Natural feature
St. Thomas Mount
Hilltop shrine and survey landmark where the first baseline for mapping India began in 1802.
0:00≈ 2 min
Location
0:00≈ 2 min
About this audio guide
This guide to St. Thomas Mount in Chennai follows William Lambton, a British infantry officer, and the spring of eighteen oh two, when he set out to measure India from the hill you are standing on. It turns on a steel chain, a thermometer and the stubborn arithmetic of heat, and on a theodolite too heavy for one man to lift. Best heard at the summit, looking out over the plain to the south.
This audio guide was created using AI.