From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
?????????

Seal of Tamil Nadu

Coordinates: 1305N 8016E / 13.09N

80.27E / 13.09; 80.27 Tamil Nadu (Tamil:
????????? pronunciation , English: "Land of
the Tamils", IPA: [tm na]) is one of the
28 states of India. Its capital is Chennai
(formerly known as Madras) and is the
largest city. 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, Bay of Bengal in the east, Gulf of
Mannar, Palk Strait in the south east and Indian Ocean in the south.
For over 2500 years, the region has been
the home of the last surviving classical civilization of the world, the Tamil civilization.[2][3][4] It is the homeland of Indian
Tamils and their 2500 year old classical language Tamil.[5] Tamil Nadu is the eleventh
largest state in India by area (about the size
of Greece) and the seventh most populous
state.[6] It is the fifth largest contributor to
Indias GDP[7] and the most urbanised state
in India.[8] The state has the highest number
(10.56%) of business enterprises in India,[9]
compared to the population share of about
6%. It is one of the foremost states in the
country in terms of overall development.[10][11] It is home to many natural resources, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian
architecture, hill stations, beach resorts,
multi-religious pilgrimage sites and three
UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[12][13]
Tamil Nadu has lately emerged as the
most Literate state in India as announced by
HRD Ministry.[14] As per 2001 census Literacy Rate in Tamil Nadu is 73.45%.[15]

Chennai
Location of Tamil Nadu in India

Country

India

District(s)
Established

32
1956-11-01

Capital

Chennai

Largest city

Chennai

Governor

Surjit Singh Barnala

Chief Minister
Legislature (seats)

M Karunanidhi
Unicameral (235)

Population
Density

66,396,000 (7th)

Language(s)

Tamil

Time zone

IST (UTC+5:30)

Area

130,058 km (50,216 sq mi)

ISO 3166-2

IN-TN

511 /km2 (1,323 /sq mi)

Footnotes

Established in 1773; Madras State was formed in 1956

and renamed as Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969[1]

Website

tn.gov.in

History
1

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu
oldest extant literature, dated between 300
BC and 600 BC mentions the exploits of the
kings and the princes, and of the poets who
extolled them. Cherans, who spoke 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.

Pallava Rule

The Brihadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur is

one of the largest monolithic temple complexes in the world - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram built by
the Pallavas - a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.

Prehistory
Tamil Nadus history dates back to pre-historic times and archaeological evidence
points to this area being one of the longest
continuous habitations in India. In Adichanallur, 24 km 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.[16]
The ASI archaeologists have proposed that
the script used at that site is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.[17] Adichanallur has been
announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.[18] 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[19]

Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple

builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They
ruled a vast portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their capital. They subjugated
the Cholas and reigned as far south as the
Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava
rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son
Narasimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture
reached its peak during the Pallava rule.

Pandya Rule
Pallavas were replaced by the Pandyas in the
8th century. Their capital Madurai was in the
deep south away from the coast. Tirunelveli
was their another important city which is the
South Indias second largest producer of Rice
after
Thanajavur.
Nellaiappar
temple,
Tirunelveli and Meenakshi Amman Temple,
Madurai are some of the best examples of
Pandyan Temple architecture. Nellaiappar
Temple, Tirunelveli is the first largest Shiva
temple in Tamil Nadu.

Chera Rule
From early pre-historic times, Tamil Nadu
was the home of the four Tamil kingdoms of
the Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallavas. The

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Chola Empire
See also: Early Cholas, Medieval Cholas, and
Later Cholas

Chola Empire under Rajendra Chola c. 1030

C.E.
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 Cholas navies went even
further, occupying coastal Burma (now Myanmar), 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."[20] Another example is the
Chidambaram Temple in the heart of the
temple town of Chidambaram.

Thirumalai Nayak Mahal at Madurai.

1316. The invasion led to the establishment
of the Madurai Sultanate.

Vijayanagar 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 almost three centuries.

Rule of Nayaks
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. They reconstructed some of the oldest temples in the country such as the
Meenakshi Temple.

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.

Rule of Nizams and Nawabs

Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat. In 1639, the British, under
the British East India Company, established a
settlement further south, in present day
Chennai.

Delhi Sultanate
This restoration was short-lived as the
Pandya capital of Madurai itself was sacked
by Alauddin Khilji troops from the north in

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Fort Dansborg, built by the Danish, in Tranquebar (now Tharangambadi).

A semi-arid wasteland near Tirunelveli. Monsoon clouds pour torrents of rain on lush
forests that are only a few kilometers away in
windward-facing Kerala, but are prevented
from reaching Tirunelveli by the Agasthyamalai Range of the Western Ghats
(background).

The British exploited rivalries between the

provincial rulers to expand their sphere of influence throughout the Nizams dominions.
The British fought and reduced the French
dominions in India to Pondicherry. Nizams
bestowed tax revenue collection rights on the
East India Company by the end of 18th century. Some notable chieftains or Poligars who
fought the British East India Company as it
was expanding were Maveeran Sundaralinga
Kudumbanar , Veerapandya Kattabomman,
Pulithevan and Dheeran Chinnamalai.

British Empire
In early 19th century, East India Company
consolidated most of southern India into the
Madras Presidency coterminous with the
dominions of Nizam of Hyderabad. Pudukkottai remained as a princely state under British
suzerainty.

Independence

Topographic map of Tamil Nadu

When India became independent in 1947,

Madras Presidency became Madras State,
comprising present day Tamil Nadu, coastal
Andhra Pradesh up to Ganjam district in
Orissa, northern Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up
along linguistic lines. In 1968, Madras State
was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Land of
Tamil.

northwest and Andhra Pradesh to the north.

To the east is the Bay of Bengal. The southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is located
in Tamil Nadu. At this point is the town of
Kanyakumari which is the meeting point of
the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the
Indian Ocean. The western, southern and the
north-western parts are hilly and rich in vegetation. Tamil Nadu is the only state in India
which has both the Western Ghats and the
Eastern Ghats and they both meet at the Nilgiri hills.[21] The Western Ghats dominate the
entire western border with Kerala, effectively
blocking much of the rain bearing clouds of
the South West Monsoon from entering the

Geography and climate

Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 square
kilometres (50,216 sq mi), and is the eleventh
largest state in India. The bordering states
are Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Plains

Hills

Max.

43.0 C (109.4 F)

32.3 C (90.1 F)

Min.

13.1 C (55.6 F)

3.0 C (37.4 F)

state. The Eastern parts are fertile coastal

plains and the northern parts are a mix of
hills and plains. The central and the south
central regions are arid plains and receive
less rainfall than the other regions.
Tamil Nadu has a coastline of about
1,000 kilometres (600 mi) which forms about
18% of the countrys coastline (third longest).
Tamil Nadus coastline bore the brunt of the
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it hit India,
which caused 7,793 direct deaths in the
state.[22] Tamil Nadu falls mostly in a region
of low seismic hazard with the exception of
the western border areas that lie in a low to
moderate hazard zone; as per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, Tamil
Nadu falls in Zones II & III. Historically,
parts of this region have experienced seismic
activity in the M5.0 range.[23]
Tamil Nadu is heavily dependent on monsoon rains, and thereby is prone to droughts
when the monsoons fail. The climate of the
state ranges from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. The state has three distinct periods of
rainfall: (1) Advancing monsoon period,
South West monsoon (from June to September), with strong southwest winds; (2) North
East monsoon (from October to December),
with dominant northeast winds; and (3) Dry
season (from January to May). The normal
annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm
(37.2 in)[24] of which 48% is through the
North East monsoon, and 32% through the
South West monsoon. Since the state is entirely dependent on rains for recharging its
water resources, monsoon failures lead to
acute water scarcity and severe drought.[25]
Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agro-climatic zones: north-east, north-west, west,
southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly,
and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). The table below shows the maximum and minimum temperatures that the
state experiences in the plains and hills.[26]
Tamil Nadu has a wide variety of minerals
with the most lignite (almost 90% of Indias
reserves), magnesite (45%) and garnet (over
40%) reserves in India, among others.[27]
Tamil Nadu contributes 15% of the total salt
production in the country. Forests cover over
17% of the states geographical area with

several protected areas of Tamil Nadu including wildlife and bird sanctuaries.[28]

Governance and
administration
Top executives of Tamil Nadu
Surjit Singh
Barnala

Governor

M. Karunanidhi

Chief Minister
Chief Justice
(Acting)

S. J. Mukhopadhaya
K. P. Jain[29]

Director General
of Police
Chief Secretary

K. S. Sripathi[30]

State Symbols of Tamil Nadu[31]

Animal

Nilgiri Tahr

Bird

Emerald Dove

Dance

Bharathanattiyam

Flower

Gloriosa Lily

Song

Neerarum

Sport

Kabaddi

Tree

Palm Tree

The Governor is the Constitutional head of

the state while the Chief Minister is the head
of the government and the head of the council of ministers. The Chief Justice of the
Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary. The present Governor, Chief Minister
and the Chief Justice (acting) are Surjit Singh
Barnala, M. Karunanidhi and S. J. Mukhopadhaya respectively.[30][32][33] The major
administrative units of the state constitutes
39 Lok Sabha constituencies, 234 Assembly
constituencies, 32 districts, 10 municipal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

corporations, 152[10] municipalities, 611
town panchayats and 12,618 village panchayats. Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is
the state capital. It is the fourth largest city
in India and is also one of the five A1 Metropolitan cities of India.
Tamil Nadu had a bicameral legislature
until 1986, when it was replaced with a unicameral legislature, like most other states in
India. The term length of the government is 5
years, as is elsewhere in India. The present
government run by the DMK led alliance
came to power in 2006 and comprises a
council of 29 ministers, chaired by the Chief
Minister. Tamil Nadu legislative assembly is
chaired by the speaker Mr. R Avudaiappan
and is housed at the historical Fort St. George in Chennai. The state had come under
the Presidents rule on four occasions - first
from 1976 to 1977, next for a short period in
1980, then from 1988 to 1989 and the latest
in 1991. Tamil Nadu has 10 Municipal Corporations: Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai,
Tiruchirapalli,Salem Tirunelveli,Erode, Tirupur, Vellore and Thoothukudi. There is a plan
to upgrade Tambaram and Ambattur as Municipal Corporations. The Corporation of
Chennai, established in 1688, is the oldest
Municipal Corporation not only in India but
also in any commonwealth nations outside
United Kingdom.[34]
Tamil Nadu has been a pioneering state of
E-Governance initiatives in India. A large
part of the government records like land
ownership records are digitised and all major
offices of the state government like Urban
Local Bodies all the Corporations and Municipal Office activities revenue collection,
land registration offices, and transport offices have been computerised. Tamil Nadu is
one of the states where law and order has
been maintained largely successfully.[35] The
Tamil Nadu Police Force is over 140 years
old. It is the fifth largest state police force in
India and has the largest strength of women
police personnelin the country.[36] As of
2003, the state had a total police population
ratio of 1:668, higher than the national average of 1:717.[37]

Districts

Tamil Nadu

Districts of Tamil Nadu

2. Coimbatore
18.
District
3. Cuddalore District 19.
4. Dharmapuri
District
20.
5. Dindigul District
6. Erode District
21.
7. Kanchipuram
22.
District
8. Kanyakumari
23.
District
9. Karur District
24.
10. Krishnagiri
District
25.
11. Madurai District
12. Nagapattinam
26.
District
13. Namakkal District 27.
14. Perambalur
District
28.
15. Pudukkottai
29.
District
16. Ramanathapuram 30.
District
31.
32.

Ariyalur district, which was created in 2001

from the Perambalur district, was restored as
the 31st district of Tamil Nadu on the 23rd
November, 2007. The TN government has

The 32 districts of Tamil Nadu are as listed

below with the numbers corresponding to
those in the image at the right.
1. Chennai District

Sivagangai
District
Thanjavur
District
The Nilgiris
District
Theni District
Thoothukudi
District
Tiruchirapalli
District
Tirunelveli
District
Tiruvallur
District
Tiruvannamalai
District
Tiruvarur
District
Vellore District
Viluppuram
District
Virudhunagar
District
Ariyalur district
Tirupur district

17. Salem District

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

also announced that Tirupur will be the new

headquarters of the Tirupur district which
will be formed by splitting the Coimbatore
and Erode district.[38]

Politics
Pre Independence
Prior to Indian independence Tamil Nadu
was under British colonial rule as part of the
Madras Presidency. The main party in Tamil
Nadu at that time was the Congress Party.
Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916. One of the earliest regional
parties was the South Indian Welfare Association, which was a forerunner to Dravidian
parties in Tamil Nadu, was started in 1916.
The party was called after its English organ,
Justice Party, by it opponents and later the
same was adopted as its official name. The
reason for victory of the Justice Party in elections was the non-participation of the Congress Party, demanding complete independence of India. Freedom movement saw great
leaders like Subramania Bharathiar (Poet
who inspired freedom movement by his poetic skills), Subramania Siva, V O Chidhamdaranar (Industrialist, who managed ships
under the free India banner), Thirupur Kumaran,
Rajagopalachariar
(Rajaji)
and
Sathyamurthi to name a few.
E.V.Ramaswami Naicker popularly known
as EVR and also as Periyar, believed in agitational politics and he took the Justice Party
away from its original path. The Justice Party
which had a moribund existence under
E.V.Ramaswami Naicker, died at last in 1944
which he renamed the party Dravidar
Kazhagam (DK for short) in 1944. DK was a
non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called
Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its two leaders Periyar and
C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK decided to enter politics in 1956.

Present chief minister M.Karunanidhi

(centre) with ex-chief ministers C. N. Annadurai (left) and M. G. Ramachandran
(right).
AIADMK+
69 (29.4%) 0 (0%)
Independent/
2 (0.8%)
0 (0%)
Other
Source: Indian Elections / Election Commission of India.[39][40]
In the 19th century, western scholars discovered that the Dravidian languages that
dominate the south of India formed a different linguistic group to that of the Indo-Aryan
languages that are predominant in the north
of the country. They also classified Indians
into distinct Aryan and Dravidian races. It
was proposed that the generally darkerskinned Dravidians constituted a distinct
race. This concept has affected thinking in
India about racial and regional differences
and had an impact on aspects of Tamil nationalism, which has appropriated the claim
that Dravidians are the earliest inhabitants of
India, and the Aryan population were oppressive interlopers from whom Dravidians
should liberate themselves.[41]
Re-organisation of Indian states according
to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated
Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for
separation from the Indian Union. The AntiHindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK
more popular and a more powerful political
force in the state. The DMK routed the Congress Party in the 1967 elections and took
control of the state government, ending Congress stronghold in Tamil Nadu. C.N.

Dravidian Politics
Political
Alliance

Assembly
Elections

DMK+

163
(69.6%)

Lok
Sabha
Elections
39 (100%)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Tamil

Other languages

Total

Hindu

81%

7%1

88%

Christian

4%

1%2

5%

Muslim

3%

2%3

5%

Other religions

1%

1%

2%

Total

89%

11%

100%

Note 1: mainly Telugu

Note 2: mainly Malayalam
Note 3: mainly Urdu
Annadurai became the DMKs first Chief
Minister.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi took over as Chief
Minister and party leader after Annadurais
death in 1969. Karunanidhis leadership was
soon challenged by M.G. Ramachandran,
popularly known as MGR. In 1972, he split
from DMK and formed the Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) and later renamed the party as All India Anna Dravid
Munnetra Kazhagam. He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in
1987. After the death of MGR and the defeat
of AIADMK in the 1989 assembly polls, J. Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was
elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been several splits
in both the DMK and the AIADMK, but since
1967 one of those two parties has held power
in the state. The rise of Congress Party, Vijayakanths DMDK and Dr. Ramdosss PMK
in the recent years has ensured that no single
party is in majority to run a government and
thereby giving rise to coalition politics.

populous states (states whose population exceeded 20 million in 2001). Its decadal rate
of population growth has declined in every
decade since 1971, one of only three populous states (along with Kerala and Orissa) to
show this trend. The state has registered the
lowest fertiliy rate along with Andhra
Pradesh and Goa in India in year 2005-06
with 1.8 children born for each woman, lower
than required for population sustainability.[46] According to National Family Health
Survey-3 (NFHS-3), Tamil Nadu registered a
fertility rate of 1.8, the lowest in India in year
2005-2006.[47][48]

Education and social

development

Demographics and
Religion
Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous
state in India with a population of
66,396,000,[43] as of July 1, 2008 (approximately 5.79% of Indias population). It is the eleventh most densely populated state in India.
In 2008, its population density was 511 persons per square kilometre,[43] having increased from 429 in 1991, significantly higher than the Indian average of 324 persons
per square kilometre.[44] 44% of the states
population live in urban areas, the highest in
India.[45]
Tamil Nadus population grew by 11.19%
between 1991 and 2001, the second lowest
rate for that period (after Kerala) amongst

The main entrance of IIT Madras, showing its

logo and its motto.
Tamil Nadu has performed reasonably well in
terms of literacy growth during the decade
1991-2001. The states literacy rate increased from 62.66% in 1991 to 73.47% in
2001.[44] which is above the national average. A survey conducted by the Industry body
Assocham ranks Tamil Nadu top among Indian states with about 100% Gross Enrollment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Ratio (GER) in primary and upper primary

education.[49]
Tamil Nadu has 19 universities,[50] 250
engineering colleges[51] and 1150 arts college, 2550 schools and 5000 hospitals. Some
of the reputed institutes include University of
Madras, IIT Madras, Anna University (includes MIT Chennai - Madras Institute of
Technology), PSG College of Technology,
SVCE, NIT Tiruchi, Madras Medical College
and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The
Indian Institute of Management is scheduled
to open in Trichy by 2009-2010.[52] Tamil
Nadu produces the highest number of engineering graduates in India (around 30,000)
every year which attracts many software
companies to set up their shop in south India.
India has a human development index calculated as 0.619, while the corresponding figure for Tamil Nadu is 0.736, placing it among
the top states in the country.[53][54] The life
expectancy at birth for males is 65.2 years
and for females it is 67.6 years.[55] However,
it has a number of challenges, significantly,
the poverty is high, especially in the rural
areas. As of 2004-2005, the poverty line was
set at Rs. 351.86/month for rural areas and
Rs. 547.42/month for urban areas.[56]
Poverty in the state dropped from 51.7% in
1983 to 21.1% in 2001[57] For the period
2004-2005, the Trend in Incidence of Poverty
in the state was 22.5% compared with the national figure of 27.5%.[58] The World Bank is
currently assisting the state in reducing
poverty[59] High drop-out and low completion
of secondary schools continue to hinder the
quality of training in the population. Other
problems include class, gender, inter-district
and urban-rural disparities.
The Dravidian movement, which championed the causes of educating the people
and eradicating superstitions, began in Tamil
Nadu. In addition, it aimes to uplift the socially repressed Dravidian people and drew
considerable support from the middle classes
for their efforts in this matter. The movement
was committed to social justice which led to
the expansion of reservations for the deprived communities. Tamil Nadu now has a
69% reservation in educational institutions,
the highest among all Indian states.[60]
The Mid-day Meal Scheme program in
Tamil Nadu, initiated by Kamaraj, was expanded considerably during the rule of the
AIADMK in 1983. It feeds over a fifth of the
states population. Despite this, the state is

among the 12 states in India that have alarming level of hunger according to the 2008
Global Hunger Index.[61][62]

Culture
Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable
culture. Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which
continue to flourish today. Unique cultural
features like Bharatanatyam (dance), Tanjore
painting, and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil
Nadu.

Language and Literature

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu
which was the first language to be declared
as classical language of India, the other being Sanskrit.Tamil is also one of the official
languages of India.[63] Most of the older
works are in verse form, and prose gained
popularity later. All through history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire,
educate and entertain. Tamil poetry has universal appeal as evidenced by many
examples.
????????? ?????????????? ??????????
?????????
???????????? ????? ?????
The mark of wisdom is to discern the truth
From whatever source it is heard.
- (Tirukkural - 423)
Tirukkural which was written nearly two millennia ago portrays a universal outlook. This
is evident as the author, Thiruvalluvar, does
not mention his religion, land, or the audience for his work. He is portrayed as a holy
saint of Tamil Nadu today. There is an evidential history that the kings of olden days
rolled out Tamil Sangam (Tamil organisation)
to develop literature works in Tamil. The
Sangam headquartered in Madurai generated a large amount of notable literary
works. The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi by the Danish
missionaries.
During the Indian freedom struggle, many
Tamil poets and writers provoked national
spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts
among the common man, notably Subramanya Bharathy. Even today, Tamil Nadu is home
to creative writers like Bharathidasan,
Jayakanthan, Jayamohan, Sujatha, Indira
Parthasarathy.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

English Language is also widely spoken

across Tamil Nadu in Educational institutions
and by white collar professionals. Famous
carnatic music composer & poet Thyagayya
is from Tamil Nadu.

concentrated in the southern districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. St.

Thomas Mount in Chennai, the place where
St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus
Christ, was believed to have been martyred,[65] is an important pilgrimage site for
Indian Christians. The Santhome Basilica,
supposedly
built
atop
the
tomb
of
St. Thomas, and the Vailankanni Basilica of
Our Lady of Good Health revered churches
by Indias Roman Catholics are good examples of majestic church architectures in
Tamil Nadu. The Church of South India is
headquartered in Chennai.
Muslims are mainly concentrated in areas
such as Kayalpatnam, Keelakarai, Ambur,
Vaniyambadi, Madurai, Nagore and Melapalayam, with the state capital Chennai also
home to a good number of Muslims. In Chennai, the most popular areas with Muslim population include Triplicane, Royapettah, Ice
House, Adam Market, Zam Bazaar, Ellis
Road, Supari Gunta - part of three important
Assembly Constituencies, Chepauk, Triplicane & Thousand Lights. Among Muslims,
97.5% are Tamil speaking Sunni and the rest
are Urdu speakers. All Tamil Muslims are
Sunnis, who adhere to either Hanafi or Shafi
schools of thought. Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district and Nagore in Nagapattinam
district are important pilgrimage site for
Muslims, while the Thousand Lights Mosque
in Chennai is one of the largest mosques in
the country. Karpudaiyar masjid in Kayalpatnam is the oldest mosque in Tamil Nadu.

Religions

With Hindus forming over 90% of the population, Hindu temples are ubiquitous in Tamil
Nadu earning it the sobriquet The Land of
Temples. Shown here is the Meenakshi Amman Temple complex in Madurai, which is
one of the grandest temples in the country.
Tamil Nadu was the home of several Hindu
movements not in the usual mainstream.
About 90% people follow Hinduism. These include
Shankaras
Advaita,
Ramanujas
Vishistadvaita, Alwar Sri Vaishnavism, Nayanar Shaivism, Several important Hindu
Tamil figures became important figures for
Hinduism as a whole (e.g.Ramanuja.) In modern times, worldwide important figures for
Hinduism were Ramana Maharishi and Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar. Other saints known more
locally to Hindus within India are Raghavendra Swami the Dvaita Vaishnava, Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda or the Nithyananda
Foundation, Sivananda the expert of yoga
and Vedanta.
Main god for tamil peoples Murugan, other Popular forms of God include Vishnuand,
Shiva, although many other forms are also
worshiped. These other forms of God include
Rama, Krishna, Ganesh, Paravati, Surya, and
others. There is even a temple dedicated to
the form of Hanuman and Ganesh in one
form - Adianta Prabhu.[64] The government
emblem of Tamil Nadu contained the popular
Hindu temple of Srivilliputhur.
Christians and Muslims form roughly over
8% of the population. Christians are mainly

Festivals
Pongal, also called as Tamizhar Thirunaal
(festival of Tamils) or Makara Sankranti elsewhere in India, a four-day harvest festival is
one of the most celebrated festival of Tamil
Nadu. The Tamil language saying Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum literally meaning,
the birth of the month of Thai will pave way
for new opportunities is often quoted with
reference to this festival. The first day, Bhogi
Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and
destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old
and emergence of the new. The second day,
Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on
the first day of the tenth Tamil month Thai
(January 14 or January 15 in western calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant
to offer thanks to the cattle, as they provide

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Tamil Nadu

milk and are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a bull taming contest, marks the main
event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal the word "kanum", means to
view in Tamil youths used to gather at
river banks to view and select their future life
partners, but that practice has declined.
The first month in the Tamil calendar is
Chitterai and the first day of this month in
mid-April is celebrated as Tamil New Year.
Thiruvalluvar Calendar is 31 years ahead of
Gregorian Calendar, that is 2000A.D. in
Gregorian calendar is represented as 2031 in
Thiruvalluvar Calendar. Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month
Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water
level in the river Cauvery. Apart from these
major festivals, in every village and town of
Tamil Nadu, the inhabitants celebrate festivals for the local gods once a year and the
time varies from place to place. Most of these
festivals are related to the goddess Maariyamman, the mother goddess of rain.
Additional major Hindu festivals including
Deepavali ( Death of Narakasura, Ayudha
Poojai, Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara), Krishna
Jayanthi and Vinayaka Chathurthi are celebrated widely. In addition, Christmas, Eid ulFitr, Easter and Bakrid are celebrated by
Christians and Muslims in the state.

Carnatic music is the classical music of

Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations.
There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and
a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and
compelling. This is one of the worlds oldest
& richest musical traditions. Carnatic music
abounds in structured compositions in the
different ragas. These are songs composed
by great artists and handed down through
generations of disciples. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja,
Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri,
have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The composers belonging to the Tamil
Trinity of Muthu Thandavar (?1560 - ?1640
CE), Arunachala Kavi (1712-1779) and Marimutthu Pillai (1717-1787) composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and
helped in the evolution of Carnatic music.
Today, Tamil Nadu has hundreds of notable
carnatic singers who spread this music all
over the world. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a
renowned carnatic singer, had the honour of
singing a song in the UN Security Council.
In terms of modern music (light, film, pop,
etc.), the music of Tamil Nadu is praised very
highly. Ilaiyaraaja was the most prominent
composer of film music in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s. His work highlighted Tamil folk lyricism and introduced
broader Western musical sensibilities to the
South Indian musical mainstream. Tamil
Nadu is also the home of Oscar Winner A.R.
Rahman who is recognised worldwide and
has composed film music in Tamil, Hindi
films, English and Chinese films .

Music
See also: Ancient Tamil music
The Kings of the olden days created sangams
for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Literature, Music and
Drama). Music plays a major role in sangams.
Music in Tamil Nadu had different forms. In
villages where farming was the primary
work, the ladies who work in the fields used
to sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars
or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. In sharp contrast
with the restrained and intellectual nature of
carnatic music, Tamil folk music tends to be
much more exuberant. Popular forms of
Tamil folk music include the Villuppu, a
form of music performed with a bow, and the
Nuppurappu, ballads that convey folklore and folk history. Some of the leading
Tamil folk artists in the early 21st century
are
Pushpuvanam
Kuppuswamy,
Dr
Navaneethakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Paravai
muniammal etc.

Arts and dance

Tamils have a large number of folk dances.
These are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth
of a child, weddings and festivals. Tamil
dance is closely intertwined with the Tamil
theatrical tradition. The most celebrated of
these is karakattam. In its religious form, the
dance is performed in front of an image of
the goddess Mariamman. The dancer bears
on his or her head a brass pot filled with uncooked rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded by a bamboo frame, and tumbles
and leaps to the rhythm of a song without
spilling a grain. Karakattam is usually

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Tamil Nadu
practised by male and female dancers all
over India. Therukoothhu (street dance) is a
folk tradition of dance-drama.

Film industry
Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry, the second largest film industry in India after Hindi films. It is based in Chennai in
Kodambakkam, the section of Chennai that
houses cinema-related facilities, hence the
portmanteau Kollywood.

Cuisine

A Bharatanatyam dancer
performed to a special type of song known as
temmanguppu or thevar pu, a folk song
in the mode of a lover speaking to his beloved,
to
the
accompaniment
of
a
nadaswaram and melam. Other Tamil folk
dances include mayilam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around
their waist; yilttam, danced in a circle
while waving small pieces of cloth of various
colours; poykkl kuthiraiyaaam, where the
dancers use dummy horses; mnam,
where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; paraiyam, a dance to the
sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thppandam, a dance involving playing with
burning wooden torches.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form
originating from Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam
is thought to have been created by Bharata
Muni, a Hindu sage, who wrote the Natya
Shastra, the most important ancient treatise
on classical Indian dance. In ancient times it
was performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis. In this form, it as also been called sadir
or chinna melam. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharata
Natyam dance postures. Bharatanatyam is a
traditional dance-form known for its grace,
purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses.
It continues to be a popular and widely performed dance style at present times and is

Chettinad cuisine. Food is typically served on

banana leaves.
Traditionally Tamil dishes are served on a banana leaf instead of a plate and eaten with
the right hand. Rice is the staple food of
Tamils and accompanied with various sauces
along with meat and/ or vegetarian dishes.
Traditional Tamil cuisine includes Dosai,
Idly, Vadai, Pongal and Uthappam. These
dishes are served along with Sambar, Rasam,
Kootu, Aviyal, Chatni and Poriyal. Traditionally prepared Filter Coffee is quite famous,
which is unique in taste.
The Chettinad region is famous for its
spicy
non-vegetarian
cuisine,
while
Tirunelveli is famous for its unique wheat
halwa. The fast food culture is witnessing a
steady growth in Tamil Nadu in recent years.

Economy
Macro-economic trend
Tamil Nadus gross state domestic product
for 2007 is estimated at 275,000 crores (70
billion USD) in current prices.[66][67] The
state experienced a GDP growth rate of
12.1% for this period.[49] Possessing the
third largest economy (2007-2008) among

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Tamil Nadu
2004 05

states in India,[68] Tamil Nadu is also the

most industrialised state in India.[69] The per
capita income for the period 2007 - 2008 for
the state was Rs.43,000 ranking second
among the South Indian states.[70] It ranks
third in foreign direct investment approvals
(cumulative 1991-2002) of Rs.225,826 million
($5,000 million), next only to Maharashtra
(Rs.366,024 million ($8,100 million)) and Delhi (Rs.303,038 million ($6,700 million)) and
the States FDI investment constitutes 9.12%
of the total FDI in the country.[71] Tamil
Nadu was the winner of fDimagazines Asian
Region of the Future award 2005/06 in terms
of FDIs, surpassing Australias New South
Wales.[72] Chennai was ranked the top metropolitan city to invest in Asia Pacific and
Tamil Nadu was ranked 9th region to invest
in 2008.[73] Unlike many other states, the
economic resources are quite spread out,
rather than concentrated in a small industrialised area. The overall unemployment is relatively low with 2.8% rural and 4.8% urban
from CSI.[74] The graph at right shows how
the Per capita income of Tamil Nadu has
grown steadily keeping above the national
average.[75]
Gross State Domestic Product in Rs.
Crores and Current Prices[76]
GSDP

1994 95

68,666

1996 97

89,237

1998 99

118,209

2000 01

141,100

2002 03

155,099

6.61%
21.81%

According to the 2001 Census, Tamil Nadu

has the highest level of urbanisation
(43.86%) in India, accounting for 6% of Indias total population and 9.6% of the urban
population.[77] and is the most urbanized
state in India.[8] Services contributes to 45%
of the economic activity in the state, followed
by manufacturing at 34% and agriculture at
21%. Government is the major investor in the
state with 51% of total investments, followed
by private Indian investors at 29.9% and foreign private investors at 14.9%. Tamil Nadu
has a network of about 110 industrial parks
and estates offering developed plots with
supporting infrastructure.[78] Also, the state
government is promoting other industrial
parks like Rubber Park, Apparel Parks, Floriculture Park, TICEL Park for Biotechnology,[79] Siruseri IT Park, and Agro Export
Zones among others.
Annual Plan outlays have increased by a
record 75% from Rs.52,000 million ($1,100
million) in 2001-2 to Rs.91,000 million
($2,000 million) in 2005-6. Based on URP Consumption for the period 2004 - 2005, percentage of the states population Below
Poverty Line was 27.5%.[56]

Per Capita Income of Tamil Nadu and India

Year

188,921

Agriculture and Irrigation

Change Share of
India
7.49%
19.32%
7.18%

Paddy fields in Theni District across the

backdrop of the Western Ghats.

7.40%

Tamil Nadu has historically been one of the

agricultural states;its advances in other fields
launched the state into competition with other states. Even so, Tamil Nadu is a leading
producer of agricultural products in India. At
present, Tamil Nadu is Indias fourth biggest
producer of Rice, next to West Bengal,

29.96%
32.47%
7.33%
19.36%
6.85%
09.92%

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Tamil Nadu

Andhra
Pradesh,
Punjab
and
Uttar
Pradesh.[80] The Cauvery delta region of the
composite Thanjavur district is known as the
Rice Bowl of South India. Next to Thanjavur,
is the Tirunelveli which is the second largest
producer of Rice due to the undrainable river
Thamirabarani. Tamil Nadu accounts for
nearly 6% of the area under fruits and 4% of
the area under vegetables in the country. In
terms of production, the States share is
nearly 10% in fruits and 6% in vegetables.[81]
Tamil Nadu is also a leading state in the production of flowers. The total production of
horticultural crops is 99.47 Lakhs during
2003-04. The main flowers grown in Tamil
Nadu are Jasmine, Mullai, Chrysanthemum,
Marigold and Rose. Mango and Banana are
the leading fruit crops in Tamil Nadu accounting for over 84% of the area under fruit
and over 87% of the total fruit production.
Off-season production of mango and roundthe-year production of grapes is unique to
Tamil Nadu. The main vegetables grown are
tapioca, tomato, onion, brinjal and drumstick.

Tamil Nadu is the only state to have a formal

bio-diesel policy using jatropha plant crops
and to distribute wasteland to the poor farmers for planting.[92]
Tamil Nadu is the home to Dr M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the Green
Revolution" in India.[93] Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with its seven colleges and
thirty two research stations spread over the
entire state contributes to evolving new crop
varieties and technologies and disseminating
through various extension agencies. The net
sown area is 36% of the total geographic
area (National average of 46%). The gross
cropped area is 53,200 km with a cropping
intensity of 119. Irrigation covers 46% of the
cropped area and the remaining 54% is rainfed. Tamil Nadus agriculture is heavily dependent on river water and monsoon rains.

Mathur Aqueduct is one of the largest in Asia

and irrigates portions of Kanyakumari district.[94]
The perennial rivers are Palar, Cheyyar
River, Ponnaiyar, Kaveri, Meyar, Bhavani,
Amaravati,
Vaigai,
Chittar
River
&
Tamaraparani. Non-perennial rivers include
the Vellar, Noyal, Suruli, Gundar, Vaipar, Valparai and Varshali. Canals, tanks and wells
form the sources of Irrigation for farmers in
the state. As of 2005-2006, the state had
2395 canals with a length of 9,747 km,
40,319 tanks, 670 ordinary government
wells, 1,620,705 ordinary private wells and
290,611 tube wells.
Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and
Water-bodies Restoration and Management
(IAMWARM) project is a World Bank aided
project being implemented in Tamil Nadu at
a cost of INR 2500 crores. Duration of the
project April 1 2007 to March 31 2013. The
main aim of the project is to restore the existing 40319 tanks to save water to their full capacity as it was created by ancient

Vegetable plantation in Nilgiris district.

The state is the largest producer of bananas,[82] flowers,[83] tapioca,[83] the second
largest producer of mango,[83] coffee,[84] natural rubber,[85] coconut,[86] groundnut and
the third largest producer of sapota,[83]
Tea[87] and Sugarcane.[88] Tamil Nadu is also
a leading producer of spices, kambu, corn,
rye and oil seeds.[89][90] The main spices
grown are chillies, coriander, tamarind, turmeric and curry leaves. Tamil Nadus sugarcane yield per hectare is the highest in India.[88] A host of sugar companies have their
operations here including EID Parry I Ltd.,
Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd., Sakthi Sugars
Ltd., Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd. and
Rajshree sugars Ltd. The state has 17,000
hectares of land under oil palm cultivation,
the second highest in India.[91] Currently,

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Tamil Nadu

Cattle Buffalos Sheep Goats Pigs Horses &

ponies

Donkeys Total
livestock

Total
poultry

9141

26

86591

1658

5593

8177

321 25

15800

forefathers of tamilnadu some 2000 years before.[95][96]

Livestock, poultry and fisheries

Among states in India, Tamil Nadu is one of
the leaders in livestock, poultry and fisheries
production. The table below gives the data on
the total number of livestock and poultry in
2003 (All figures in thousands).[97]
As per this data, Tamil Nadu had the second
largest number of poultry amongst all the
states and accounted for 17.7% of the total
poultry population in India. The town of Namakkal is also known as the poultry hub currently it produces about 3 crore eggs a day.
In 2003 - 2004, Tamil Nadu had produced
37,836 lakhs of eggs, which was the second
highest figure among all the states in India,
and represented 9.37% of the total egg production in the country.[98] In 2003-2004,
Tamil Nadu had produced 4,752,000 tonnes
of milk, with a per capita availability of 198
grams/day, much lesser than the all-India figure of 231 grams/day.[99][100][101] During
2002-2003,
the
state
had
produced
609,000 kg of wool.[102] The total fodder produced in the state during 2002-2003 was
31,929,000 tonnes, out of which 21,429,000
tonnes was dry fodder and 10,500,000 tonnes
was green fodder.[103] The total number of
vertinary institutions in the state in 2006 was
1854.[104] With the third longest coastline in
India, Tamil Nadu is also among the leaders
in fisheries and in the production and exports
of related products. For the year 2005-2006,
total inland fish catchment was 155,944
tonnes and marine fish catchment stood at
389,714 tonnes.[105] For the same period, the
total fish and fishery products exported by
the state was 72,418 tonnes which was valued at Rs. 19.96 billion. This figure represented 27.54% of the total value of fish and fishery products exported by India for that period.[106]

Hyundais manufacturing plant at Irungattukottai near Sriperumbudur.

Detroit of Asia"). Chennai has been able to
get a large number of investments due to a
combination of infrastructure (ports, road,
power), investment climate, low cost and
good availability of man power.[107] Chennai
has the presence of global vehicle manufacturing giants like Ford, Renault-Nissan,
Caterpillar, Hyundai, Michelin, Komatsu,
BMW, and Mitsubishi as well as domestic
heavyweights like MRF, TI Cycles, Ashok
Leyland,
Royal
Enfield,
Mahindra
&
Mahindra(JV with Renault-Nissan to produce
Logan brand of cars), TAFE Tractors, and
TVS.It also has a railway coach factory,
ICF(Integral Coach Factory). Recently in an
equal joint venture agreement, Renault and
Nissan have decided to invest Rs. 4,500 crore
($1,140 million) to set up an integrated
greenfield automotive facility at Oragadam
near Chennai. The plant will have an installed capacity of four lakh vehicles annually
by 2010. Daimler has chosen Chennai for establishing a truck manufacturing plant in
Oragadam with an investment of Rs 4,400
crores ($1,100 million).[108] Signet Solar is in
the process of setting up a manufacturing
plant for 300 MW of thin-film photo-voltaic
modules in a project worth an estimated
$500 million.[109] Sterlite Industries have
their copper smelter (in Tuticorin) and aluminium (in Mettur) factories here. A large
number of textile mills and engineering industries are present around the city of Coimbatore. Coimbatore is the headquarters for

Industry
Tamil Nadu is a highly industrialised state.
Many heavy engineering and manufacturingbased companies are centred in and around
the suburbs of Chennai (nicknamed, "The

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Tamil Nadu

Pricol, LMW, ELGI, Roots industries, and

Shanti gears. Coimbatore is known for its
motor pump industries like Texmo, Deccan
pumps and CRI pumps. Karur is known for its
bus body building industries. Truck bodies
are built in Tiruchengode and Namakkal near
Salem.
Over 11.2% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Tamil Nadu.
The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore
Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite Power Plant,
many hydroelectric plants including Mettur
and the Narimanam Natural Gas Plants are
major sources of Tamil Nadus electricity. It
is presently adding the Koodankulam Nuclear
Power Plant to its energy grid. Tamil Nadu
sources[110] a significant proportion of its
power needs from renewable sources with
wind power installed capacity at over 3600
MW[111] or over 40% of the maximum peak
demand. As of 2005, Tamil Nadu is one of the
few Indian states with surplus power electricity, enabling the electrical authority to sell it
to neighbouring states of Andra Pradesh &
Karnataka. Tamil Nadu ranks first nationwide
in diesel-based thermal electricity generation
with national market share of over 34%.
The textile industry plays a significant role
in the Indian economy by providing direct
employment to an estimated 35 million
people, and thereby contributing 4% of GDP
and 35% of Gross Export Earnings. The textile sector contributes to 14% of the manufacturing sector. There are a lot of Textile mills
located in Coimbatore. The city of Tirupur, in
Tamil Nadu is the countrys largest exporter
of knit wears[112] and sometimes karur to
tiruppur area referred to as Textile valley of
India.[113] In 2004, the export turnover from
the town was more than Rs. 50,000 million
($1,000 million). Some 7,000 garment units
in the town provides employment opportunity
to 7,50,000 people. 56% of Indias total knitwear exports come from Tirupur. The Export
Import Policy of 2002-2007 acknowledges
Tirupur for its contribution to the export
efforts.
The home textile capital of India - city of
Karur generates around (35,500 million)
$750 million a year in foreign exchange and
give the opportunity to 3,50,000 peoples for
work.Over 60% of total Indias exports come
from karur. The Karur exports of Home-Textile products such as bed linens, kitchen linens, toilet linens, table linens and wall
hangings.

Erode is also the major inland textile hub

of India especially for woven garments &
sarees. Madurai and Kanchipuram are famous for their handloom and silk saris.

Wind turbines at Muppandal in Nagercoil

Kanyakumari District. In the background are
hills of the Western Ghats.
Electronics manufacturing is a growing industry in Tamil Nadu. Companies like Nokia,
Flextronics, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, Foxconn, Samsung, Cisco, Moser Baer and Dell
have chosen Chennai as their South Asian
manufacturing hub. Products manufactured
include circuit boards and cellular phone
handsets.[114] Ericsson also has a Research
and Development facility in Chennai.[115] Big
EPC companies have set up their Engineering centres which include Saipem, Technip,
Foster Wheeler, Mott Macdonald, Petrofac
and Tecnimont ICB. The Austrian company
Austrian Energy and Environment also have
a design office here besides local giant ECC
{Larsen & Toubro}. Sanmina-SCI is the
latest company to invest in Tamil Nadu to
create a state of the art manufacturing facility.[116] Nokia Siemens Networks has decided to build a manufacturing plant for wireless network equipment in Tamil Nadu.[117]
Moser Baer has decided on setting up a facility to manufacture silicon-based photovoltaic
thin film modules and allied products with an
investment of $500 million.[118]
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, a global
electrical equipment manufacturing public
sector company, has manufacturing plants at
Tiruchirapalli and Ranipet. The construction
industry also saw new entrants like BGR Energy systems ltd, Consolidated construction
consortium.
The state government owns the Tamil
Nadu Newsprint and Papers (TNPL),[119] the
worlds biggest bagasse based Paper mills in
Karur, as well as the worlds sixth largest
manufacturer of watches together with TATA
at hosur, under the brand name of
"Titan".[120] 55% of all wind-generated electricity in India is created by windmills in
Tamil Nadu. Renowned Danish wind power

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Tamil Nadu

company NEG Micon has established its manufacturing unit in Chennai.[121]

Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of Cement in India. It is the home of leading cement brands in the country such as Chettinad
Cements (in Karur), Dalmia Cements (in Ariyalur), Ramco cements (Madras Cement Ltd),
India cements (in Sankari, Ariyalur), Grasim
etc. Big companies like MICO and Cognizant
solutions have set up their design offices
here. L&T is setting up big manufacturing
units with an investment of 500 crores. Even
temple city Madurai has attracted Honeywell
to set up their centre here.
The town of Sivakasi is a leader in the
areas of printing, fireworks, and safety
matches.[122] It was fondly called as Kutty
Japan or "little Japan" by Jawaharlal Nehru. It
contributes to 80% of Indias production of
safety matches as well as 90% of Indias total
fireworks production. Sivakasi provides over
60% of Indias total offset printing solutions
and ranks as one of the highest taxpaying
towns in India. Sivakasi also is a 100% employed town, putting it in the company of
very few towns in India.
Tamil Nadu has a significant amount of
mineral reserves such as lignite (87%), vermiculite (66%), garnet (42%), zircon (38%),
graphite (33%), ilmenite (28%), rutile (27%),
monazite (25%), and magnesite (17%). The
numbers in the brackets indicate the percentage contribution to the national share. Indias
leading steel producer, SAIL has a steel plant
in Salem.[123]

Software exports from Tamil Nadu more than

doubled from Rs. 76 billion ($1.6 billion) in
2003-04 to Rs. 141.15 billion {$3.53 billion}
in 2005-06 and zoomed to Rs. 207 billion {$5
billion}
by
2006-07
according
to
NASSCOM.[124] Chennai is a hub for e-publishing with 47 e-publishing units registered
with the STPI in Chennai. Companies such as
Symantec, Fidelity National Information Services, eBay, Hewlett-Packard, Computer
Sciences Corporation, Virtusa, HCL, Wipro,
TCS, Temenos, Satyam, Infosys, Polaris Software Lab, Cognizant Technology Solutions,
Acme Technology Pvt Ltd, Covansys, Capgemini,
Ford
Information
Technology,
Xansa,Changepond,
Verizon,
iSoft,insoft,
iNautix, MphasiS(Electronic Data Systems),
Bally and many others have offices in Chennai. Infosys Technologies has set up Indias
largest software development centre to house
25,000 software professionals at an estimated investment of Rs. 12,500 million ($270
million) in Chennai. Chennai is also the preferred destination for companies outsourcing
their high-end knowledge intensive operations. Testimony to this is the presence of
major market research companies such as
Frost & Sullivan and equity research companies such as Irevna in Chennai. This is the
next high growth area that Chennai is
witnessing.

Tidel Park in Chennai is one of the largest

software parks in India.

The Pamban rail and road bridges, across the

Palk Strait connects the Pamban Island with
the Indian mainland. The rail bridge (right),
opened in 1914, is considered to be one of
the marvels of modern engineering.[125]

Transportation

Tamil Nadu is a leading contributor in the

IT and BPO sectors. Tamil Nadu is the third
largest software exporter by value in India,
second only to Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Indias largest IT park is in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu has a well established transportation system that connects all parts of the

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Tamil Nadu

state. This is partly responsible for the investment growth in the state. Tamil Nadu is
served by an extensive road network, providing links between urban centers, agricultural
market-places and rural areas. There are 24
national highways in the state, covering a
total distance of 2,002 km.[126] The state is
also a terminus for the Golden Quadrilateral
project that is scheduled to be completed in
2008. The state has a total road length of
167,000 km, of which 60,628 km are maintained by Highways Department. This is
nearly 2.5 times higher than the density of
all-India road network.[127] It is currently
working on upgrading its road network,
though the pace of work is considered
slow.[128]
Tamil Nadu has a well developed rail network
as
part
of
Southern
Railway.
Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern
Railway network extends over a large area of
Indias Southern Peninsula, covering the
states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, a
small portion of Karnataka and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu has a
total railway track length of 5,952 km and
there are 532 railway stations in the
state.[129] The system connects it with most
major cities in India. Main rail junctions in
the state include Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli Madurai, Tiruchirapalli
(Trichy) and Salem. Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network and is in the
process of developing a metro.
Tamil Nadu has a major international airport, Chennai International Airport, that is
connected with 19 countries with more than
169 direct flights every week. This is currently the third largest airport in India after
Mumbai and Delhi and has a passenger
growth of 18%. Other international airports
present in the state are Coimbatore International Airport and Tiruchirapalli International
Airport. Madurai Airport and Tuticorin Airport are domestic airports which connect
their respective cities to other parts of the
country. Apart from these, there are Air
Force bases at Thanjavur and Sulur(Suburb
of Coimbatore), and a Naval air station at
Arakkonam. Increased industrial activity has
given rise to an increase in passenger traffic
as well as freight movement which has been
growing at over 18 per cent per year.[130]
Tamil Nadu has three major ports at Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin, as well as one intermediate port, Nagapattinam, and seven

minor ports, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari,

Cuddalore, Colachel, Karaikal, Pamban and
Valinokkan which are currently capable of
handling over 73 million metric tonnes of
cargo annually (24 per cent share of India).
All the minor ports are managed by the Tamil
Nadu Maritime Board.[131] Chennai Port is
an artificial harbour situated on the Coromandel Coast in South-East India and it is
the second principal port in the country for
handling containers. Ennore Port was recently converted from an intermediate port
to a major port and handles all the coal and
ore traffic in Tamil Nadu. The volume of
cargo in the ports grew by 13 per cent during
2005.[132][133]

Fauna and Flora

Lion-tailed macaque, an endangered species.

The state has a wide range of flora and
fauna. There is a wide diversity of wildlife.
There are many Protected areas of Tamil
Nadu, including 2 Biosphere Reserves, 5 National Parks and several Wildlife Sanctuaries,
where many unique species and their habitats are protected[134] Tamil Nadu includes a

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Tamil Nadu

wide range of Biomes, extending east from

the South Western Ghats montane rain
forests in the Western Ghats through the
South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
and Deccan thorn scrub forests to tropical
dry broadleaf forests and then to the
beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves,
and coral reefs of the Bay of Bengal.

Fauna
There are about 2000 species of wildlife that
are native to Tamil Nadu. Protected areas
provide safe habitat for large mammals including Elephants, Tigers, Leopard, Wild dog,
Sloth bears, Gaurs, Lion-tailed macaques,
Nilgiri Langurs, Nilgiri Tahrs, Grizzled Giant
Squirrels and Sambar deer, resident and migratory birds such as Cormorants, Darters,
Herons, Egrets, Open-billed Storks, Spoonbills and White Ibises, Little Grebes, Indian
Moorhen, Black-winged Stilts, a few migratory Ducks and occasionally Grey Pelicans,
marine species such as the Dugongs, Turtles,
Dolphins and Balanoglossus and a wide variety of fish and insects.

World Chess Champion Vishwanathan Anand.

at domestic and international level, organized by other sports associations at its venues.[139] The YMCA College of Physical Education at Nandanam in Chennai was established in 1920 and was the first college for
physical education in Asia.[140]
Cricket is the most popular sport and
Kabaddi is the state game of Tamil Nadu. M.
A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is an international cricketing arena with a capacity
of 50,000 and houses the Tamil Nadu Cricket
Association. Popular cricketers from Tamil
Nadu who have represented the national
team
include
S. Venkataraghavan,
Kris Srikkanth, Robin Singh, Lakshmipathy
Balaji Subramaniam Badrinath and Dinesh
Karthik. Cricket contests between local clubs
and teams is also popular across the state.
The MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai is a
much sought after fast bowling academy by
pace bowlers all over the world. The traditional sport of Kabaddi, called Sadu Gudu in
Tamil, is another popular sport played extensively in the rural areas. Silambam is another popular traditional sport played in the
rural areas.
The ATP Chennai Open tournament held
in Chennai every January is the biggest Tennis event in South Asia.[141] Tennis players
from Tamil Nadu who had made it to the big
stage include Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh
krishnan, Vijay Amritraj, Mahesh Bhupathi
and Prakash Amritrajand more recently Somdev Devvarman was runner up in ATP 2009.
Tamil Nadu has a long standing motorsports
culture. The sport was pioneered by
Sundaram Karivardhan in its early days.

Flora
Tamil Nadu is the home to 3000 plant species
including Eucalyptus, Palmyra, Rubber, Cinchona,
Clumping
Bamboos
(Bambusa
Arundinacea), Common teak, Anogeissus latifolia, Indian Laurel , Grewia, and blooming
trees like Indian labumusum, Aredesia, and
Solanancea. Rare and unique plant life includes
Combretum
ovalifolium,
Ebony
(Dispyros nilagrica), Habebarai reriflora
(Orchid), Alsophila, Impatiens elegans, Ranunculus reniformis, and Royal fern. Tamil
Nadu ranks first in Angiosperm diversity
amongst all the states in the country with
5640 species (32%) of the total 17,672 species, which includes 230 red-listed species
and 1559 species of medicinal plants.[135]

Sports
Tamil Nadu has made fair strides in the field
of sports. The Sports Development Authority
of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) is the government
body that is vested with the responsibility of
developing sports and related infrastructure
in the state.[136][137] The SDAT owns and operates a number of world class stadiums and
organizes various sporting events.[138] It also
accommodates various sporting events, both

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu
regular rowing races on the Adyar River.[151]
The 232 year old Guindy race course in Chennai is popular horse racing venue. Apart from
these, the Multi-Purpose Indoor Games Complex in Chennai hosts international events for
Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton and Table
Tennis. In the recent years, adventure sports
have also gained popularity, especially
amongst the tourists visiting the state.[152]

Notable sportspersons from Tamil Nadu in

the field are Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to participate in F1 racing, and Karun
Chandok. Motor racing events are held at the
Irungattukottai track (near Sriperumbudur),
Sholavaram track and Kari Motorspeedway
near Coimbatore.

Tourism
Kari Motorspeedway near Coimbatore.
The Tamil Nadu Hockey Association is the
governing body of Hockey in the state. The
Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai
hosts international hockey events and is regarded by the International Hockey Federation as one of the best in the world for its
state-of-the-art infrastructure.[142] Chennai
hosted the SAF Games in 1995. Anju Bobby
George, bronze medalist from Sydney
Olympics, represents Tamil Nadu in the national arena.[143] Shanthi Soundararajan, silver medalist (later stripped) from Doha Asian
Games, also hails from the state.[144] The
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai is a
multipurpose stadium hosting Football and
Track & Field events. The Indian Triathlon
Federation and the Volleyball Federation of
India are headquartered in Chennai.[145]
Chennai hosted Indias first ever International
Beach
Volleyball
Championship
in
2008.[146]
Chess and Carrom are popular indoor
sports. World Chess champion and Indian
Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and Arjuna Awardee and two-time world carrom
champion Maria Irudayam hail from Tamil
Nadu. Snooker was invented by General Sir
Frederick Roberts at the Ooty Club in Udhagamandalam.[147][148]
The
Velachery
Aquatics Sports Complex in Chennai hosts
different kinds of water sports. The SDAT TNSRA Squash Academy in Chennai, one of
the very few modern squash facilities in
South Asia,[149] hosts international squash
events. Tamil Nadu has six 18-hole Golf
courses,[150] the most popular of which are
the Kodaikanal Golf Club, established in
1895, and Gymkhana Club, Chennai. The
Madras Boat Club, set up in 1867, hosts

Courtallam waterfalls in Tirunelveli district.

Tamil Nadus tourism industry is the second
largest in India, with an annual growth rate
of 16%.[153] Tourism in Tamil Nadu is promoted by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation (TTDC), a Government of Tamil
Nadu undertaking. The tagline adopted for
promoting tourism in Tamil Nadu is Enchanting
Tamil Nadu. Approximately
1,753,000 foreign and 50,647,000 domestic
tourists visited the state in 2007.[154]
Tamil Nadu is a land of varied beauty. It
boasts some of the grandest Hindu temples
of Dravidian architecture in the World. The
temples are of a distinct style which are famous for their towering Gopurams. The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, built by the
Cholas, the Airavateswara temple in Darasuram and the Shore Temple, along with the
collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram have been declared as UNESCO
World Heritage Sites.[155][156] The Rajagopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam the largest functioning Hindu
temple in the world is the tallest temple
gopuram in the world[157] Madurai is home
to one of the grandest Hindu temples in the
World Madurai Meenakshi Amman
Temple. Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and

20

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

Palani are important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. The largest Shiva Temple in TamilNadu
is Nellaiappar Temple situated in the heart of
Tirunelveli city. Other popular temples in
Tamil Nadu include those in Gangaikonda
Cholapuram,
Chidambaram,
Thiruvannaamalai,Tiruchengode, Aragalur, Tiruttani,
Swamithoppe, Tiruchendur and Tiruvallur.

region of the state is renowned for its Palatial

houses and cuisine. In recent years, Tamil
Nadu is also witnessing a growth in Medical
tourism, as are many other states in India.

See also

Tamil people
Tamil language
Dravidian people
South India
Tamil cinema

References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

The Story of India: South India.
History of Tamil Nadu.
TAMIL HERITAGE... the Tamils are an
ancient people.
[5] Tamil Nadus Ancient Cities May Predate
Mesopotamian Civilization.
[6] Population of Tamil Nadu as of 01/07/
2008.
[7] Gross Domestic Product by prices as of
28 February, 2008.
[8] ^ Tamil Nadu the most urbanised State:
Minister.
[9] Enterprises in India.
[10] India Today, dated 24th September,
2007.
[11] "Tamil Nadu, The best place to do
business". November 12, 2005.
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/nov/
12guest2.htm. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
[12] Press Information Bureau.
[13] UNESCO World Heritage List.
[14] Tamil Nadu Indias most literate state:
HRD ministry.
[15] LITERATES AND LITERACY
RATES-2001 CENSUS (PROVISIONAL).
[16] "Skeletons dating back 3,800 years
throw light on evolution". The Times of
India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
articleshow/
msid-1354201,prtpage-1.cms. Retrieved
on 2008-06-11.
[17] "The Hindu : National : Rudimentary
Tamil-Brahmi script unearthed at
Adichanallur". The Hindu.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/02/17/
stories/2005021704471300.htm.
Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
[18] "The Hindu : National : Skeletons, script
found at ancient burial site in Tamil
Nadu". The Hindu.

Kanyakumari, the Southernmost tip of Mainland India, at sunrise.

Tamil Nadu is also home to many beautiful
hill stations. Popular among them are Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kodaikanal, Yercaud,
Coonoor, Topslip, Valparai, Kolli Hills and
Yelagiri. The Nilgiri hills, Palani hills,
Shevaroy hills and Cardamom hills are all
abodes of thick forests and wildlife. Mukurthi
National Park & Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are the two tiger reserves in the
state. Tamil Nadu has many National Parks,
Biosphere Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries,
Elephant and Bird Sanctuaries, Reserved
Forests, Zoos and Crocodile farms. Prominent among them are Mudumalai National
Park, The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve,
Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary and
Arignar Anna Zoological Park. The mangrove
forests in Pichavaram are also eco-tourism
spots of importance.
Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of
peninsular India, is famous for its distinct
and beautiful sunrise, Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvars statue built off the
coastline. Marina Beach in Chennai is one of
the longest beaches in the world.[158] The
stretch of beaches from Chennai to Mahabalipuram are home to many resorts,
theme parks and eateries. The Waterfalls in
the state include Courtallam, Hogenakal,
Papanasam and Manimuthar. The Chettinad

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/26/
stories/2004052602871200.htm.
Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
[19] Staff Reporter (November 22, 2005).
"Students get glimpse of heritage". The
Hindu. http://www.thehindu.com/2005/
11/22/stories/2005112215970400.htm.
Retrieved on 2007-04-26.
[20] Great Living Chola Temples.
[21] Geography of India by Joel Anderson.
[22] Damage to tsunami-hit countries - India.
[23] Amateur Seismic Centre, Pune.
[24] Assessment Report from the National
Drought Mitigation Center, Univ. of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
[25] United Nations, System of Organizations.
[26] IndiaAndIndians.com.
[27] Department of Geology and Mining,
Government of Tamil Nadu.
[28] Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
[29] [1].
[30] ^ Secretaries to Government of Tamil
Nadu.
[31] "National Symbols of India". High
Commission of India, London.
http://www.hcilondon.net/india-overview/
land-people/national-symbols.html.
Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
[32] Government of Tamil Nadu.
[33] Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
[34] Brief Note on Corporation Of Chennai.
[35] Tamil Nadu crime trends.
[36] TN Police.
[37] [2].
[38] Tirupur district shortly from The Hindu.
[39] "Election results". Indian Elections.
http://www.indian-elections.com/
assembly-elections/tamil-nadu/electionresult-06.html.
[40] "Parties Statistics". Election Commission
of India. http://www.eci.gov.in/
StatisticalReports/ElectionStatistics.asp.
[41] The Quest for the Origins of Vedic
Culture: The Indo-Aryan Migration
Debate By Edwin Bryant.
[42] "Census Population" (PDF). Census of
India. Ministry of Finance India.
http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2006-07/
chapt2007/tab97.pdf. Retrieved on
2008-12-18.
[43] ^ Updated population estimates for
Tamil Nadu as of 01/07/2008.
[44] ^ The Tamil Nadu picture on Frontline
Magazine.
[45] Tamil Nadu the most urbanised state.
[46] National Family Health Survey, India.

[47] Distribution by Language - States and

Union Territories - 2001.
[48] Population by religious and linguistic
communities.
[49] ^ Tamil Nadu boasts of best school
enrollment figures.
[50] Universities in Tamil Nadu.
[51] Engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu.
[52] Opening of IIM Trichy.
[53] Glaring regional disparities in human
development index.
[54] Human Development Reports.
[55] " Top three States a socio-economic
comparison" - BusinessLine.
[56] ^ "Number and Percentage of Population
Below Poverty Line By States- 2004-05".
[57] Tamil Nadu Poverty.
[58] Poverty Profile.
[59] World Bank Poverty Reduction Project.
[60] "Education is the means of social
mobility" - Rediff India Abroad.
[61] Tamil Nadu Hunger Problem Alarming.
[62] Tamil Nadu Hunger Level in Danger List.
[63] India at a Glance - National Portal of
India.
[64] Madhya Kailash temple, Chennai.
[65] St. Thomas in India.
[66] "Official site". Government of Tamil
nadu. http://www.tn.gov.in/budget/
budsp07_08_4.htm#Overall%20Financial%20Position
Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
[67] GDP from TN Govt. site.
[68] 3rd largest economy.
[69] Most Enterprises in India.
[70] Per capita income from TN Govt. site.
[71] Tamil Nadu ranks third in FDI, favoured
destination.
[72] FDI Magazine.
[73] Top Places to invest in.
[74] "Tamil Nadu Unemployment Rate".
[75] State-wise Per Capita Income At Current
Prices.
[76] Gross Domestic Product of states as of
21 November 2006.
[77] "e-CENSUSIndia". CensusIndia.net.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/
index.php?title=Tamil_Nadu&action=edit&section=1
Retrieved on 2006-08-16.
[78] Example include Tidelpark and ITP
Chennai.
[79] TICEL Park for Biotechnology.
[80] Rough rice production (000 t) in India,
by state, 1961-2006.
[81] National Horticulture Mission - Action
Plan for Tamil Nadu.
[82] Banana Production Statistics.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamil Nadu

[83] ^ National Horticulture Mission Action

Plan for Tamil Nadu.
[84] Coffee Data - IndiaCoffee.org.
[85] "Rubber Statistical News" - Rubber
Board.
[86] Coconut statistical info from
IndiaCommodity.com.
[87] "Production Of Tea In India During And
Upto August, 2002 - TeaAuction.com.
[88] ^ Sugar statistical info from
IndiaCommodity.com.
[89] Information on Mango from National
Horticulture Board.
[90] Spices in India.
[91] Oil Palm Sector in India - World Wildlife
Fund - India.
[92] "Clean Green Energy from Tamil Nadu,
India".
http://www.indutourismnews.com/.
Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
[93] M. S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation.
[94] The southern tip of India - Kanyakumari.
[95] iamwarm.
[96] Irrigation in Tamil Nadu.
[97] [3] Livesotck & Poultry Statistics from
Ministry of Agriculture, Department of
Animal Husbandry Dairying & Fisheries,
Government of India.
[98] "Estimates Of Egg Production".
[99] "Per Capita Availability Of Milk.
[100]"Estimates of Milk Production".
[101]"Share Of Milk Production By Cows,
Buffaloes & Goats".
[102]"Estimates Of Wool Production".
[103]"Dry & Green Fodder Production".
[104][http://dahd.nic.in/stat_files/
NoOfIns&InfraData2006.pdf Number of
Veterinary Institutions and
Infrastructure Data of Animal Husbandry
(Year-2006)].
[105]"Milk, Egg Production and Fish
Catchment: By Districts".
[106]"Inland Fish Production".
[107]Chennai Advantage in Investment.
[108]Daimler-Hero zeros in on Chennai for
plant.
[109]Signet Solar to setup manufacturing
plant in Tamil Nadu.
[110]TEDA - Projects of TEDA TamilNadu
Energy Development Agency by TEDA.
[111]Policy Note 2008 - 2009 of Energy
Department, Tamil Nadu, India by Govt.
of TamilNadu.
[112]The Challenge of Reform: How Tamil
Nadus Textile and Apparel Industry is

Facing the Pressures of

LiberalizationPDF (471 KB) by Meenu
Tewari for the Government of Tamil
Nadu, India and the Center for
International Development, Harvard
University, Cambridge MA.
[113]Tirupur: Indias Textile Valley! by George
Iype for rediff.com.
[114]Flextronics signs pact for Chennai
facility.
[115]Ericsson India Private Ltd.
[116]Sanmina sets up manufacturing plant in
Tamil Nadu.
[117]Nokia Siemens to invest in Tamil Nadu.
[118]Moser Baer Manufacturing Plant in
Tamil Nadu.
[119]TNPL.
[120]Titan Website.
[121]Vestas Web page.
[122][4] SivakasiOnline.com.
[123]SAIL Plant.
[124]The Hindu Business Line : TN software
exports clock 32 pc growth.
[125]The Hindu Business Line : Pamban
Bridge to be pulled down for gauge
conversion.
[126]Economy and Business in Tamil
NaduPDF (1.21 MB)
[127]Official site for Tamil Nadu Highways.
[128]Highways, roads to be upgraded in Tamil
Nadu.
[129]Tamil Nadu Railway Statistics.
[130]Transportation in Tamil Nadu.
[131]Creation of the Tamil Nadu Maritime
Board.
[132]Official website for Ennore Port.
[133]Official website for Tuticorin Port.
[134]Tamil Nadu Forest Department,
retrieved 7/29/2007Tamil Nadu Wildlife
Tourism.
[135]Tamil Nadu Dept. of Forests, Retrieved
9/9/2007 Biodiversity.
[136][5].
[137][6].
[138][7].
[139][8].
[140]Y.M.C.A. College of Physical Education
NANDANAM.
[141]Nadal, other tennis greats arrive for
Chennai Open 2008.
[142]Radhakrishnan Stadium to have new
turf.
[143]Anju B George to be felicitated.
[144]The Sad Case of a South Indian Girl
Athlete.

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Tamil Nadu

[145]All Presidents, National Sports

Federation.
[146]India seeks to popularise beach
volleyball.
[147]The History Of Snooker.
[148]THE ORIGIN OF SNOOKER : THE
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN STORY.
[149]Opening up new vistas for squash talent.
[150]Golf Courses in Southern India.
[151]Sports in Chennai.
[152]Adventure Tourism.
[153]8 Steps to India

[154][9]
[155]Great Living Chola Temples - UNESCO
World Heritage Centre.
[156]Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.
[157]Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple website.
[158]Marina Beach, Chennai - One of the
Longest Beaches in the World.

External links
Tamil Nadu Government Website
Tamil Nadu at the Open Directory Project

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu"

Categories: Tamil Nadu, States and territories of India, States and territories established in
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