The Bible Society of India - Chennai

The Bible Society of India has been part of Chennai's religious and publishing history for more than two centuries.

The organisation works to translate, produce and distribute the Bible in languages and formats that people can understand and afford. It is a member of the United Bible Societies, the international fellowship of Bible Societies working across different countries and languages.

The organised Bible Society movement in India began in Calcutta in 1811, when the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society was established along the lines of the British and Foreign Bible Society in London.

Madras followed a few years later.

The Madras Auxiliary Bible Society, now known as the Tamil Nadu Auxiliary of the Bible Society of India, was established in 1820. Over the years, it became closely associated with the translation, printing and distribution of the Bible in Tamil and other South Indian languages.

An Old Presence in George Town

The Tamil Nadu Auxiliary functions from Evening Bazaar Road, close to Memorial Hall and the historic George Town area of Chennai.

This part of the city was once filled with colonial institutions, commercial establishments, printing presses and religious organisations. The Bible Society became one of the institutions associated with this busy quarter of old Madras.

The present office occupies a comparatively modest building beside Memorial Hall.

It may be easy to pass without noticing it today, especially amid the traffic and commercial activity around Evening Bazaar Road. But the institution behind the building has been associated with Madras since 1820.

The Lost Heritage Building

There was once a larger Bible Society building in this area with considerably greater architectural character.

That structure was demolished years ago.

Its loss is another example of how Chennai has gradually lost several old institutional and commercial buildings that once gave parts of George Town and Park Town their distinctive appearance.

The surviving building is much smaller and has also lost some of its old charm over time.

Memorial Hall nearby still gives us some idea of the architectural character this part of Madras once possessed.

A Different Chapter of Chennai History

The Bible Society may not appear in the usual list of Chennai tourist attractions.

Yet, its presence tells another story of the city.

It connects Madras with the history of Bible translation, Tamil printing, Christian missionary activity and the growth of publishing during the nineteenth century.

Sometimes an old institution is worth documenting even when the building itself is not monumental.

The Bible Society of India in Chennai is one such place.

Happy travelling.