At the heart of Dravidian culture and tradition, medieval
Tamil Nadu was ruled by four main Dravidian dynasties:
Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and Chalukyas. The Muslim invasion
in the 14th century was followed by Hindu rule of the Pandayas
and Nayaks. There was a dominant British presence in the state
in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, which led to the
creation of the Madras Presidency. In 1947, the presidency was
divided on a linguistic basis according to the State
Reorganisation Act, following which Madras adopted a new name,
Tamil Nadu.
| Classical dancing in the form of
Bharatnatyam, has its origin in the temples of the South East
and continues to be followed with a lot of fervour and
dedication in Tamil Nadu. Carnatic music is another art form
that has flourished over the ages, producing artists of great
repute.
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At the heart of Dravidian culture and tradition, medieval
Tamil Nadu was ruled by four main Dravidian dynasties:
Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and Chalukyas. The Muslim invasion
in the 14th century was followed by Hindu rule of the Pandayas
and Nayaks. There was a dominant British presence in the state
in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, which led to the
creation of the Madras Presidency. In 1947, the presidency was
divided on a linguistic basis according to the State
Reorganisation Act, following which Madras adopted a new name,
Tamil Nadu.
|
Agriculture is the mainstay of Tamil Nadu's economy and the
setting up of automobile plants has taken Tamil Nadu to new
heights. The Tamil film industry is now giving Bollywood a run
for its money.
Tamil Nadu has been a pioneer of peace and knowledge since
time immemorial. The visual legacy of the culture of the state
is among the most satisfying spectacles in India. Tamil
literature is the major source of knowledge about the
administration, art, architecture, economic conditions and
daily life of the people of those times. Among some of the
greatest compositions of the four centuries of the Sangam age
are Thirukkural and Ettuthogai. Tamilians learn to appreciate
culture from a very young age, and have a deep interest in
music, dance and literature. Classical dancing in the form of
Bharatnatyam, has its origin in the temples of the South East
and continues to be followed with a lot of fervour and
dedication in Tamil Nadu. Carnatic music is another art form
that has flourished over the ages, producing artists of great
repute.
Most people speak Tamil, the official state language. Telugu,
Kannada, Urdu, and Malayalam are spoken by much smaller
percentages. English is spoken as a subsidiary language. The
main religions in the state are Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
and Jainism. The Chennai metropolitan covering industrial
areas, townships and villages surrounding Chennai city, has
the largest population but there are other conurbations, of
which those around Madurai, Coimbatore, and Tiruchchirappalli
are the most important.
Festivals are a daily feature in this region. Pongal,
Navaratri or Dussehra, Deepavali and Christmas are the popular
ones. A unique festival of Carnatic music, the Thyagaraja
festival is held annually in January at Thiruvariyar, the
birthplace of famous singer poet Thyagaraja, where one can
witness the amazing spectacle of mass performance in total
harmony and rhythm.
Tamil Nadu's wildlife sanctuaries like Madumalai and Annamalai
(Indira Gandhi wild life sanctuary) are situated in the hills
of the Western Ghats and are the habitat of elephants, tigers,
bisons and a variety of monkey and deer.
The places of tourist interest in the state are Chennai, the
capital city; Mamallapuram the beach resort; Kanchipuram the
land of 1000 temples; Madurai famous for the Meenakshi temple;
Rameshwaram, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur, the temple trio;
the charming hill resorts of Yercaud, Ootacamund and
Kodaikanal and Kanniyakumari, the southern tip of India, renowned for its fantastic sunrise and sunset.
Compiled by Puneet Sachdeva
