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Tamil Nadu From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Tamil Nadu ததததததததத Seal Chennai Location of Tamil Nadu in India Country India District(s) 32 Established 1956-11-01† Capital Chennai Largest city Chennai Governor Surjit Singh Barnala Chief Minister M Karunanidhi Legislature (seats) Unicameral (235) Population 66,396,000 (7th) • Density • 511 /km2 (1,323 /sq mi) Language(s) Tamil Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Area 130,058 km 2 (50,216 sq mi) ISO 3166-2 IN-TN Footnotes[show] † Established in 1773; Madras State was formed in 1956 and renamed as Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969 [1] Website tn.gov.in Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09°N 80.27°E / 13.09; 80.27 Tamil Nadu (Tamil: தமிழ்நாடு "Country of the Tamils", pronounced [t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ]( listen)) is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai (formerly known as Madras). Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by Puducherry (Pondicherry), Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Palakkad on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait in the south east, and by the Indian Ocean in the south. Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area (about the size of Greece) and the seventh most populous state.[2] It is the fifth largest contributor to India's GDP [3] and the most urbanised state in India.[4] The state has the highest number (10.56%) of business enterprises in India,[5] compared to the population share of about 6%. It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development.[6][7] The region has been the home of the Tamil civilization since at least 1500 BC, as attested by numerous archeological sites in and around Adichanallur. Its classical language Tamil has been in use in inscriptions and literature for 2500 years. Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi- religious pilgrimage sites and five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[8][9] Contents [hide] • 1 History ○ 1.1 Prehistory ○ 1.2 Chera Rule ○ 1.3 Pallava Rule ○ 1.4 Pandya Rule ○ 1.5 Chola Empire ○ 1.6 Pandya Rule (Restored) ○ 1.7 Delhi Sultanate ○ 1.8 Vijayanagar Empire ○ 1.9 Rule of Nayaks ○ 1.10 Rule of Nizams and Nawabs ○ 1.11 British Empire ○ 1.12 Independence • 2 Geography and climate • 3 Governance and administration ○ 3.1 Districts • 4 Politics ○ 4.1 Pre Independence ○ 4.2 Dravidian Politics • 5 Demographics and Religion • 6 Education and social development • 7 Culture ○ 7.1 Language and Literature ○ 7.2 Religions ○ 7.3 Festivals ○ 7.4 Music ○ 7.5 Arts and dance ○ 7.6 Film industry ○ 7.7 Cuisine • 8 Economy ○ 8.1 Macro-economic trend ○ 8.2 Agriculture and Irrigation ○ 8.3 Livestock, poultry and fisheries ○ 8.4 Industry • 9 Infrastructure ○ 9.1 Electricity ○ 9.2 Transportation • 10 Fauna and Flora ○ 10.1 Fauna ○ 10.2 Flora • 11 Sports • 12 Tourism • 13 Gallery • 14 See also • 15 References • 16 External links [edit] History Main article: History of Tamil Nadu [edit] Prehistory A sculpture at Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram, built by Cholas. The group of monuments are UNESCO World Heritage sites Tamil Nadu's history dates back to pre-historic times. Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. In Adichanallur, 24 km (15 mi) from Tirunelveli, archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India unearthed 169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, plus husks and grains of rice, charred rice and Neolithic celts, giving evidence confirming them to be of the Neolithic period, 3800 years ago.[10] The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.[11] Adichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.[12] About 60% of the epigraphical inscriptions found by the ASI in India have been from Tamil Nadu and most of which are in Tamil language [13] [edit] Chera Rule Main article: Chera dynasty From early pre-historic times, Tamil Nadu was the home of the four Tamil kingdoms of the Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallavas. The oldest extant literature, dated between 300 BC and 600 AD mentions the exploits of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. Cherans, who spoke the Tamil language, ruled from the capital of Karur in the west and traded extensively with West Asian kingdoms. An unknown dynasty called Kalabhras invaded and displaced the three Tamil kingdoms between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE. This is referred to as the Dark Age in Tamil history. They were eventually expelled by the Pallavas and the Pandyas. [edit] Pallava Rule Main article: Pallavas Shore Temple built by the Pallavas at Mamallapuram (c. eighth century C.E.) - UNESCO World Heritage Site. The seventh century Tamil Nadu saw the rise of the Pallavas under Mahendravarman I and his son Mamalla Narasimhavarman I. The Pallavas were not a recognised political power before the second century.[14] It has been widely accepted by scholars that they were originally executive officers under the Satavahana Empire.[15] After the fall of the Satavahanas, they began to get control over parts of Andhra and the Tamil country. Later they had marital ties with the Vishnukundina who ruled over the Deccan. It was around 550 AD under King Simhavishnu that the Pallavas emerged into prominence. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far south as the Kaveri River. Pallavas ruled a large portion of South India with Kanchipuram as their capital. Dravidian architecture reached its peak during the Pallava rule.[16] Narasimhavarman II built the Shore Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many sources describe Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen school of Buddhism in China, as a prince of the Pallava dynasty.[17][18] [edit] Pandya Rule Main article: Pandyan kingdom The Pallavas were replaced by the Pandyas in the 8th century. Their capital Madurai was in the deep south away from the coast. They had extensive trade links with the Southeast Asian maritime empires of Srivijaya and their successors, as well as contacts, even formal diplomatic contacts, reaching as far as the Roman Empire. During the 13th century of the Christian era Marco Polo mentioned the Pandya kingdom as the richest kingdom in existence.[19] Temples such as the Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai and Nellaiappar Temple at Tirunelveli are the best examples of Pandyan temple architecture[20][21]. The Pandyas excelled in both trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the South Indian coast, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls in the known ancient world. [edit] Chola Empire Chola Empire under Rajendra Chola c. 1030 C.E. Main article: Chola dynasty See also: Early Cholas, Medieval Cholas, and Later Cholas By the 9th century, under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable power in south Asia. The Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal. At its peak, the empire spanned almost 250 million acres (1,000,000 km2). Rajaraja Chola conquered all of peninsular South India and parts of the Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went even further, occupying coasts from Burma (now Myanmar) to Vietnam,[22] the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of the Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Cholas excelled in building magnificent temples. Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. Brihadshwara temple is an UNESCO Heritage Site under "Great Living Chola Temples."[23] Another example is the Chidambaram Temple in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram. [edit] Pandya Rule (Restored) With the decline of the Cholas towards the end of the 11th century, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again, under Maravarman Sundara Pandya. [edit] Delhi Sultanate Thirumalai Nayak Mahal at Madurai. This restoration was short-lived as the Pandya capital of Madurai itself was sacked by Alauddin Khilji troops from the north in 1316. The invasion led to the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate.[24] [edit] Vijayanagar Empire Main article: Vijayanagara Empire These northern invasions triggered the establishment of Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country (c. 1370 CE). This empire lasted for almost two centuries till the defeat of Vijayanagara in the Battle of Talikota in 1565. Subsequent to this defeat, many incompetent kings succeeded to the throne of Vijayanagara with the result that its grip loosened over its feudatories among whom the Nayakas of Madurai and Tanjore were among the first to declare their independence, despite initially maintaining loose links with the Vijayanagara kingdom."[25][26]. [edit] Rule of Nayaks Main articles: Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Tanjore As the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, the Nayak governors, who were appointed by the Vijayanagar kingdom to administer various territories of the empire, declared their independence. The Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Thanjavur were most prominent of them all in the 17th century.