Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu - one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai.

It is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry, and the states of 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 and the seventh most populous state. The region has been the home of the Tamil people. Its official language is Tamil. Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Food of Tamil Nadu

Chettinad food, typically served on a banana leaf Tamil food is basically South Indian cuisine, where rice and rice-derived dishes form the major portion of a diet. Sub-varieties are Chettinadu, Kongunadu, Madurai, Tirunelveli varieties etc. Food is served on a banana leaf and eaten with the right hand. Rice is eaten mixed with Sambhar, vegetarian or non-vegetarian Kulambu, Rasam, Curd and Buttermilk. This is accompanied with various vegetarian and/or non-vegetarian dishes like Kootu, Aviyal, Poriyal, Appalam, Varuval, Peratal, Kothsu, varieties of Pickles and Chicken / Mutton / Fish fry. Breakfast items include Dosai, Adai, Idly, Vadai, Pongal, Appam, Paniyaram, Puttu, Uppumavu, Noodles, Idiyappam and Uthappam. These items are eaten along with Sambar, varieties of Chatni and Podi. Traditionally prepared Filter Coffee is unique in taste and popular all over the state. The Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine, while Ambur, Dindigal and Sankarankoil are known for their Biriyani. Sweet items are Athirasam, Chakkarai Pongal and Kuli Paniyaram.

Languages
Tamil is the only official language of Tamil Nadu. English is also in common usage as an official language of India. The Tamil people regard their language a very important part of their cultural identity.Tamil is spoken by 89.43% of the population.

Culture & Dance:

Kolam - a Traditional culture of the Tamil people

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.

Meenakshi Amman Temple complex in Madurai, one of the grandest Hindu temples in India About 88% of the population identifies as Hindu and Tamil Nadu is the home of the core schools of medieval and modern Hinduism as well as several non-mainstream Hindu movements.

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni, a Christian pilgrimage centre

Erwadi dargah in Ramanathapuram District, a major pilgrimage center of Muslims in Tamil Nadu. Christians and Muslims together form over 11% of the population.

Festivals

A bull tamed by a Tamil youth at Alanganallur, Madurai

Thungapuram Ayyanar car festival Pongal, or Tamizhar Thirunaal in Tamil Nadu or Makara Sankranti elsewhere in India, a four-day harvest festival is one of the most widely celebrated festivals throughout Tamil Nadu. 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. Apart from these, 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 and are these festivals are related to the goddess Maariyamman (Mother goddess of rain). Other major Hindu festivals including Deepavali , Ayudha Poojai, Dasara, Krishna Jayanthi and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated.

Music

Nadhaswaram and Thavil players Music in Tamil Nadu had different forms. In villages, sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. Popular forms of Tamil folk music include the Villuppu, a form of music performed with a bow, and the Nuppu ppu. Carnatic music is the classical music form of Southern India.

In terms of modern cine-music, Ilaiyaraaja was the most prominent composer of film music in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s.

Dance

A Bharatanatyam dancer Tamils have a large number of folk dances. These are done to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, weddings and festivals. Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. Practiced by male and female dancers all over India. Terukkuttu or Kattaikkuttu is a traditional form of Tamil street theatre folk dance/drama.