Chennakesava Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the city of Chennai, India. Dedicated to Chennakesava Perumal, a manifestation of the Hindu God Vishnu and the patron deity of Chennai, the temple is the first to be built since the construction of Madras city by the British East India Company.
Chennapattanam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple; the word chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city
Chenna kesava perumal temple is also called as patnam perumal temple. The Town temple [Pattnam kovil] perhaps was the first temple to be built in the town of Chennapatnam, just across from the northern walls of Madraspatnam yet it would not have been a smooth affair.
Besides the grant of the Council, Manali Muthukrishna Mudaliyar contributed 5,202 pagodas, and subscriptions from the congregation amounted to 15,652 pagodas.
With this the work on the Chennakesava Perumal temple began in 1767, was completed in 1780.
The city's regional name "Chennai" is said to have been derived from these temples.The Chennakesava Perumal Temple was constructed in 1646.