Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

History of Tamil Nadu

History believes that this region existed from the Neolithic period, 3,800 years ago. Chera, Chola and Pandya were the three dynasties which majorly ruled this region. These three dynasties had good trade relationships with Egypt, Ceylon, Rome, Arabia, Greece, Phoenicia, Mesopotamia and Persia. British got full governance control over full Tamil nadir state in early 1900s. Madras Presidency became Madras State, after Independence. In 1956, Andhra State carved out of Madras state and some parts of the state were reorganized. Madras State was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1969.

Geography of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu lies in the southern part of India, which shares the boarders with Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and union territory of Puducherry. Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean meet at the southern tip Indian Peninsula, Kanyakumari. Tamil Nadu extends in an area of 130,058 sq kms making it the eleventh largest state in India. Tamil Nadu has a coastline of 910 sq kms making it the third longest coastline in India.

Government and Administration of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is subdivided into 32 districts, which are further divided into 226 Taluks. DMK and All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam are the major political parties in the state. The Tamil Nadu Police Force is over 140 years old and has the highest proportion of women police personnel in the country with 12.42%. Tamil Nadu legislative assembly consists of 234 seats. Tamil Nadu contributes 39members to the Indian Assembly in which seven are reserved for Scheduled Castes.

Language and Culture of Tamil Nadu

Bharatha Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India that originated in this region. It is accompanied by carnatic music. Karagam Dance is a folk dance performed by balancing a decorated pot on his head. Kavadi Attam and Poikkal Kuthirai Attam are the different forms of folk dances originated n this region. Tamil Language and literature have greater classical time than most of the Indian languages. The Sangam literature is considered as landmark in the literary and cultural history of Tamils. The Tamil cuisine is the oldest representative of the continuous vegetarian cultures of the world. Traditional meals are served on banana leaves. Tamil is widely spoken in the region followed by Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Urdu.

Education Status of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu tops among Indian states with 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio in primary and upper primary education and is one of the most literate states in India. Tamil Nadu has 37 universities, 552 engineering colleges, 449 Polytechnic Colleges, 566 arts and science colleges and 5000 hospitals. Some of the premium educational institutes in Tamil Nadu are Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Technology, Madras Medical College, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, College of Engineering and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Economy of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is the second largest contributor to India's GDP with 9767 billion in the year 2014-2015. It ranks third in FDI among Indian states. Tamil Nadu has 113 industrial parks. The Cauvery delta region is known as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu, making Tamil nadir the fifth biggest producer of rice. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of turmeric, bananas, tapioca, the second largest producer of natural rubber, coconut, mango, groundnut and the third largest producer of sapota, coffee, Tea and Sugarcane. Chennai is known as the Detroit of India. Major global automobile companies including BMW, Ford, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland have plants in the state. Tamil Nadu is also one of the major centers of Egg production, jewellery and poultry, Nylon, fireworks and safety match production and offset printing in India. Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India (AVADI) manufactures armored vehicles for Indian military. Integral Coach Factory in Perambur is the largest producer of railway coaches in Asia.

Tourism in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu tourism industry is the largest in the country. The state boasts some of the grand Hindu temples like The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Srirangam, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiruchirappallithe Airavateswara temple in Darasuram and the Shore Temple. Monuments in Mahabalipuram have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tamil Nadu has many hill stations like Ooty, Kodaikanal, The Nilgiri hills, Palani hills, Yercaud, Coonoor etc. Tamil Nadu has the largest numbers in medical tourism in India.

Festivals Celebrated in Tamil Nadu

Pongal is the Harvest Festival which offers homage to the Nature, Sun and Cattle. It is celebrated in the month of January for four days. Mahamagam, Aurbathimoovar, Saral Vizha, Kavadi Festival, Velankanni are the local festivals which are celebrated grandly in this region. Apart from these all the major festivals in India are celebrated.