), formerly known as the Corporation of Madras, is the civic body that governs the city of Chennai (formerly Madras), India. Established as the Madras Corporation in 1688 AD, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. The Madras Corporation is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1688 to control the powers of the then Governor of Madras, Elihu Yale. The Corporation was created by a Royal Charter issued on 30 December 1687 by King James II on the advice of the chairman of the East India Company, Jos