chingleput district was a district in the madras presidency of british india. it covered the area of the present-day districts of kanchipuram and tiruvallur and parts of chennai city. it was sub-divided into six taluks with a total area of 7,970 square kilometres (3,079 sq mi). the first capital was the town of karunguzhi, with an interruption between 1825 and 1835, administrative headquarters were transferred to kanchipuram. in 1859 the region of saidapet, now a neighbourhood in the city of chennai, was made the administrative headquarters of the district.