Tamil Nadu state, in southeast India, is on the Bay of Bengal with the
capital of Madras (Chennai), on a low-lying plain bounded by the eastern Ghats
in the north, the Nilgiri and Anai Malai Hills in the west. The state has large
fertile areas along the Coromandel Coast, the Palk Strait and the Gulf of
Mannar. Agriculture is the chief occupation. There are irrigation canals and
hydroelectric stations along the Kaveri River as well as a nuclear power plant.
An extensive rail network linking Madras and the coastal cities with inland
areas facilitates overseas trade. Most of the population is of Dravidian,
speaking Tamil and practice Hinduism.
An ancient centre of Dravidian culture, the region has the finest remaining
examples of southern Indian art and architecture. Their history presents an
exciting pageant of a powerful civilization whose origins date back to ancient
times. It is clear that the Tamils, descendants of the Dravidians, were the
first major occupants of the country and settled in the north western part of
India long before the coming of the Aryans. Excavations have revealed that the
features of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization bore a strong
resemblance to this race.
Tamil Nadu was the seat of the Chola Empire of 10th–13th centuries. Muslims
swept away the Hindu Vijayanagar Kingdom in the 16th century and controlled the
area for about a hundred years. The Portuguese established trading posts in the
16th century and were followed by the Dutch, French and the British in the early
17th century. After a struggle with the French and Haidar Ali and Tippoo Sahib
during 1741–63, the British emerged victorious. Under Great Britain, the
territory was controlled from Madras and the city was considerably enlarged.
After independence its Telugu-speaking areas were transferred to Andhra Pradesh
in 1953. In 1956, the Kannada-speaking areas were transferred to Mysore (now
Karnataka) and the Malayalam areas to Kerala. In 1969, the name of the state was
changed from Madras to Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu is also the home of Carnatic music and Bharatha Natyam, a legacy
of temple songs and dances handed down through the centuries, the home of many a
stately schools of art and architecture, and of great cultures and philosophies.
Gloriously ancient. Proud preserver of India's traditions. Tall palms and taller
gopurams, the towering, intricately carved temple towers amidst a land of
oriental lushness greet the traveller to Tamil Nadu, a land that is truly the
soul of the south itself.
Forests and sanctuaries untouched by man, Mudumalai, Anaimalai, Vedanthangal and
Point Calimere, where the deer and the bison roam and the stork, the flamingo
and the egret nest, where you can enjoy a thrilling elephant ride into a forest
of antelopes, monkeys, tigers and leopards that will stay in your memory. The
Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is on the Ooty-Mysore Road; tiger, leopard, sloth
bear, elephant, bison, sambar, chital, and barking deer freely wander on its
terrain. The Chennai Aquarium displays a wide variety of aquatic life. The
National Deer Park at Guindy, Chennai, is the only one of its kind in the
country and the Snake Park is a showcase for reptilian wildlife. Cool forests
everywhere provide refuge to myriads of species of animals and birds.
The Marina in Chennai is the second longest beach in the world and is an open
stretch of sparkling blue invitation reminiscent perhaps, of the French Riviera.
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