Beri Thimappa

Beri Thimappa was the dubash and chief negotiator for Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, the agents of the British East India Company. He was instrumental in procuring the grant of land from the local nobility to the English on which they built Fort St. George, or Madras or Chennai as it is called today. He also established a Black Town outside the walls of the newly built Fort of Madras, a settlement of weavers and other natives. The British established him as their first Chief Merchant of Madras.

Beri Thimmappa was originaly from from Palacole, near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and before working for the English East India Company he traded in indigo and textiles. Thanks to his fluency in English and the vernacular he caught the attention of Day and Cogan.

He was instrumental in 1639 in negotiating to receive a grant of land from Venkatadri Nayak of Poonamalee to erect a trading outpost, which grew into Fort St. George (Madras, today Chennai). As the English were building Fort St. George, Beri Thimmappa worked on building a town outside the walls of English fort. As only Europeans were allowed to live inside the Fort it was soon became known as the White Town, while the settlement of native traders and artisans outside the walls of the Fort became known as the Black Town.