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Area : 1,30,058 sq km
Population : 62,405,679
Capital : Chennai
Principal Languages : Tamil
The State of Tamil Nadu has
a hoary antiquity. Though early sangam
classics throw historical references, we pass to
recorded history only from the Pallavas.
The southern states of India were under the
hegemony of the Cholas, the Cheras and the
Pandyas for centuries. The Pallavas held
supremacy from about the second quarter of the
fourth century AD. They were the originators of
the famous Dravidian style of temple
architecture. The last Pallava ruler was
Aparajita, in whose reign the later Cholas under
Vijayalaya and Aditya asserted themselves by
about the 10th century. At the end of the 11th
century, Tamil Nadu was ruled by several
dynasties like the Chalukyas, Cholas and
Pandyas. In the two centuries that followed, the
imperial Cholas gained paramountcy over South
India.
Muslims gradually strengthened their
position, which led to the establishment of the
Bahamani Sultanate, by the middle of the 14th
century. At the same time, the Vijayanagar
Kingdom quickly consolidated itself and extended
its sway over the whole of South India, and at
the close of the century, Vijayanagar became the
supreme power in South. However, it crumbled at
the battle of Talikota in 1564 to the
confederate forces of the Deccan Sultans.
Even during the period of the tumultuous
confusion that followed the battle of Talikota,
European commercial interest had appeared as
rivals in the area of South India. The
Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the
English came in quick succession and established
trading centres known as ‘Factories’. East India
Company, which had established its factory at
Masulipatnam (now in Andhra Pradesh) in 1611,
gradually annexed territories by encouraging
enmity among the native rulers. Tamil Nadu was
one of the first of British settlements in
India. The State is the successor to the old
Madras Presidency, which covered the bulk of the
southern peninsula in 1901. The composite Madras
State was later reorganised, and the present
Tamil Nadu was formed.
Tamil Nadu is bounded on north by Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka, on the west by Kerala, on
the east by the Bay of Bengal, and on the south
by the Indian Ocean.
Agriculture
is the major occupation in Tamil Nadu. The
principal food crops include paddy, millets and
pulses. Commercial crops include sugarcane,
cotton, sunflower, coconut, cashew, chillies,
gingelly and groundnut. Plantation crops are
tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber. Major forest
produces are timber, sandalwood, pulp wood and
fuel wood. Tamil Nadu occupies a premier
position in the production and extensive
application of bio-fertilizers. Efforts are on
to improve farming technologies so as to
increase yields in the low rainfall areas of the
State. Annual foodgrains production exceeds ten
million tonnes with rice contributing an average
eight million tonnes.
Major Industries in Tamil
Nadu are cotton, heavy commercial vehicles, auto
components, railway coaches, power pumps,
leather tanning industries, cement, sugar,
paper, automobiles and safety matches.
Knowledge based industries like I.T. and
Biotechnology have become the thrust area in the
industrial scene in Tamil Nadu. TIDEL, a
software technology park, has been established
in Tharamani, Chennai. Chennai has currently
about 50,000 software professionals employed in
900 IT companies.
Global auto majors Hyundai Motors, Ford,
Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi have commenced
production plants. Ashok Leyland and TAFE have
set up expansion plants in Chennai.
Main mineral wealth of the state is granite,
lignite and limestone. The state is an important
exporter of tanned skin and leather goods, yarn,
tea, coffee, spices, engineering goods, tobacco,
handicrafts and black granite. Tamil Nadu
contributes 60 per cent of the tannery industry
in India. Chennai Refinery Limited has given
rise to several petro-based units. Major
chemical and fertilizer plants have been
established at Cuddalore and Tuticorin.
Important
irrigation schemes and modernisation of existing
Periyar Vaigai System, Palar Basin System and
Parambikulam-Aliyar System besides the minor
system in Vellar, Pennayar, Araniyar Amaravathi,
Chithar basins totaling, an extent of six lakh
acres of existing ayacut in Tamil Nadu have been
benefited by implementing the ‘System
Improvement and Farmers Turnover Projects’
executed with assistance from World Bank. The
major irrigation system covering one-third of
irrigated extent in Tamil Nadu, namely tank
irrigation system has been given due regard for
development under WRCP, and 620 tanks maintained
by Public Works Department falling under Palar,
Vaigai, and Tamaraparani Basins have been taken
up for rehabilitation and improvement. The State
has become the pioneer State to implement the
system of ‘River basin management’ by an
individual body consisting of officials and
farmers besides various representatives of the
basin. To start with, Basin Management Boards
have been formed for Palar and Tamaraparani
basins.
The total
installed capacity for electricity in the State
is 8,249 MW. The installed capacity of State
Sector is 5,288 MW, and that of Private Sector
is 1,058 MW. Apart from this, 1,903 MW is
available as share from Central Sector.
Roads : The length
of roads network in Tamil Nadu is 1,50,095 km,
of which surfaced road is 60,901 km.
Railways : The total
length of railways is 4,181 km, the main
junctions being Chennai, Madurai,
Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli.
Aviation : Chennai
being the international airport in the southern
region is the main centre of airline routes.
Besides, there are airports at Tiruchirapalli,
Madurai, Coimbatore and Salem.
Ports :
Major
ports in the State are Chennai and Tuticorin.
There are seven other minor ports including
Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.
Pongal
is the harvest festival celebrated by the
farmers in January to worship the sun, the earth
and the cattle as thanks giving for a bounteous
harvest. Pongal festival is followed by the
Jallikattu-Bull fight, in some parts of
southern Tamil Nadu. Alanganallur in Tamil Nadu
is internationally famous for Jallikattu - Bull
fight. Chithirai festival, Madurai
brings a spectacular re-enactment of the
marriage of the Pandiyan princess Meenakshi to
Lord Sundareswarar. Adipperukku is a
festival celebrated on the 18th day of Tamil
month, Adi, on the banks of rivers. It
marks the commencement of new farming
operations. Dance Festival,
Mamallapuram, which is set before an
open air stage, created 13 centuries ago the
incredible monolithic rock sculptures of the
Pallavas, next to the sea in this ancient city
of Mamallapuram. Bharatha Natyam, Kuchipudi,
Kathakali, and Odissi are some dance forms
presented by the very best exponents of the art
besides folk dances. At the Natyanjali
Dance Festival, the temple city of Chidambaram
pays special tribute to Lord Nataraja the
‘Cosmic Dancer’.
MahamagamFestival is a holy
festival that brings pilgrims to Kumbakonam once
in 12 years - the temple city that gets its name
from Kumbha - the divine pot. The
summer festival is held every year in the ‘Queen
of Hill Stations’, the evergreen Ooty, the
exquisite Kodaikkanal or the salubrious heights
of Yercaud. KanthuriFestival
is a truly secular festival, where devotees
flock to the shrine of saint Quadirwali. One of
the descendants of the Saint is chosen as a
Peer or spiritual leader, and is
honoured with offerings. On the tenth day of the
festival, the Saint’s tomb is anointed with
sandalwood, and later the holy sandal paste is
distributed to everyone. Wondrous legends
surround the church, the most famous being that
of the ship wrecked Portuguese sailors, who in
the 16th century, vowed to build a great shrine
for the Virgin Mary, for saving their lives in a
terrible storm. The Velankanni festival
attracts thousands, clad in orange robes to the
sacred spot where the ship landed. Equally
famous are the Virgin Mary's miraculous healing
powers, earning for the church the name 'Lourdes
of the East'.
The Navarathiri Festival, literally
means the festival of ‘nine nights’, taking
unique and different forms in different states
of India, all to propitiate the goddess
Sakthi, for power, wealth and
knowledge. Rows of glittering earthen lamps
outside every home and joyous burst of fire
crackers mark Tamil Nadu’s Festival of lights,
Karthigai Deepam. In December, Chennai
celebrates her priceless heritage of
carnatic music and dance at its Music
Festival to present a galaxy of star artistes,
old and new.
Chennai, Mamallapuram, Poompuhar,
Kancheepuram, Kumbakonam, Dharasuram,
Chidambaram, Tiruvannamalai, Srirangam, Madurai,
Rameswaram, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari,
Thanjavur, Velankanni, Nagoor, Chithannavasal,
Kazhugumalai (monument centres), Courtallam,
Hogenakkal, Papanasam, Suruli (water-falls),
Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Kodaikanal, Yercaud,
Elagiri Kolli Hills (hill stations), Guindy
(Chennai), Mudumalai, Annamalai, Mundanthurai,
Kalakad (wild life sanctuaries), Vedanthangal
and Point Calimere (bird sanctuaries), Arignar
Anna Zoological Park, near Chennai, are some of
the places of tourist interest.
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