Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state located in the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, bordering Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the northwest, Andhra Pradesh to the north, and the union territory of Puducherry at several points along its eastern coast. The state covers an area of approximately 130,058 square kilometres and is bounded to the east and south by the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean respectively. Tamil Nadu was formally constituted on 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, though it was reorganised along linguistic lines and renamed from Madras State to Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969.

Geography

Tamil Nadu's terrain is diverse, encompassing coastal plains, the Eastern Ghats in the north and east, and the higher ranges of the Western Ghats along its western border. The Nilgiri Hills, part of the Western Ghats, contain Ooty (Udhagamandalam), a prominent hill station. The Kaveri (Cauvery) river, one of the major sacred rivers of South India, flows through the state and has historically supported intensive agriculture, particularly rice cultivation, in the fertile delta region known as the Kaveri Delta or the granary of South India. Other significant rivers include the Palar, the Vaigai, and the Tamiraparani. The coastline stretches for approximately 1,076 kilometres, making it the second-longest state coastline in India.

History

Ancient and Medieval Period

The region now constituting Tamil Nadu has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years and is associated with some of the oldest Dravidian literary traditions in the world. The Sangam period (roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE) produced an extensive body of classical Tamil poetry dealing with themes of love, war, and nature, and is regarded as one of the great classical literary traditions of antiquity. The region was ruled successively by powerful dynasties including the Chola dynasty, the Pandya dynasty, and the Chera dynasty, whose territories collectively spanned much of South India and, at their height, reached into Southeast Asia. The Chola Empire in particular, during the reign of rulers such as Rajaraja Chola I (985–1014 CE) and Rajendra Chola I (1014–1044 CE), extended its influence across the Indian Ocean as far as the Malay Peninsula and parts of the Indonesian archipelago.

Colonial Period

European contact began in earnest in the 16th century, when Portuguese traders established footholds along the Coromandel Coast. The British East India Company founded Fort St. George at Madras (present-day Chennai) in 1644, which became the administrative centre of the Madras Presidency. The region remained the heart of British administration in South India until Indian independence in 1947. French colonial presence was established at Pondicherry (now Puducherry), which remained a French territory until 1954.

Post-Independence

Following independence, the State Reorganisation Act of 1956 redrew state boundaries along linguistic lines, giving the Madras State a largely Tamil-speaking population. The state was officially renamed Tamil Nadu — meaning Land of the Tamils — in 1969 under Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai's Dravidian movement legacy, led at that time by M. Karunanidhi. The state has since been dominated politically by two Dravidian parties: the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), founded by M. G. Ramachandran in 1972.

Culture

Tamil Nadu is a stronghold of Dravidian culture, distinguished by its classical Tamil language — one of the longest continuously used classical languages in the world — and its tradition of Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam dance, and Dravidian-style temple architecture. The great temples of Tamil Nadu, including the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai, and the Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, are among the largest and most architecturally significant Hindu temples in existence. The Tamil film industry, known as Kollywood, is one of the largest film industries in India by output.

Economy

Tamil Nadu is one of India's most economically developed states. Its economy is driven by manufacturing, information technology, automobile production, textiles, and agriculture. The state hosts major automobile manufacturers and is sometimes referred to as the Detroit of Asia owing to the concentration of vehicle production around Chennai and Hosur. The information technology sector, centred in Chennai, contributes significantly to the state's gross domestic product. Agriculture, particularly rice, sugarcane, bananas, and coconuts, remains important in rural areas. Tamil Nadu consistently ranks among the top Indian states in terms of GDP and human development indices, though exact figures are subject to annual revision.

Demographics and Language

The population of Tamil Nadu, according to the 2011 Census of India, was approximately 72.1 million, making it the sixth most populous state in the country. The population figure for subsequent years is an estimate, as the next census was delayed. Tamil is the official language and the mother tongue of the large majority of the population. The state also has communities speaking Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu. Tamil was declared a Classical Language of India in 2004, the first language to receive this designation.

See also

• Dravidian languages
• Sangam literature
• Chola dynasty
• Chennai
• Bharatanatyam
• Kollywood