Chennai

The history behind Thomas Munro statue

Thomas Munro was one of the most popular British administrators in South India. After his death, Munro’s admirers and friends of both in India and England raised funds through public contributions in 1831 and decided to perpetuate the memory of Thomas Munro by erecting his statue in Madras.

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The bronze statue was sculpted by Francis Chantrey in the United Kingdom in 1834 and shipped to then Madras in 1839. The absence of stirrups for the rider is a much-discussed peculiarity of the statue, but it is possible that having known Munro’s passion for bareback riding, Chantrey avoided the stirrup. 

The statue is also referred to as ‘The Stirrupless Majesty.’ The statue depicts Thomas Munro riding a horse. Folktales and ballads hail Munro as the incarnation of Mandava Rishi. Peasants even now name children ‘Munrolappa.’

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