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Delhi
I
Andhra
Pradesh
I
Arunachal
Pradesh
I
Assam
I
Bihar
I
Chhattisgarh
I
Goa |
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Gujarat
I Haryana I
Himachal
Pradesh
I
Jammu
&
Kashmir
I
Jharkhand
I
Kerala |
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Karnataka
I
Madhya
Pradesh
I
Maharashtra
I
Manipur
I
Meghalaya
I
Mizoram |
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Nagaland
I
Orissa
I
Punjab
I
Rajasthan
I
Sikkim
I
Tamil
Nadu |
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Uttar
Pradesh
I
Uttaranchal
I
West
Bengal |
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 Karnataka
and
Andhra
Pradesh
bound
Tamil
Nadu
in
the
north
and
Kerala
in
the
west.
The
waters
of
the
Bay
of
Bengal
and
the
Indian
Ocean
lap
the
coastal
eastern
and
southern
boundaries
respectively.
The
Point
Calimere
and
Mudumalai
wildlife
sanctuaries
define
the
eastern
and
western
tips
of
the
state
while
on
the
northern
extreme
is
Pulicat
Lake
and
the
southernmost
tip
is
Cape
Camorin
or
Kanniyakumari
-
the
Land's
End
of
India. |
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With
an
area
of
130,058
sq
km
and
population
over
55
million,
Tamil
Nadu
is
the
11th
largest
state
in
India.
The
Union
Territory
of
Pondicherry
is a
small
enclave
in
the
district
of
South
Arcot. |
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Traditionally,
the
land
of
Tamils
has
been
divided
into
5
major
physiographic
divisions
-
the
Kurinji
or
mountainous
region,
the
Mullai
or
forest
region,
the
Palai
or
arid
region,
the
Marudham
or
the
fertile
plains
and
the
Neidhal
or
coastal
region. |
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History
The
history
of
the
Tamils
present
an
exciting
pageant
of a
powerful
civilization
whose
origin
dates
back
to
ancient
times.
It
is
clear
that
the
Tamils,
who
belong
to
the
Dravidian
race,
were
the
first
major
occupants
of
the
country
and
settled
in
the
northwestern
part
of
India
long
before
the
coming
of
the
Indo-Aryans.
Excavations
have
revealed
that
the
features
of
the
people
of
the
Indus
Valley
Civilization
bore
a
strong
resemblance
to
this
race. |
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However,
with
the
advent
of
the
Aryans,
the
Dravidians
were
pushed
back
into
the
deep
south
where
they
ultimately
settled. |
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The
Tamil
Sangam,
which
marks
the
Golden
Age
of
Tamil
literature,
is
the
one
major
source
of
knowledge
about
the
administration,
art,
architecture
and
economic
conditions
that
existed
then.It
is
not
very
clear
to
pinpoint
the
exact
period
when
the
great
Tamil
Sangam
(Academy)
flourished,
though
it
can
be
said
with
some
certainty
that
two
Sangams
were
held
well
before
the
Christian
era
and
the
third
between
100
and
250
AD.
Among
some
of
the
greatest
compositions
of
the
four
centuries
of
Sangam
age
are
Tiruvalluvar's
Thirukkural
which
consists
of
1330
couplets
about
morality
in
private
and
public
life
combined
with
some
of
life's
greatest
truths,
compositions
of
the
saint-poetess
Avviayar,
Pathupatu
or
ten
Idylls
which
is a
compilation
of
the
work
of
several
authors
on
philosophy,
intermingled
with
descriptions
of
the
natural
world
and
Ettuthogai
or
the
eight
anthologies.
Of
these,
the
last
is
historically
the
most
important
as
it
contains
a
description
of
the
daily
life
of
the
people.
This
collection
of
poems
is
the
earliest
record
of
its
kind
as
far
as
the
history
of
the
Tamils
is
concerned. |
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Even
after
the
end
of
the
Sangam
age,
Tamil
writers,
under
the
patronage
of
Royal
Dynasties,
continued
to
produce
excellent
literature
like
the
two
Tamil
epics
Silapathikaram
written
between
200
-
300
AD
by
Ilango
Adigal,
the
son
of a
Chera
King,
and
Manimekalai
by
Sattanar
also
written
between
the
2nd
and
3rd
century
AD.
Both
contain
vivid
descriptions
of
life
during
their
times.
Over
the
ages,
the
south
was
to
see
other
great
poets
like
the
Nayanars
and
the
Alwars
and,
later,
the
poet
Kamban
who
composed
the
Tamil
version
of
Ramayana. |
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The
Pallavas
ruled
between
the
6th
and
8th
century
AD
over
a
large
portion
of
Tamil
Nadu
with
Kanchipuram
as
their
base.
Their
reign
was
marked
by
battles
with
the
Chalukyas
of
the
north
and
the
Pandyas
of
the
south.
Among
the
greatest
Pallava
rulers
were
Mahendravarman-l
and
his
son
Narasimhavarman.
Among
the
famous
temples
built
by
the
Pallavas
are
the
temples
of
Kanchipuram,
the
Kapaliswarar
and
Parthasarathy
temples
at
Chennai,
and
last
but
not
the
least,
the
magnificent
poetry
in
rock
and
stone
at
Mamallapuram.
The
Chinese
traveller
Huan
Tsu
Ang
has
described
Kanchi
extensively. |
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