K I N G M A K E R P R A T H A P: Tamil Nadu

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History of Tamil Nadu
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Tamil Nadu (/tæmɪl nɑːduː/ TAM-il-NAH-doo;

Tamil pronunciation (help·info); Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு; literally "Tamil Country") is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital is Chennai (formerly known as Madras), the largest city. Tamil Nadu^[5] lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Kerala on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait in the south east, and by the Indian Ocean in the south.
Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the seventh most populous state. It is the second largest state economy in India as of 2012.^[6] The state ranked 6th among states in India according to the Human Development Index as of 2011.^[3] ^[7] The state has the highest number (10.56 per cent) of business enterprises and stands second in total employment (9.97 per cent) in India,^[8] compared to the population share of about 6 per cent.
The region has been the home of the Tamil people since at least 500 BCE and is currently the only official homeland of Tamils anywhere in the world. Its official language Tamil has been in use in inscriptions and literature for over 3,800 years.Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[9]^[10]

History

Main article: History of Tamil Nadu

Prehistory

Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India.^[11] In Adichanallur, 24 km (15 mi) from Tirunelveli, archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed 169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, husks and grains of rice, charred rice and celts of the Neolithic period, 3,800 years ago.^[12] The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.^[13] Adichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.^[14] About 60 per cent of the total epigraphical inscriptions found by the ASI in India are from Tamil Nadu, and most of these are in the Tamil language.^[15]. Virumandi Andithevar, of the Piramalai Kallar community from the Tamil Nadu region of southern India, was identified by the Genographic Project as one of the direct descendants of the first modern human settlers in India. His Y-DNA belongs to Haplogroup C and he carries the M130 marker which defines the first migrants to South East Asia and Australia from the African coast 60,000 years ago; more than half of Australian Aborigines also carry the M130 gene.^[16]

Indus valley script between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C

The Neolithic people of Tamil Nadu shared the same language family of the Harappan group. Neolithic people of the Tamil country spoke a Dravidian language.The discovery of a Neolithic stone celt, a hand-held axe, with the Indus script on it at Sembian-Kandiyur in Tamil Nadu is, according to Iravatham Mahadevan, "Stone axe with Indus Valley script found near Mayiladuthurai,Tamil Nadu was a major discovery because for the first time a text in the Indus script has been found in the State on a datable artefact, which is a polished neolithic celt. He estimated the date of the artefact with the script to be around 1500 B.C.^[17]

Early history (Sangam Period 300 BCE - 300 CE)

Roman pottery excavated in Arikamedu (1st century CE, Guimet Museum).

Main article: Sangam period

The early history of the people and rulers of Tamil Nadu is a topic in Tamil sources known as Sangam literature. Numismatic, archaeological and literary sources corroborate that the Sangam period lasted for about six centuries, from 300 BCE to 300 CE. Three dynasties, namely the Chera, Chola and Pandya, ruled the area of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Chera ruled the whole of present day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu comprising Coimbatore, Karur, Salem and Erode districts from the capital of Vanchi Muthur (thought to be modern day Karur). The Chola dynasty ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu from their capital, Uraiyur; and the Pandya dynasty ruled southern Tamil Nadu, from capitals at Korkai and Madurai. All three dynasties had extensive trade relationships with Rome, Greece, Egypt, Ceylon, Phoenicia, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. Trade flourished in commodities such as spices, ivory, pearls, beads and gems. Chera traded extensively from Muziris on the west coast, Chola from Arikamedu and Puhar and Pandya through Korkai port. A Greco-Roman trade and travel document, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 60–100 CE) gives a description of the Tamil country and its ports. Between the third and the seventh centuries CE, the three Tamil kingdoms were overwhelmed by the Kalabhras; this is sometimes referred to as the "Dark Age" in Tamil history, and little is known of it. The Kalabhras were expelled by the Pallavas and the Pandyas in the sixth century.

Medieval Period (600–1300)

Kallanai or Grand Anicut, is an ancient dam built on the Kaveri River in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It was built by the Chola king and Karikala Chola around the 2nd Century AD^[18]^[19] and is considered one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world, which is still in use. It still stands as a symbol of Dravidian Engineering.^[20]^[21]

During the Kalabhras' rule Buddhism flourished in the land of the Tamils. The didactic work Naaladiyar was composed during their reign. It consists of moral sayings in the venpa meter, 400 in number in 40 chapters, each by one Buddhist ascetic, according to tradition. Following the tradition of Tamil Buddhism, Naaladiyar emphasises virtues such as control of the senses, Dhamma (Lord Buddha's teaching), renunciation, and other desirable social qualities. Pali was the court language of the Kalabhras who were also called Kalapara or Kalaparaya according to the Koramangalam inscription.

Shore Temple built by the Pallavas at Mamallapuram during the eighth century, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During the fourth to eighth centuries C.E., Tamil Nadu saw the rise of the Pallavas under Mahendravarman I and his son Mamalla Narasimhavarman I.^[22] The Pallavas ruled a parts of South India with Kanchipuram as their capital. Dravidian architecture reached its peak during Pallava rule. Narasimhavarman II built the Shore Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They came into conflict with the Kannada Chalukyas of Badami. During this period, The great Badami Chalukya King Pulakesi II extended the Chalukya Empire up to the northern extents of the Pallava kingdom and defeated the Pallavas in several battles.^[23] Pallava Narasimhavarman, however, reversed this victory in 642 by attacking and occupying Badami temporarily.^[24] However, a later Chalukya King Vikramaditya II took revenge by repeated invasions of the territory of Tondaimandalam and his subsequent victories over Pallava Parameswarvarman I and the temporary occupation of Kanchipuram.^[25]

The Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai is one of the grand Hindu temples in India.

The Pallava dynasty was overthrown in the 9th century by the imperial Rashtrakutas who ruled from Gulbarga. King Krishna III, the last great Rashtrakuta king consolidated the empire so that it stretched from the Narmada River to Kaveri River and included the northern Tamil country (Tondaimandalam) while levying tribute on the king of Ceylon.^[26] Much later, the Pallavas were replaced by the Cholas as the dominant kingdom in the 10th century C.E. and they in turn were replaced by Pandyas in the 13th century C.E. The Pandyan capital Madurai was in the deep south away from the coast. They had extensive trade links with the south east Asian maritime empires of Srivijaya and their successors, as well as contacts, even formal diplomatic contacts, reaching as far as the Roman Empire. During the 13th century C.E. Marco Polo mentioned the Pandyas as the richest empire in existence. Temples such as the Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai and Nellaiappar Temple at Tirunelveli are the best examples of Pandyan temple architecture.^[27] The Pandyas excelled in both trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the south coast of India coast, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls in the known ancient world.

Chola Empire

Main article: Chola dynasty

The Cholas, who were very active during the Sangam age, were entirely absent during the first few centuries.^[28] The period started with the rivalry between the Pandyas and the Pallavas, which in turn caused the revival of the Cholas.

A sculpture at Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram, built by Tamil Chola Kings. The Great Living Chola Temples are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

During the ninth century, the Chola dynasty was once again revived by Vijayalaya Chola, who established Thanjavur as Chola's new capital by conquering central Tamil Nadu from the local clans of Mutharayar and the Pandya king Varagunavarman II. Aditya I and his son Parantaka I expanded the kingdom to the northern parts of Tamil Nadu by defeating the last Pallava king, Aparajitavarman.
Parantaka Chola II expanded the Chola empire into what is now interior Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka, while under the great Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose to a notable power in south east Asia. Now the Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal and Sir Lanka. At its peak, the empire spanned almost 3,600,000 km² (1,400,000 sq mi). Rajaraja Chola conquered all of peninsular south India and parts of Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navy went even further, occupying coasts from Burma (now Myanmar) to Vietnam, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya, Philippines^[29] in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

The Chola Empire at its greatest extent, during the reign of Rajendra Chola I in 1030 CE

The Cholas were prolific temple builders right from the times of the first medieval king Vijayalaya Chola. These are the earliest specimen of Dravidian temples under the Cholas. His son Aditya I built several temples around the Kanchi and Kumbakonam regions. The Cholas went on to becoming a great power and built some of the most imposing religious structures in their lifetime and they also renovated temples and buildings of the Pallavas, acknowledging their common socio-religious and cultural heritage. The celebrated Nataraja temple at Chidambaram and the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple at Srirangam held special significance for the Cholas which have been mentioned in their inscriptions as their tutelary deities.

Natarajan, Siva as celestial dancer, an example of Chola art.

Rajaraja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola, who built temples such as the Brihadeshvara Temple of Thanjavur and Brihadeshvara Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the Airavatesvara Temple of Darasuram and the Sarabeswara (Shiva) Temple, also called the Kampahareswarar Temple at Thirubhuvanam, the last two temples being located near Kumbakonam. The first three of the above four temples are titled Great Living Chola Temples among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes all over the world. Among the existing specimens in museums around the world and in the temples of southern India the fine figures of Siva in various forms, Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, and the Siva saints are the examples of Chola bronze. Though conforming generally to the iconographic conventions established by long tradition, the sculptors worked with great freedom in the 11th and the 12th centuries to achieve a classic grace and grandeur. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine Dancer.

Brihadeeswara Temple built by Raja Raja Chola I in 1010 CE.

During the rule of the great Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI, in the late eleventh to early twelfth century, the Western Chalukyas convincingly defeated the Cholas on several occasions, weakening their empire.^[30]^[31] With the decline of the Chola dynasty between 1116 and 1185 C.E., the Hoysalas of Kannada country rose to prominence, under King Vishnuvardhana and his grandson, the celebrated Veera Ballala II.^[32]^[33]^[34] The Hoysalas extended their foothold in Tamil Nadu around 1225, making the city of Kannanur Kuppam near Srirangam a provincial capital that give them control over South Indian politics that began a period of Hoysala hegemony in the southern Deccan.^[35]^[36] Hoysala Vira Narasimha II's son Vira Someshwara earned the honorific "uncle" (Mamadi) from the Pandyas and Cholas. The Hoysala influence spread over Pandya kingdom from who they gained tribute.^[37] This revival was short-lived as the Pandya capital of Madurai itself was sacked by Alauddin Khilji's troops under General Malik Kafur in 1316. The Muslim invasion led to the establishment of the short-lived Madurai Sultanate.

Summary of Regions in the Sangam and Medieval Periods^{[citation needed]}

Chera Nadu or Kongu Nadu: The western region comprising roughly the modern districts of Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Erode, Salem, Tiruppur, Namakkal,Karur and Dharmapuri.

Chola Nadu: The eastern region comprising roughly the modern districts of Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur and Pudukottai with UT of Karaikal.

Pandya Nadu: The southern districts of Madurai, Virudhunagar, Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi.

Tondai Nadu or Pallava Nadu: The modern districts of Chitoor, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram,Kanchipuram, Chengulput, Thiruvallur, Cuddalore, Krishnagiri, part of Dharmapuri and Chennai with UT of Puducherry

Nadu Nadu: Parts of Villupuram, Cuddalore and Salem districts.

Nanjil Nadu: Nagercoil (Kanyakumari district)

Sangam texts refer to more "Koduntamil" mandalams which are not exactly political or socio - cultural units but linguistic agglomerations.

Vijayanagar and Nayak period (1336–1646)

Main article: Vijayanagara Empire

The Muslim invasions of southern India triggered the establishment of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire with Vijayanagara in modern Karnataka as its capital. The Vijayanagara empire eventually conquered the entire Tamil country by c. 1370 C.E. and ruled for almost two centuries until its defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by a confederacy of Deccan sultanates.

Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal at Madurai

Subsequently, as the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after the mid-16th century, many local rulers, called Nayaks, succeeded in gaining the trappings of independence. This eventually resulted in the further weakening of the empire; many Nayaks declared themselves independent, among whom the Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjore were the first to declare their independence, despite initially maintaining loose links with the Vijayanagara kingdom.^[27] The Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Thanjavur were the most prominent of Nayaks in the 17th century. They reconstructed some of the well-known temples in Tamil Nadu such as the Meenakshi Temple.

Rule of Nawabs and Nizams (1692–1801)

In the early 18th century, the eastern parts of Tamil Nadu came under the dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of the Carnatic. While Wallajah was supported by the English, Chanda Shahib was supported by the French by the middle of the 18th century. In the late 18th century, the western parts of Tamil Nadu came under the dominions of Hyder Ali and later Tipu Sultan, particularly with their victory in the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Early struggle for Independent states

The fall of Nayaka period brought up many small Nayakars of southern Tamil Nadu, who ruled small parcels of land called Palayams. Some of these Palaiyakkarar ('polygar' as called by British) were ruling under Nawabs of Carnatic. Nawabs granted taxation rights to the British which led to conflicts between British and the Palaiyakkarar, which resulted in series of wars to establish independent states by the aspiring Palaiyakkarar. Azhagu Muthu Kone (1728-1757) was an Indian revolutionary and independence activist. He is regarded for having raised one of the first revolts against the British East India Company in India. Kone was born and brought up in Kattalankulam, a village in erstwhile Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Puli Thevar (1715-1767), Palaiyakkara chieftain of Nerkattumseval who fought the British East India Company in the 1750s and 1760s. Vennikkaladi Kudumbar, Thalapathi in Puli Thevar Force chieftain who fought the British East India Company in the 1750s and 1760s. Rani Velu Nachiyar, First Woman Freedom fighter of India and Queen of Sivagangai. She was drawn to war after her husband Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar (1750–1772), King of Sivaganga was murdered at Kalayar Kovil temple by British generals Joseph Smith and Benjour. Before her death, Queen Velu Nachi granted powers to Maruthu brothers to rule Sivaganga. Kattabomman (1760–1799), Palaiyakkara chief of Panchalakurichi who fought the British in the First Polygar War. He was captured by the British at the end of the war and hanged near Kayattar in 1799. Veeran Sundaralingam (1700-1800) was the General of Kattapomman Nayakan's palayam, who died in the process of blowing up a British ammunition dump 1799 which killed more than 150 British soldiers to save Kattapomman Palace. Oomaithurai, younger brother of Kattabomman, took asylum under the Maruthu brothers Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu and raised army. They formed a coalition with Dheeran Chinnamalai and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja which fought the British in Second Polygar Wars. Dheeran Chinnamalai (1756–1805), Polygar chieftain of Kongu and feudatory of Tipu Sultan who fought the British in the Second Polygar War.
The Vellore Mutiny on 10 July 1806 was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which took place in the South Indian city of Vellore, was brief, lasting only one full day, but brutal as mutineers broke into the Vellore fort and killed or wounded 200 British troops, before they were subdued by reinforcements from nearby Arcot.

European rule (1801–1947)

Fort Dansborg at Tharangambadi built by the Danes.

Main article: Madras Presidency

Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat, while the Danes had their establishment in Tharangambadi also known as Tranquebar. In 1639, the British, under the East India Company, established a settlement further south of Pulicat, in present day Chennai. In the late 18th century, the British fought and reduced the French dominions in India to Puducherry. Nizams of Hyderabad and the Nawabs of the Carnatic bestowed tax revenue collection rights on the East India Company for defeating the Kingdom of Mysore. After winning the Polygar wars, the East India Company consolidated most of southern India into the Madras Presidency coterminous with the dominions of Nizam of Hyderabad. Pudukkottai remained as a princely state.

Independent India (1947 - present)

When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh up to Ganjam district in Orissa, South Canara district Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil country".^[38]

Geography

Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 km² (50,216 sq mi), and is the eleventh largest state in India. The bordering states are Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the north west and Andhra Pradesh to the north. To the east is the Bay of Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry. The southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is located in Tamil Nadu. At this point is the town of Kanyakumari which is the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. The south boundary of India is Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

Topographic map of Tamil Nadu

The western, southern and the north western parts are hilly and rich in vegetation. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats and they both meet at the Nilgiri hills. The Western Ghats dominate the entire western border with Kerala, effectively blocking much of the rain bearing clouds of the south west monsoon from entering the state. The eastern parts are fertile coastal plains and the northern parts are a mix of hills and plains. The central and the south central regions are arid plains and receive less rainfall than the other regions.
Tamil Nadu has a coastline of about 910 km (570 mi) which is the country’s third longest coastline. Tamil Nadu's coastline bore the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it hit India, which caused 7,793 direct deaths in the state. Tamil Nadu falls mostly in a region of low seismic hazard with the exception of the western border areas that lie in a low to moderate hazard zone; as per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, Tamil Nadu falls in Zones II & III. Historically, parts of this region have experienced seismic activity in the M5.0 range.^[39]

Flora and fauna

Main articles: Wildlife of Tamil Nadu and List of birds of Tamil Nadu

There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Protected areas provide safe habitat for large mammals including elephants, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, gaurs, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri Langurs, Nilgiri Tahrs, Grizzled Giant Squirrels and Sambar deer, resident and migratory birds such as cormorants, darters, herons, egrets, Open-billed storks, Spoonbills and White Ibises, Little Grebes, Indian Moorhen, Black-winged Stilts, a few migratory Ducks and occasionally Grey pelicans, marine species such as the Dugongs, turtles, dolphins and Balanoglossus and a wide variety of fish and insects.

The endangered Lion-tailed Macaque is found in a few forests in southern India.

Indian Angiosperm diversity comprises 17,672 species with Tamil Nadu leading all states in the country, with 5640 species accounting for 1/3 of the total flora of India. This includes 1559 species of medicinal plants, 533 endemic species, 260 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants and 230 red-listed species. The Gymnosperm diversity of the country is 64 species of which Tamil Nadu has four indigenous species and about 60 introduced species. The Pteridophytes diversity of India includes 1022 species of which Tamil Nadu has about 184 species. Vast numbers of bryophytes, lichen, fungi, algae and bacteria are among the wild plant diversity of Tamil Nadu.
Common plant species include the state tree: Palmyra Palm, Eucalyptus, Rubber, Cinchona, Clumping Bamboos (Bambusa Arundinacea), Common teak, Anogeissus latifolia, Indian Laurel, Grewia, and blooming trees like Indian labumusum, Ardisia, and Solanaceae. Rare and unique plant life includes Combretum ovalifolium, Ebony (Diospyros nilagrica), Habenaria rariflora (Orchid), Alsophila, Impatiens elegans, Ranunculus reniformis, and Royal fern.^[40]

National and State Parks

Main article: Protected areas of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a wide range of Biomes extending east from the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in the Western Ghats through the South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests and Deccan thorn scrub forests to tropical dry broadleaf forests and then to the beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves, and coral reefs of the Bay of Bengal.

Kodayar Shola Forests in the Western Ghats of Kanyakumari District

The state has a range of flora and fauna with many species and habitats. To protect this diversity of wildlife there are Protected areas of Tamil Nadu as well as biospheres which protect larger areas of natural habitat often include one or more National Parks. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve established in 1986 is a marine ecosystem with seaweed and sea grass communities, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove forests. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve located in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills comprises part of adjoining states of Kerala and Karnataka. The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve is in the south west of the state bordering Kerala in the Western Ghats. Tamil Nadu is home to five declared National parks located in Anamalai, Mudumalai, Mukurithi, Gulf of Mannar and Guindy located in the center of Chennai city. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Mukurthi National Park and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are the tiger reserves in the state. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve has the largest elephant population in India. Besides these bio reserves, there are many state and central run wild life sanctuaries for tiger, elephant and birds.

Climate

A semi-arid wasteland near Tirunelveli. Monsoon clouds pour torrents of rain on windward-facing Kerala, but are prevented from reaching Tirunelveli by the Agasthyamalai Range of the Western Ghats (background).

Tamil Nadu is mostly dependent on monsoon rains, and thereby is prone to droughts when the monsoons fail. The climate of the state ranges from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The state has three distinct periods of rainfall:

advancing monsoon period, south west monsoon from June to September, with strong southwest winds;
North east monsoon from October to December, with dominant north east winds;
dry season from January to May.

The annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in) of which 48 per cent is through the north east monsoon, and 32 per cent through the south west monsoon. Since the state is entirely dependent on rains for recharging its water resources, monsoon failures lead to acute water scarcity and severe drought.^[41]
Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agro-climatic zones: north east, north west, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). The table below shows the maximum and minimum temperatures that the state experiences in the plains and hills.

Governance and administration

State symbols of Tamil Nadu
Song	Invocation to Goddess Tamil
Dance	Bharathanattiyam
Animal	Nilgiri Tahr
Bird	Emerald Dove
Flower	Gloriosa Lily
Tree	Palm Tree
Sport	Kabaddi

Main articles: Government of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Legislature

The Governor is the constitutional head of the state while the Chief Minister is the head of the government and the head of the council of ministers. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary. The present Governor, Chief Minister and the Chief Justice are Konijeti Rosaiah, J. Jayalalitha and M. Y. Eqbal respectively. Administratively the state is divided into 32 districts. It has 10 city corporations, 125 municipalities, 529 town panchayats and 12,524 village panchayats.^[42]^[43] Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the state capital. It is the fourth largest city in India and is also one of the eight Metropolitan cities of India. The state comprises 39 Lok Sabha constituencies and 234 Legislative Assembly constituencies.
Tamil Nadu had a bicameral legislature until 1986, when it was replaced with a unicameral legislature, like most other states in India. The term length of the government is five years, as is elsewhere in India. The present government run by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led alliance came to power in 2011 and consists of a council of 33 ministers, headed by the Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha. The Tamil Nadu legislative assembly is housed at the Fort St. George in Chennai. The state had come under the President's rule rule on four occasions – first from 1976 to 1977, next for a short period in 1980, then from 1988 to 1989 and the latest in 1991.

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam in Tiruchirappalli district is often listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

The local administration is divided into revenue administration and developmental administration. Revenue administrative units are classified based on the district. Each of the 32 districts in Tamil Nadu is divided into divisions, which are further divided to Taluks.^[44] Each of these Taluks have a list of revenue villages under them. Tahsildar is the head of these Taluks. Developmental administration, in contrast, is carried out by Panchayat Unions (called blocks) in rural areas. These panchayat unions have a set of panchayat villages under them. In urban areas, the governance is done by municipal corporations, municipalities or town panchayats based on the size of the town.^[44] Tamil Nadu has 10 municipal corporations: Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tirupur, Erode, Thoothukudi and Vellore. Dindigul and Thanjavur are soon going to be upgraded as the next two Municipal corporations.
Tamil Nadu has been a pioneering state of E-Governance initiatives in India. A large part of the government records like land ownership records are digitised and all major offices of the state government like Urban Local Bodies — all the corporations and municipal office activities – revenue collection, land registration offices, and transport offices have been computerised. Tamil Nadu is one of the states where law and order has been maintained largely successfully.^[45] The Tamil Nadu Police Force is over 140 years old. It is the fifth largest state police force in India and has the largest strength of women police personnel in the country.^[46] As of 2003, the state had a total police population ratio of 1:668, higher than the national average of 1:717. The current Director General of Police (law and order) of Tamil Nadu is K. Ramanujan.^[47]

Districts

Main article: Districts of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is subdivided into 32 districts, which are listed below. The numbers in the first column correspond to those on the map:

Districts of Tamil Nadu

	District	Headquarters	Area	Population (2011)	Population density
1	Ariyalur	Ariyalur	1,944 km³	752,481	387 /km²
2	Chennai	Chennai	174 km²	4,681,087	26,903 /km²
3	Coimbatore	Coimbatore	4,642 km²	3,172,578	648 /km²
4	Cuddalore	Cuddalore	3,705 km²	2,600,880	702 /km²
5	Dharmapuri	Dharmapuri	4,527 km²	1,502,900	332 /km²
6	Dindigul	Dindigul	6,054 km²	2,161,367	357 /km²
7	Erode	Erode	5,692 km²	2,259,608	397 /km²
8	Kanchipuram	Kanchipuram	4,305 km²	2,690,897	666 /km²
9	Kanyakumari	Nagercoil	1,685 km²	1,863,174	1,106 /km²
10	Karur	Karur	2,902 km²	1,076,588	371 /km²
11	Krishnagiri	Krishnagiri	5,091 km²	1,883,731	370 /km²
12	Madurai	Madurai	3,695 km²	2,441,038	663 /km²
13	Nagapattinam	Nagapattinam	2,416 km²	1,614,069	668 /km²
14	Namakkal	Namakkal	3,402 km²	1,721,179	506 /km²
15	Nilgiris	Udagamandalam	2,552 km²	735,071	288 /km²
16	Perambalur	Perambalur	1,748 km²	564,511	323 /km²
17	Pudukkottai	Pudukkottai	4,652 km²	1,618,725	348 /km²
18	Ramanathapuram	Ramanathapuram	4,180 km²	1,337,560	320 /km²
19	Salem	Salem	5,249 km²	3,480,008	663 /km²
20	Sivaganga	Sivaganga	4,140 km²	1,341,250	324 /km²
21	Thanjavur	Thanjavur	3,477 km²	2,302,781	661 /km²
22	Theni	Theni	2,872 km²	1,143,684	397 /km²
23	Thoothukudi	Thoothukudi	4,599 km²	1,738,376	378 /km²
24	Tiruchirappalli	Tiruchirappalli	4,508 km²	2,713,858	602 /km²
25	Tirunelveli	Tirunelveli	6,709 km²	3,072,880	458 /km²
26	Tirupur	Tirupur	5,192 km²	2,471,222	476 /km²
27	Tiruvallur	Tiruvallur	3,552 km²	3,725,697	1,049 /km²
28	Tiruvannamalai	Tiruvannamalai	6,188 km²	4,121,965	667 /km²
29	Tiruvarur	Tiruvarur	2,379 km²	1,268,094	533 /km²
30	Vellore	Vellore	6,081 km²	4,028,106	671 /km²
31	Viluppuram	Viluppuram	7,185 km²	3,463,284	482 /km²
32	Virudhunagar	Virudhunagar	4,280 km²	1,943,309	454 /km²

Politics

Political Alliance	Assembly (2011)	Lok Sabha (2009)
AIADMK+	203	12
DMK+	31	27
Independent/Other	0	0
Source: Election Commission of India.^[48]^[49]

Main articles: Elections in Tamil Nadu, Politics of Tamil Nadu, and Dravidian parties

Pre-Independent politicians and freedom fighters

Prior to Indian independence Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of the Madras Presidency. The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the Indian National Congress (INC). Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916. One of the earliest regional parties, the South Indian Welfare Association, a forerunner to Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, was started in 1916. The party was called after its English organ, Justice Party, by it opponents. Later, South Indian Liberal Federation was adopted as its official name. The reason for victory of the Justice Party in elections was the non-participation of the INC, demanding complete independence of India.Chempakaraman Pillai, an Indian warrior who attacked the East India Company from the Emden Submarine. Formed International Cadet Corps ICC, many years before Nethaji's INA. Founded the slogan "Jai Hindh". S. Subramania Iyer (1842–1925), lawyer, jurist and theosophist who co-founded the Home Rule Movement along with Annie Besant, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He is affectionately called Grand Old Man of South India. G. Subramania Iyer (1855–1916), Freedom fighter and founder of "The Hindu" English newspaper.Quaide Millath Muhammad Ismail Sahib (1896 - 1972) a veteran national leader of the Muslim leageue before and after independence. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (1872–1936), independence fighter, who launched the first Indian ship on Indian waters under British Rule. V. V. S. Aiyer(1881–1925) Tamil scholar and freedom fighter Nammakkal Kavignar Ramalingam Pillai, Tamil freedom fighter and poet Subramanya Bharathi (1882–1921), Indian freedom fighter, Tamil poet and social reformer. Often regarded as the national poet of India. V. Kalyanasundaram (1883–1953), scholar and freedom fighter Subramaniya Siva (1884–1925), freedom fighter and close associate of Bharathi and V. V. S. Iyer Sathyamurthy (1887–1943), Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress in the erstwhile Madras presidency Vanchinathan (1886–1911), Indian Tamil independence activist who killed General Ash and committed suicide at Maniyachi Kalki Sadasivam (1902–1997), singer, journalist and film producer who was one of the founders of the Tamil magazine Kalki; husband of Carnatic classical singer M. S. Subbulakshmi. U. Muthuramalingam Thevar, Great Freedom fighter, Close Aid to Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Great & Popular Leader of Southern Tamil Nadu. Main Arch Leader of constructing the Indian National Army with Subhash Chandra Bose. Social Reformer and posed hard opposition to CTA (criminal Tribes Act) Act of British. Wonderful Orator of Both Nationalist speeches & Spiritual Thoughts.
Thiyagi Immanuvel Sekaran Devendrar,Social Reformer and freedom fighter, Fought for depressed people rights and for union of Devendirars,Great leader of Tamil Nadu,He worked as a soldier in Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose army for 10 years,He strictly opposed untouchability,very good orator and a martyr for Tamil people, he also worked a lot for unity of Tamil people. Tiruppur Kumaran, independence fighter Lakshmi Sehgal (1914-), head of Rani Jhansi Brigade, women's wing of the Indian National Army and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Presidential candidate in 2002 President's election. P.K. Venkitaraman, Theni, independence fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar, K. Kamaraj, Subramanya Bharathi, Subramaniya Siva, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Tiruppur Kumaran, Rajagopalachariar (Rajaji) and Satyamurti. The Justice Party which was under E.V.Ramaswamy was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam (DK for short) in 1944. DK was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its two leaders EVR and C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK decided to enter politics in 1956. In the 19th century, western scholars discovered that the Dravidian languages dominating southern India formed a different linguistic group than the Indo-Aryan languages predominant in northern India. They also classified Indians into distinct Aryan and Dravidian races. It was proposed that the generally darker-skinned Dravidians constituted a distinct race. This concept has affected thinking in India about racial and regional differences and had an impact on aspects of Tamil nationalism, which has appropriated the claim that Dravidians are the earliest inhabitants of India, and the Aryan population were oppressive interlopers from whom Dravidians should liberate themselves.

Fort St. George hosts the Chief Secretariat of the government of Tamil Nadu.

Post-Independent India

Re-organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian Union. The Anti-Hindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and a more powerful political force in the state. The DMK routed the INC in the 1967 elections and took control of the state government, ending INC's stronghold in Tamil Nadu. C.N. Annadurai became the DMK's first Chief Minister. Muthuvel Karunanidhi took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969. Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. In 1972, he split from DMK and formed the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) and later renamed the party as All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam. He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in 1987. After the death of MGR, AIADMK was defeated in 1989 assembly polls because of the split of the party into two factions headed by Janaki (wife of MGR) and Jayalalithaa. Later on J. Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been several splits in both the DMK and the AIADMK, but since 1967 one of those two parties has held power in the state.

Demographics

[show]Historical population

Main article: Demographics of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous state in India. 44 per cent of the state's population live in urban areas, the highest among large states in India.^[7] The state has registered the lowest fertility rate in India in year 2005–06 with 1.7 children born for each woman, lower than required for population sustainability.^[51]^[52]
As of 2001 India census, Tamil Nadu had a population of 62,405,679.^[53] The sex ratio of the state is 987 with 31,400,909 males and 31,004,770 females. There are a total of 14,665,983 households.^[53] The total children under the age of 6 is 7,235,160. A total of 11,857,504 people constituting 21.49 per cent of the total population belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC) and 651,321 people constituting 1.18 per cent of the population belonged to Scheduled tribes (ST).^[53]
The state has 40,524,545 literates, making the literacy rate to 73.45 per cent. There are a total of 27,878,282 workers, comprising 4,738,819 cultivators, 6,062,786 agricultural labourers, 1,261,059 in house hold industries, 11,695,119 other workers, 4,120,499 marginal workers, 377,220 marginal cultivators, 2,574,844 marginal agricultural labourers, 238,702 marginal workers in household industries and 929,733 other marginal workers.^[53]
India has a human development index calculated as 0.619, while the corresponding figure for Tamil Nadu is 0.736, placing it among the top states in the country.^[54]^[55] The life expectancy at birth for males is 65.2 years and for females it is 67.6 years.^[56] However, it has a high level of poverty especially in the rural areas. As of 2004–2005, the poverty line was set at

351.86/month for rural areas and

547.42/month for urban areas. Poverty in the state dropped from 51.7 per cent in 1983 to 21.1 per cent in 2001^[57] For the period 2004–2005, the Trend in Incidence of Poverty in the state was 22.5 per cent compared with the national figure of 27.5 per cent. The World Bank is currently assisting the state in reducing poverty, High drop-out and low completion of secondary schools continue to hinder the quality of training in the population. Other problems include class, gender, inter-district and urban-rural disparities. Based on URP – Consumption for the period 2004–2005, percentage of the state's population Below Poverty Line was 27.5 per cent. The Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative ranks Tamil Nadu to have a Multidimensional Poverty Index of 0.141, which is in the level of Ghana among the developing countries.^[58] Corruption is a major problem in the state with Transparency International ranking it the second most corrupt among the states of India.^[59]

Religion

Religions in Tamil Nadu^[60]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			88.3%
Christianity			6.1%
Islam			5.6%
Others			0.3%

Erwadi dargah at Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district an Islamic pilgrimage centre.

About 89 per cent of the population in Tamil Nadu are Hindus and the state is home to the core schools of medieval and modern Hinduism as well as several non-mainstream Hindu movements. These include Saiva Siddhanta, Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, Alvars' Sri Vaishnavism, Ayya-Vazhi and Saivisim. Several important Hindu Tamil figures became important figures for Hinduism as a whole. In modern times, well known figures for Hinduism in the state include Ramana Maharishi and the Kanchi Sankaracharya. All Hindu deities in various forms and a large number of village deities are worshiped by Hindus in Tamil Nadu. Murugan is considered to be the Tamil God. Tamil Nadu dominates the list of largest Hindu Temples in the world which include the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple at Kanchipuram, Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswar Temple among others. The emblem of Government of Tamil Nadu depicts the Gopuram (gateway tower) of the Andal Temple at Srivilliputhur.

Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar temple

Christians and Muslims together form over 11 per cent of the population. Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of Kanyakumari (54 per cent of the population in 2001), Thoothukudi (17 per cent in 2001) and Tirunelveli (11 per cent in 2001). St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, the place where St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, was believed to have been martyred, is an important pilgrimage site for Indian Christians. The Santhome Basilica, widely believed by Christians in India to have been built atop the tomb of St. Thomas, and the Vailankanni Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health are churches revered by Christians in India. The Church of South India and the Pentecostal Mission Church are headquartered in Chennai.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni is a Christian pilgrimage centre.

Muslims are mainly concentrated in areas such as Nagore, Adirampattinam, Kayalpatnam, Kilakarai, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, and Melapalayam. Among Muslims, 97.5 per cent are Sunni and the rest are Shias. The Sunnis adhere to either Hanafi or Shafi schools of thought. Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district and Nagore in Nagapattinam district are important pilgrimage sites for Muslims. Kazimar Big Mosque in Kazimar Street, Madurai and Karpudaiyar masjid in Kayalpatnam are among the earlier mosques in Tamil Nadu. Samanars or Tamil Jains have a legacy dating back 250 BCE. They made significant contributions to Tamil literature. According to the 2001 census there were 83,359 Jains in Tamil Nadu. Jains make up 0.13 per cent of the population. Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes comprise 19 per cent and 1 per cent of the population respectively. Though an overwhelming percentage of SC/ST population identify themselves as Hindu, the SC/STs are enumerated separately in the census and not as a subgroup of Hinduism.^[61] An anti-conversion law came into force in 2002. However, the law was repealed in June 2004 after the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party led coalition in the 2004 elections.^[62]

Language

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu. English is also in common usage as an official language of India. When India adopted national standards, Tamil was the very first language to be recognised as a classical language of India.^[63] Minority languages include Telugu (5.65 per cent), Malayalam (0.89 per cent), Kannada (2.68 per cent), Urdu (1.51 per cent), Gujarati / Saurashtri (0.32 per cent), Hindi (0.30 per cent) and Marathi (0.10 per cent).^[51] As of the 2001 Census, Tamil is spoken as the first language by 89.43 per cent of the population followed by Telugu by 5.65 per cent, Kannada by 2.68 per cent, Urdu by 1.51 per cent and Malayalam by 0.89 per cent.^[51]

Education

Main article: Education in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India.^[64] Tamil Nadu has performed reasonably well in terms of literacy growth during the decade 2001–2011. A survey conducted by the Industry body Assocham ranks Tamil Nadu top among Indian states with about 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in primary and upper primary education. One of the basic limitations for improvement in education in the state is the rate of absence of teachers in public schools, which at 21.4 per cent is significant.^[65] The analysis of primary school education in the state by Pratham shows a low drop-off rate but poor quality of state education compared to other states.^[66] Tamil Nadu has 37 universities, 455 engineering colleges,^{[citation needed]} 449 Polytechnic Colleges^[67] and 566 arts and science colleges, 34335 elementary schools, 5167 high schools, 5054 higher secondary schools and 5000 hospitals. Some of the notable educational institutes present in Tamil Nadu are Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Information Technology Design & Manufacturing Kancheepuram, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, International Institute of Market Research and Analytics (IIMRA), Madras Institute of Technology, College of Engineering, Guindy, PSG College of Technology Coimbatore, Coimbatore Institute of Technology,Coimbatore, Government College of Technology Coimbatore, Thiagarajar College of Engineering Madurai, SRM University, University of Madras, Loyola College, Kilpauk Medical College, Madras Medical College,Stanley Medical College, Christian Medical College, Tanjavur Medical College,Tanjavur SASTRA, Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Sathybama University of Chennai

District level literacy (2011 data)

Tamil Nadu now has 69 per cent reservation in educational institutions for socially backward section of the society, the highest among all Indian states.^[68]
The Midday Meal Scheme program in Tamil Nadu, initiated by Kamaraj, was expanded considerably during the rule of the AIADMK by MGR in 1983, although the state is among the 12 states in India that have an alarming level of hunger, according to the 2008 Global Hunger Index.^[69]^[70]

Culture

Kolam – a Traditional art form of the Tamil people

Main articles: Tamil people, Temples of Tamil Nadu, and Tamil literature

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture. Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today. Unique cultural features like Bharatanatyam (dance), Tanjore painting,^[71] and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu. ^[72]

Literature

Most early Tamil literary works are in verse form, with prose not becoming more common until later periods. Throughout its history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain.
Notable examples of Tamil poetry include the Tirukkural, written during the Tamil Sangams period. The poem encompasses a universal outlook, as the author, Tiruvalluvar, does not mention his religion, land, or the audience for his work. He is often portrayed as a holy saint of Tamil Nadu today. Ancient Tamil literature is predominantly secular and deals with everyday life in the Tamil Context.The only religious poems among the shorter poems occur in paripaatal. The rest of the corpus of Sangam literature deals with human relationship and emotions.^[73]

கேடில் விழுச்செல்வம் கல்வி யொருவற்கு
மாடல்ல மற்றை யவை
(திருக்குறள் – 400)

Learning is a wealth that none could destroy
Nothing else gives genuine joy
(Tirukkural: 400)

The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi by the Danish missionaries. During the Indian freedom struggle, many Tamil poets and writers sought to provoke national spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts among the common man, notably Subramanya Bharathy and Bharathidasan.

Festivals and traditions

Overflowing during cooking of Pongal indicates overflowing of joy and prosperity.

Pongal, also called as Tamizhar Thirunaal (festival of Tamils) or Makara Sankranti elsewhere in India, a four-day harvest festival is one of the most widely celebrated festivals throughout Tamil Nadu.^[74] The Tamil language saying Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum — literally meaning, the birth of the month of Thai will pave way for new opportunities – is often quoted with reference to this festival. The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old and emergence of the new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on the first day of the tenth Tamil month Thai (14 January or 15 January in western calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cattle, as they provide milk and are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a bull taming contest, marks the main event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal – the word "kaanum", means 'to view' in Tamil. In 2011 the Madras High Court Bench ordered the cockfight at Santhapadi and Modakoor Melbegam villages permitted during the Pongal festival while disposing of a petition filed attempting to ban the cockfight.^[75]

Thiruvannamalai annamalaiyar chariot festival.

The first month in the Tamil calendar is Chitterai and the first day of this month in mid-April is celebrated as Tamil New Year. Thiruvalluvar Calendar is 31 years ahead of Gregorian Calendar, that is 2000 CE in Gregorian calendar is represented as 2031 in Thiruvalluvar Calendar. Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water level in the river Cauvery.

Mahamagam Festival is a holy festival celebrated once in twelve years in Tamil Nadu. Mahamagam Festival, which is held at Kumbakonam. This festival is also called as Kumbamela of South.

Apart from the major festivals, in every village and town of Tamil Nadu, the inhabitants celebrate festivals for the local gods once a year and the time varies from place to place. Most of these festivals are related to the goddess Maariyamman, the mother goddess of rain. Other major Hindu festivals including Deepavali (Death of Narakasura), Ayudha Poojai, Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara), Krishna Jayanthi and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated. In addition, Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Easter and Bakrid are celebrated by Christians and Muslims in the state.Mahamagam Festival is a holy festival celebrated once in twelve years in Tamil Nadu. Mahamagam Festival, which is held at Kumbakonam, is a bathing ceremony. In this festival all the people come to take bath in Mahamagam Tank. People from all the corners of the country come at Kumbakonam for the festival. This festival is also called as Kumbamela of South.^[76]^[77]

Music

See also: Ancient Tamil music and Carnatic music

The Kings of ancient Thamizhagam created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Literature, Music and Drama). Music played a major role in sangams. Music in Tamil Nadu had different forms. In villages where farming was the primary occupation, women who worked in the fields used to sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. In sharp contrast with the restrained and intellectual nature of Carnatic music, Tamil folk music tends to be much more exuberant. Popular forms of Tamil folk music include the Villuppāṭṭu, a form of music performed with a bow,the urumee mellam or Naiyandi mellam which incorporates the use of the urumee and the Nāṭṭuppur̲appāṭṭu, ballads that convey folklore and folk history. Some of the leading Tamil folk artists in the early 21st century are Pushpuvanam Kuppuswamy, Dr. Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Paravai muniammal etc.

Nadhaswaram and Thavil players

Carnatic music is the classical music form of southern India. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions. The Trinity of Carnatic music Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri were from Tamil Nadu. Thyagarajar Aaradhanai (worship) takes place every year in the month of Marghazhi in Thiruvaiyaru all carnatic musicians render their obesiance to Saint Thyagarajar by singing his compositions. The composers belonging to the Tamil Trinity, namely Muthu Thandavar (?1560 – ?1640), Arunachala Kavi (1712–1779) and Marimutthu Pillai (1717–1787) composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and helped in the evolution of Carnatic music. Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season during December–January, which includes performances by hundreds of artists all over the city.
In terms of modern cine-music, Ilaiyaraaja was a prominent composer of film music in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s. His work highlighted Tamil folk lyricism and introduced broader western musical sensibilities to the south Indian musical mainstream. Tamil Nadu is also the home of the double Oscar Winner A.R. Rahman^[78]^[79]^[80] who has composed film music in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi films, English and Chinese films, was once referred to by Time magazine as "The Mozart of Madras".

Arts and dance

Tamils have a large number of folk dances. These are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, weddings and festivals. Tamil dance is closely intertwined with the Tamil theatrical tradition.

A Bharatanatyam dancer.

The most celebrated of these dances is the karakattam. In its religious form, the dance is performed in front of an image of the goddess Mariamman. The dancer bears on his or her head a brass pot filled with uncooked rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded by a bamboo frame, and tumbles and leaps to the rhythm of a song without spilling a grain. Karakattam is usually performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu or thevar pāṭṭu, a folk song in the mode of a lover speaking to his beloved, to the accompaniment of a nadaswaram and melam.
Other Tamil folk dances include mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist; ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; poikkal kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; manattam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; paraiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Prior to the colonial perriod, it used to be performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis. In this form, it as also been called sadir or chinna melam. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharata Natyam dance postures. Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. It continues to be a popular dance style at present times and is practised by male and female dancers all over India. Terukkuttu or Kattaikkuttu is a traditional form of Tamil street theatre folk dance/drama.

Film industry

Main article: Tamil cinema

Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry, often colloquially referred to as 'Kollywood'. It is known for being the Second largest film industry in terms of revenue and worldwide distribution, in India after Bollywood.^[81] It is based at Kodambakkam in Chennai city.

Cuisine

Traditional Tamil lunch served in banana leaf.

Main article: Tamil cuisine

Tamil cuisine is typical of south Indian cuisine, in that rice and rice-derived dishes form the major portion of a diet (see rice and curry). There are regional sub-varieties namely Chettinadu, Kongunadu, Madurai, Tirunelveli varieties etc. Traditionally, food is served on a banana leaf instead of a plate and eaten with the right hand.
Rice is the staple food of Tamils and is typically eaten mixed with coconut chutney sambhar (with or without ghee), vegetarian or non-vegetarian kulambu, rasam, curd and buttermilk. This is accompanied with various vegetarian and/or non-vegetarian dishes like kootu, aviyal, poriyal, appalam, varuval, peratal, kothsu, varieties of pickles and chicken, mutton, or fish fry.

Idly and Vadai served with Sambar.

Breakfast and snack items include dosai, Adai, idly, vadai, pongal, appam (aappam), paniyaram, puttu, uppumavu (uppuma), santhakai (a sort of noodles), idiyappam and uthappam. These items are eaten along with sambar, varieties of chatni and podi. Traditionally prepared filter coffee is unique in taste and popular all over the state.
The Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine, while Ambur and Dindigul are known for their Biriyani. Sweet items that are native to Tamil Nadu are Athirasam, Chakkarai Pongal (prepared during Pongal) and Kuli Paniyaram. The city of Thirunelveli is renowned for its unique sweetmeat, Thirunelveli Halwa, while Palani is known for its Panchamirtham.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Tamil Nadu, List of conglomerates in Tamil Nadu, and List of rivers of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is the second largest contributor to India's GDP. Tamil Nadu's gross state domestic product for the year 2011-2012 was 4.28 lakh crore or $145,868 Million. The state has shown a growth of 9.4 per cent in the year 2011-2012.^[82] Tamil Nadu is the second most industrialised state in India.^[83] It ranks third in foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals (cumulative 1991–2002) of

225,826 million ($5,000 million), next only to Maharashtra and Delhi constituting 9.12 per cent of the total FDI in the country.^[84] The per capita income in 2007–2008 for the state was

72,993 ranking third among states with a population over 10 million and has steadily been above the national average.^[85]

**Gross State Domestic Product in Crores at Constant Prices**^[86]
Year	GSDP	Growth Rate	Share in India
2000–01	142,065	5.87%	7.62%
2001–02	139,842	-1.56%	7.09%
2002–03	142,295	1.75%	6.95%
2003–04	150,815	5.99%	6.79%
2004–05	219,003	11.45%	7.37%
2005–06	249,567	13.96%	7.67%
2006–07	287,530	15.21%	8.07%
2007–08	305,157	6.13%	7.83%
2008–09	320,085	4.89%	7.70%
2009–10	350,258	9.43%	7.77%
2010–11	391,372	11.74%	8.01%
2011–12	428,109	9.39%	8.20%

According to the 2011 Census, Tamil Nadu is the most urbanised state in India (49 per cent), accounting for 9.6 per cent of the urban population while only comprising 6 per cent of India’s total population and .^[87] and is the most urbanised state in India.CITEREFThe_Hindu18_May_2008 Services contributes to 45 per cent of the economic activity in the state, followed by manufacturing at 34 per cent and agriculture at 21 per cent. Government is the major investor in the state with 51 per cent of total investments, followed by private Indian investors at 29.9 per cent and foreign private investors at 14.9 per cent. Tamil Nadu has a network of about 113 industrial parks and estates offering developed plots with supporting infrastructure.
According to the publications of the Tamil Nadu government the Gross State Domestic Product at Constant Prices (Base year 2004–2005) for the year 2011–2012 is

428,109 crores, an increase of 9.39 per cent over the previous year. The per capita income at current price is

72,993.

Agriculture

Tamil Nadu has historically been an agricultural state and is a leading producer of agricultural products in India. In 2008, Tamil Nadu was India's fifth biggest producer of Rice. The total cultivated area in the State was 5.60 million hectares in 2009–10.^[88] The Cauvery delta region is known as the Rice Bowl of South India.^[89] In terms of production, Tamil Nadu accounts for 10 per cent in fruits and 6 per cent in vegetables, in India.^[90] Annual food grains production in the year 2007–08 was 100.35 lakh mt.^[88] Mango and banana are the leading fruit crops in Tamil Nadu accounting for over 87 per cent of the total fruit production. The main vegetables grown are tapioca, tomato, onion, brinjal (eggplant), and drumstick. Tamil Nadu is also a leading state in the production of flowers with the total production of horticultural crops standing at

99.47 Lakhs during 2003–04. The main flowers grown in Tamil Nadu are jasmine, mullai, chrysanthemum, marigold and rose.
The state is the largest producer of bananas, flowers,^[90] tapioca,^[90] the second largest producer of mango,^[90] natural rubber,^[91] coconut, groundnut and the third largest producer of coffee, sapota,^[90] Tea^[92] and Sugarcane. Tamil Nadu's sugarcane yield per hectare is the highest in India. The state has 17,000 hectares of land under oil palm cultivation, the second highest in India.^[93]

Paddy fields at Nagercoil.

Tamil Nadu is the home to Dr M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the Green Revolution" in India.^[94] Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with its seven colleges and thirty two research stations spread over the entire state contributes to evolving new crop varieties and technologies and disseminating through various extension agencies. Among states in India, Tamil Nadu is one of the leaders in livestock, poultry and fisheries production. Tamil Nadu had the second largest number of poultry amongst all the states and accounted for 17.7 per cent of the total poultry population in India.^[95] In 2003–2004, Tamil Nadu had produced 37,836 lakhs of eggs, which was the second highest in India representing 9.37 per cent of the total egg production in the country.^[96] With the third longest coastline in India, Tamil Nadu represented 27.54 per cent of the total value of fish and fishery products exported by India in 2006.

Leather industry

The state accounts for 70 per cent of leather tanning capacity in India and 38 per cent of leather footwear and components. The exports from Tamil Nadu are valued at about US $ 762 million, which accounts for 42 per cent of Indian leather exports. Hundreds of leather and tannery industries are located around Vellore, Dindigul and Erode its nearby towns such as Ranipet, Ambur, Perundurai and Vaniyambadi. The Vellore district is the top exporter of finished leather goods in the country. That leather accounts for more than 37 per cent of the country's Export of Leather and Leather related products such as finished leathers, shoes, garments, gloves and so on. The tanning industry in India has a total installed capacity of 225 million pieces of hide and skins of which Tamil Nadu alone contributes to an inspiring 70 per cent. Leather industry occupies a pride of place in the industrial map of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu enjoys a leading position with 40 per cent share in India 's export. It currently employs about 2.5 million persons Leather exports by the end of the year 2000–2001 were

9000 crores. Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), a CSIR research laboratory is located in Chennai, the state capital. Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) -CHENNAIFDDI / Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, Mission FDDI is the first training Institute to achieve the prestigious ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification. The Institute believes that dedication, sincerity and hard work leads to excellence and therefore, its motto is "Dedication to Excellence." Description
FDDI, Chennai Campus is located at Irungattukottai near SIPCOT Footwear Park, 40 minutes drive from Chennai. The campus area spread over 15 acres is situated in a calm and serene surrounding with the state-of-the art Campus housing & buildings having a built-up area of more than 4 lacs sq. ft. Campus has an excellent infrastructure and modern facilities, which assists in conducting the various academic programmes. The Institute has a state-of-the-art library, computer lab, well furnished and centrally air-conditioned building, class rooms and lecture halls, latest multi-media audio-video, educational support for teaching and a fully equipped auditorium. The Campus is equipped with International Testing Laboratory.
Chennai is the biggest hub of the world leather industry. Every exporter had an office in Chennai & most of the leather & footwear industry is located in and around Chennai. Tamil Nadu accounts for 30 per cent of leather exports and about 70 per cent of leather production in the country. The large scale presence of the Tanning industry has resulted in Tamil Nadu becoming a dominant production centre in the country for leather and leather based products. In Tamil Nadu 0.5 Million people are employed in the industries dealing with leather and leather based products. With the expansion and huge investment coming up in this from the national and international reputed brands the employment opportunities in this sector is going to increase many fold. It is estimated that leather industry will require at least one million additional manpower in the next five years. The skill gaps at the level of designers, technologists and management professionals are more stark and demanding. It is where the prospective professionals can take advantage of the courses being offered by FDDI Chennai and opt for lucrative and promising career jobs.

Textiles

Textile mills and engineering industries are present around the city of Coimbatore. It is home to textile, automotive spare parts and motor pump manufacturing units. Cities of Tirupur and Erode are the country's largest exporters of knitwear.^[97] They are well known for textile manufacturing industries and exports to such extent that the districts of Coimbatore, Tirupur, Karur, Erode, Namakkal and Salem. Coimbatore is known^{[by whom?]} as the "Manchester of South India" for its cotton production. The region around Coimbatore, Tirupur, Karur and Erode is referred to^{[by whom?]} as the "Textile Valley of India" with the export from the Tirupur

50,000 million ($1,000 million) and Karur generates around

35,500 million ($750 million) a year in foreign exchange. 56 per cent of India's total knitwear exports come from Tirupur and Karur make above 60 per cent of India's home textiles. Gobichettipalayam, Pollachi, Theni and Vedasandur are known for its cotton spinning mills. Rajapalayam is famous for its cotton market. Gobichettipalayam is a prominent producer of white silk with the country's first automated silk reeling unit present here. Kanchipuram and Arani are world famous for their pure zari silk sarees and handloom silk weaving industries. Aruppukottai, Salem, and Sathyamangalam are also famous for art-silk sarees. Andipatti, Tiruchengodu, Paramakudi, Kurinjipadi are major handloom centres. Negamam, Cinnalapatti, Woraiyur, Pochampalli are famous for its soft cotton saree weavings. Madurai is well known^{[by whom?]} for its Chungidi cotton saree. Bhavani is famous for carpet.

Automobiles

Tamil Nadu has seen major investments in the automobile industry over many decades manufacturing cars, railway coaches, battle-tanks, tractors, motorcycles, automobile spare parts and accessories, tyres and heavy vehicles. Major global automobile companies including BMW, Ford, Robert Bosch, Renault-Nissan, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Mitsubishi Motors, and Michelin as well as Indian automobile majors like Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Hindustan Motors, TVS Motors, Irizar-TVS, Royal Enfield, MRF, Apollo Tyres, TAFE Tractors, DaimlerChrysler AG Company also invested (

) 4 billion for establishing new plant in Tamil Nadu^[98] Karur is a hub for Bus body building industries. Namakkal is the major source of Heavy Vehicle and lorry body building and Educational wise.Tiruchengode is the major source of Borewells. Recently India Yamaha, Yamaha Motor Corporation's Indian subsidiary, has decided to set up a new factory in Tamil Nadu.^[99]

Heavy industries

Tamil Nadu is one of the highly industrialised states in India. Over 11.2 per cent of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Tamil Nadu. Many heavy engineering and manufacturing companies are located in and around the suburbs of Chennai. Coimbatore is the largest industrialized city in the state and is the largest producer of pump sets and wet grinders in India.

Bharat Heavy Electricals at Tiruchirapalli.

Bharat Heavy Electricals, one of India's largest electrical equipment manufacturing companies, has manufacturing plants at Tiruchirapalli and Ranipet. India's leading steel producer, the state-owned Steel Authority of India, has a steel plant in Salem. Sterlite Industries has a copper smelter at Tuticorin and an aluminium plant in Mettur. The Chennai Petroleum Corporation is a state-owned oil and gas corporation headquartered in Chennai, and owns refineries at Manali and Panangudi. The state government owns the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers,^[100] and the world's biggest bagasse based paper mills in Karur. Jointly with the Tata Group, the state owns the world's sixth largest manufacturer of watches, under the brand name of "Titan", at Hosur. A number of large cement mnufacturers, including the Chettinad Group, Ramco Cements, Tancem, the Dalmia Group, UltraTech Cements and ACC are present across the state. Ariyalur is known as "the land of the cement industry" in the state.

Electronics and software

Electronics manufacturing is a growing industry in Tamil Nadu, with many telecommunications giants like Nokia, Flextronics, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, Foxconn, Samsung, Cisco, Moser Baer and Dell having chosen Chennai as their south Asian manufacturing hub. Products manufactured include circuit boards and cellular phone handsets.^[101]

Infosys campus at Mahindra World City, near Chennai.

Tamil Nadu is the second largest software exporter by value in India, second only to Karnataka. Software exports from Tamil Nadu grew from

76 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2003–04 to

207 billion {$5 billion} by 2006–07 according to NASSCOM^[102] and to

366 billion in 2008–09 which shows 29 per cent growth in software exports according to STPI. Major national and global IT Companies such as Syntel, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tata Consultancy Services, Verizon, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon.com, Paypal, IBM, Accenture, Ramco Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation, Cognizant Technology solutions, Tech Mahindra, Polaris, Aricent, MphasiS, MindTree, BBM info 24/7 Customers, Hexaware Technologies and many others have offices in Tamil Nadu.

Others

Namakkal is also one of the main source of Egg production in India. Karur is also the major manufacturer of Nylon nets (HDPE) Filaments over 65 per cent of India. Sivakasi is a major centre of fireworks and safety match production and offset printing in India with over 60 per cent of firework production contributed from Sivakasi. Tiruppur district is famous for the Tiruppur banian industry, Cotton market and mills, the famous uthukkuli butter .Kanyakumari is famous for rubber production.

Infrastructure

Transport

Road

Pamban road (left) and rail (right) bridges, connecting the Indian mainland with the Pamban Island. The rail bridge was opened to traffic in 1914, and was considered an engineering marvel in its time.

Main articles: Transport in Tamil Nadu and Road network in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a transportation system that connects all parts of the state. Tamil Nadu is served by an extensive road network, providing links between urban centres, agricultural market-places and rural areas. There are 28 national highways in the state, covering a total distance of 5,036 km (3,129 mi).^[103] The state is also a terminus for the Golden Quadrilateral project. The state has a total road length of 167,000 km (104,000 mi), of which 60,628 km (37,672 mi) are maintained by Highways Department. This is nearly 2.5 times higher than the density of all-India road network.^[104] The major road junctions are Chennai,Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai,Tuticorin, Salem, Karur, Krishnagiri, Dindigul, Kanniyakumari.

Rail

Tamil Nadu has a well-developed rail network as part of Southern Railway. Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway network extends over a large area of India's southern peninsula, covering the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, a small portion of Karnataka and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh.

MRTS Train station in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu has a total railway track length of 5,952 km (3,698 mi) and there are 532 railway stations in the state. The system connects it with most major cities in India. Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network and is in the process of developing a metro. Main rail junctions in the state include Chennai,Coimbatore,Madurai, Salem, Erode, Tiruchirapalli and Tirunelveli.Here Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Coimbatore Junction, Madurai Junction, are upgraded to A1 grade level. Loco sheds are located at Erode, Arakkonam, Royapuram in Chennai and Tondaiyarpet in Chennai, Ponmalai (GOC) in Tiruchirappalli as Diesel Loco Shed. The loco shed at Erode is a huge composite Electric and Diesel Loco shed. There is a mountain railway connecting Ooty and Mettupalayam. MRTS which covers from Chennai Beach to Velachery

Airports

The first flight in the country was from Mumbai to Chennai. Tamil Nadu has 3 international airports, a customs airport and 2 domestic airports. Chennai International Airport is a major international airport that is connected with 19 countries with more than 169 direct flights every week. This is the third largest airport in India after Mumbai and Delhi and has a passenger growth of 18 per cent. Other international and customs airports present in the state are Coimbatore Airport, Tiruchirapalli Airport and Madurai Airport. Salem Airport and Tuticorin Airport are domestic airports with daily flights. Increased industrial activity has given rise to an increase in passenger traffic as well as freight movement which has been growing at over 18 per cent per year.

Seaport

Tamil Nadu has three major seaports located at Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin, as well as seven other minor ports including Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.^[88] Chennai Port is an artificial harbour situated on the Coromandel Coast and is the second principal port in the country for handling containers. Ennore Port handles all the coal and ore traffic in Tamil Nadu. The volume of cargo in the ports grew by 13 per cent during 2005.^[105]

Energy

Windmills for Electricity Generation in Coimbatore District.

Tamil Nadu has the third largest established power generation capacity in the country. The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite Power Plant, many hydroelectric plants including Mettur Dam, hundreds of windmills and the Narimanam Natural Gas Plants are major sources of Tamil Nadu's electricity. Tamil Nadu generates a significant proportion of its power needs from renewable sources with wind power installed capacity at over 6007 MW, accounting for 55 per cent of all wind-generated electricity in India.^[106] It is presently adding the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant to its energy grid, which on completion would be the largest atomic power plant in the country, in terms of capacity.^[107] The total installed capacity of electricity in the State is 17,656 MW.^[88] Tamil Nadu ranks first nationwide in diesel-based thermal electricity generation with a national market share of over 34 per cent.^[108] From a power surplus state in 2005-06, Tamil Nadu has become a state facing severe power shortage over the recent years due to lack of power projects and delay in the starting of power generation at Kudankulam Atomic Power Project. The Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station has five 210 megawatt generators. The first generator was commissioned in July 1979. The thermal power plants under construction include the coal-based 1000 MW NLC TNEB Power Plant.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Tamil Nadu

Kabbadi, a team contact sport originated in Tamil Nadu and is recognised as the state game.^[109] The traditional sport of Tamil Nadu include Silambam,^[110] a Tamil martial arts played with a long bamboo staff, Cockfight, Jallikattu,^[111] a bull taming sport famous on festival occasions, ox-wagon racing known as Rekkala,^[112]^[110] Kite flying also known as Pattam viduthal^[111], Goli, the game with marbles^[111], Aadu Puli, the "goat and tiger" game^[111] and Kabaddi also known as Sadugudu.^[111] Most of these traditional sports are associated with festivals of land like Thai Pongal and mostly played in rural areas.^[111] In urban areas of Tamil Nadu, modern sports like bat and ball games are played.^[111]
The most popular game in Tamil Nadu like rest of India is Cricket. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is an international cricketing arena with a capacity of 50,000 and houses the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.^[113] Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan,^[114] Krishnamachari Srikkanth,^[115] Laxman Sivaramakrishnan,^[116] Laxmipathy Balaji,^[117] Murali Vijay^[118] and Ravichandran Ashwin^[119] Dineshkarthik are someprominent cricketers from Tamil Nadu. The MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, headed by Australian bowler Glenn Mcgrath is a popular fast bowling academy for pace bowlers all over the world. Cricket contests between local clubs, franchises and teams are popular in the state. Chennai Super Kings represents Chennai among the nine Indian cities featuring in the Indian Premier League, a popular Twenty-20 cricket competition.

Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.

Tamil Nadu has a long standing motor sports culture. The sport was pioneered by Sundaram Karivardhan (1954–95) in its early days. Motor racing between 1960s and 1980s were conducted at Sholavaram, a track used as a word war II air strip. Modern motor racing events are held at the Irungattukottai Race Track owned and operated by Madras Motor Sports Club near Sriperumbudur and Kari Motor Speedway near Coimbatore. The only two people to represent India in Formula 1 are both from Tamil Nadu, namely Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to participate in F1 racing, and Karun Chandhok.
Tennis is also a popular sport in Tamil Nadu with notable international players including Ramesh Krishnan,^[120] Ramanathan Krishnan,^[120] Vijay Amritraj^[121] and Mahesh Bhupathi. Nirupama Vaidyanathan, the first Indian women to play in a grandslam tournament also hails from the state. The ATP Chennai Open tournament is held in Chennai every January. The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) owns Nungambakkam tennis stadium which hosts Chennai Open and Davis Cup play off tournaments.
Five time World Chess champion Viswanathan Anand hails from Tamil Nadu. The state boasts a total of eight Grand Masters and numerous International Masters. Other notable chess players from the state include Manuel Aaron, the first Indian International Master, Krishnan Sasikiran, Grandmaster, S. Vijayalakshmi, Six time Women's national champion of India and the First Women Grandmaster from India, Aarthie Ramaswamy, Women Grandmaster and former under-18 girls' World Chess champion. Maria Irudayam, the former World Carrom Champion and Ilavazhagi, the defending Women's World Carrom Champion are from Tamil Nadu.

Viswanathan Anand, the world chess champion.

The Tamil Nadu Hockey Association is the governing body of Hockey in the state. Vasudevan Baskaran was the captain of the Indian team that won gold medal in 1980 Olympics at Moscow. The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai hosts international hockey events and is regarded by the International Hockey Federation as one of the best in the world for its infrastructure.^[122]
The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), a government body, is vested with the responsibility of developing sports and related infrastructure in the state.^[123] The SDAT owns and operates world class stadiums and organises sporting events.^[124] It also accommodates sporting events, both at domestic and international level, organised by other sports associations at its venues. The YMCA College of Physical Education at Nandanam in Chennai was established in 1920 and was the first college for physical education in Asia. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai is a multi-purpose stadium hosting Football and Track & Field events. The Indian Triathlon Federation and the Volleyball Federation of India are headquartered in Chennai. Chennai hosted India’s first ever International Beach Volleyball Championship in 2008. The SDAT – TNSRA Squash Academy in Chennai is one of the very few academies in south Asia hosting international squash events.
Snooker was invented by General Sir Frederick Roberts at the Ooty Club in Ooty, a hill station in the state.
Tamil Nadu has six 18-hole Golf courses, the most popular of which are Kodaikanal Golf Club, established in 1895, Ooty Golf Course, established in 1896, and Gymkhana Club, Chennai. The Madras Boat Club, set up in 1867, hosts regular rowing races on the Adyar River. The Guindy race course in Chennai, set up in 1777 CE, is the oldest horse racing venue in India. Adventure sports have gained popularity, especially amongst the tourists visiting the state.

Tourism

Hogenakkal Falls on the Kaveri river in Dharmapuri district.

Main article: Tourism in Tamil Nadu

The tourism industry of Tamil Nadu is the second largest in India, with an annual growth rate of 16 per cent. Tourism in Tamil Nadu is promoted by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), a Government of Tamil Nadu undertaking. Approximately 2,804,687 foreign and 111,637,104 domestic tourists visited the state in 2010.^[125]

Thiruvannamalai - Sathanoor dam park

The state boasts some of the grand Hindu temples built in Dravidian architecture. The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, the Airavateswara temple in Darasuram and the Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram (also called Mamallapuram) have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[126]^[127]

The Dolphin's Nose at Kodaikanal.

Mandaikudu Beach at Nagercoil

Madurai is home to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. Tiruchenduris the largest functioning temple in the Tamil Nadu, Tiruchirappalli where the famous Rockfort Temple is located, Rameshwaram whose temple walk-ways corridor (Praagarams) are the longest 1.2 km (0.75 mi) of all Indian temples in the world, Kanchipuram and Palani are important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Other popular temples in Tamil Nadu include those in keelaiyur (East Thirukoilur), Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Chidambaram, Thiruvannaamalai, Palani, Tiruvarur, Kumbakonam, Srivilliputhur, Tiruttani, Namakkal, Vellore, Karur, Bhavani, Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari.

Sunrise in Kanyakumari with Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue in the foreground.

Tamil Nadu is also home to hill stations like Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Coonoor, Topslip, Valparai, Yelagiri and Manjolai. The Nilgiri hills, Palani hills, Shevaroy hills, Kolli Hills and Cardamom hills are all abodes of thick forests and wildlife. Tamil Nadu has many National Parks, Biosphere Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Elephant and Bird Sanctuaries, Reserved Forests, Zoos and Crocodile farms. Prominent among them are Mudumalai National Park, The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary and Arignar Anna Zoological Park.^[128] The mangrove forests at Pichavaram are also eco-tourism spots of importance.
Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of peninsular India, is famous for its beautiful sunrise, Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar's statue built off the coastline. Marina Beach in Chennai is one of the longest beaches in the world. The stretch of beaches from Chennai to Mahabalipuram are home to many resorts, theme parks and eateries.
The prominent waterfalls in the state are Courtallam, Hogenakkal, Papanasam, Manimuthar, Thirparappu, Pykara and Silver Cascade. The Chettinad region of the state is renowned for its Palatial houses and cuisine. With medical care in Chennai, Vellore, Coimbatore and Madurai, Tamil Nadu has the largest numbers in Medical tourism in India.

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Tamil Nadu