Tamil Nadu Information
Tamilnadu is situated on the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula. It is the gateway to the south offers everything that interests a visitor. Magnificent temples with towering (Gopurams) historical monuments art, culture, heritage and many more. Tamilnadu is the home to some of the most exquisite temples in the world. Up to 700 BC. Temples were scooped out of rocks, the Pallavas (up to 900 BC.) rulers were the pioneers and the Cholas (900 – 1250AD) added ornate mandapams and large gopurams. The Pandyas (up to 1350 AD) saw the emergence of huge towers, high wall enclosures and towered gateways, and the Naicks (1600 – 1750AD) developed large Prakarams and Pillared halls. Tamil Nadu was ruled by three major dynasties the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Cheras by 300Bc. This was the classical period of the Tamil literature. The sangam Age continued until around 300AD.
Tamilnadu is the land that witnessed the rise and fall of great dynasties the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Chras, the Pallavas, and many others, each leaving a deep imprint in its history and antiquity. The Pallava dynasty rose to power in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Muslim invasions threats from the north, the Southern Hindu dynasties came together to form the empire of Vijayanagar, which covered all the south India. The Vijayanagar Empire broke up by the 17th century. In 1960 the British negotiated the use of Madras patnam. It is also known as Chennai as a trading post. After Independence, the Madras presidency was disbanded and Tamil Nadu was established as an autonomous state in 1956. Tamil Nadu was historically known for its agriculture from ancient times. In modern times, it has all along been one of the states with a creditable performance in agricultural production. One reason for this is that the farmers are relatively more responsive and receptive to changing technologies and market forces.
Tamilnadu General Information
Seventy percent of the people in Tamil Nadu are engaged in agriculture. Both food crops and cash crops are grown in the state. The major food crops are rice, jowar, ragi, bajra, maize and pulses. The cash crops grown include cotton, sugarcane, coconut, tea and coffee. Other horticultural products like bananas and mangoes are also cultivated. The department of Agriculture has taken up the challenge to achieve a higher growth rate in agriculture by implementing several development schemes.
Mahbalipuram is a harbour town founded in the 7th century by the pallavas in the Kanchepuram district. The harbour of Mahabalipuram traded with the distant kingdoms of south East Asia. It is famous today for its rock sculptures and temples which were constructed between 630 and 728 and it is a world heritage site. Tamilnadu has over 2000 years of continuous cultural history. Tamil is one of the oldest literary languages in India, some of its poetry dating back before the birth of Christ.
Tamilnadu Climate
Tamil Nadu is south of the tropic of Cancer and falls in the Torrid Zone. It has a tropical climate with maximum has a tropical climate with maximum temperature soaring above 40°C during the months between April-June. On the coast, it is warm, highly humid, and very stick. However, the evenings and nights are cooler as the sea breeze sets in during the afternoon. It is cooler with no stickiness between December and February, infact the best season to visit Tamil Nadu.
The state receives bulk of its rain from October to December caused by the northeast monsoon often known as the retreating monsoon. Depressions originating from the Bay of Bengal bring torrential rains, often accompanied by storms and cyclones.
Month |
Min |
Max |
|---|---|---|
January |
20.6°C |
28.4°C |
Feburary |
21.2°C |
29.9°C |
March |
23.1°C |
31.9°C |
April |
25.9°C |
33.6°C |
May |
27.6°C |
36.4°C |
June |
27.2°C |
36.6°C |
July |
25.9°C |
34.7°C |
August |
25.3°C |
33.9°C |
September |
25.3°C |
33.5°C |
October |
24.3°C |
31.4°C |
November |
22.8°C |
29.2°C |
December |
21.5°C |
28.1°C |
Tamilnadu Geography
The state of Tamil Nadu covers an area of 1,30,058 sq km having a coastline of about 912 km. It lies between 8° and 13°N latitude and between 78° and 80° E longitude. Bounded by Andhra Pradesh and Mysore on its north, Kerala to its west, the state is open to the Indian Ocean to the south and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The southernmost tip is Kanniyakumari where one can see the confluence of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea.
Topographically the state can be divided into distinct parts as parallel to the coast is a strip of broad plains, often dry and dusty with isolated wather beaten blocks of stone rising out of eroded surfaces. The low flat-topped hills of Javadis, the Shevaroys, the Kalrayan, and the Pachaimalais form a backdrop to the coastal plain in the region lying between the Palar and the kaveri. These hills gradually rise away from coast to reach heights of over 1500m and eventually meet the cardamom Hills in Madurai district. The magnificent Western Ghats include the Nilgiris, the Palani, Cardomom, and Annamalai Hills. The Nilgiris alone extend over an area of about 2500 sq km and rise to the heights of 2500m. Unlike the broken Eastern Ghats extend all along the western boundary of the state almost as a continuous chain except for the small gap at Palatka and Menotti, forming entry to the Kerala state.
Important Hill Station in Tamil Nadu
Ooty Kodaikanal Yercaud Yelagari Megamalai
Capital
Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu.
Districts
There are 32 districts in this state.
Language
The principal languages spoken by this people are Tamil.
State Bird
This state’s bird is Emerald Dove.
State Animal
Nilgiri Tahr is this state’s Animal.
State Flower
This state’s flower is Glory lily.
Some of the Important Festivals of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu celebrates both regional and religious festivals. Most of the festivals are agrarian in nature. While the others have mythological significance. Pongal is the harvest festival. It is the most important of all festivals.
Pongal Festival
The pongal festival is celebrated for four consecutive days in January. People offer prayers in honour of the Sun God, Air, water and Earth. They pray for a good crop and prosperity and cook a good crop and prosperity and cook a meal called pongal. It is made of rice, milk and jiggery.
Natyanjali Dance
The Natyanjali Dance festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. The festival falls in the month of February in the temple city of Chidambaram.
Karthigai Deepam Festival
The Karthigai Deepam festival is the festival of lights. This festival will be celebrated in Karthikai (November and December) months. It is favoured in the deity of Lord Muruga.
Jallikatu Bull festival
The Jallikatu Bull festival is celebrated on the 4th day of pongal in Tiruchirapalli,
Navarathiri and Deepavali are celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal.
The chithirai festival is held in the famous Madurai temples.
There is also a famous music and dance festival held in Chennai in December.
Kanchipuram is located on the Palar river in Tamilnadu. It is also called the “city of thousand temples”. Kanchipuram is famous for its silks too. The silk weavers of Kachipuram settled here more than 400 years age. Silk weaving continues to be the main occupation of the people living here. In fact, the silks of Kanchipuram are reputed to be the country’s finest.