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Tamil Nadu
Area : 1,30,058 sq km
Population : 62,405,679
Capital : Chennai
Principal Languages : Tamil
History and Geography
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early sangam classics throw historical references, we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
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.
Industry and Minerals
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.
Irrigation
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.
Power
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.
Transport
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.
Festivals
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.
Tourist Centres
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. |
