Tamil Nadu

Country

India

Continent

Asia

Best Cities to Visit

Rameshwaram
Yercaud
Kodaikanal
Ooty
Chennai

Size

130,058 KM²

Population

72,147,030

Spending Budget

$110 - $274

Famous For

Temples

Best Time to Visit

January
February
March
December

History

Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in the Indian peninsula. In Attirampakkam near Chennai, archaeologists from the Sharma Centre for Heritage Education excavated ancient stone tools, which suggest that a humanlike population existed in the Tamil Nadu region somewhere around 1,000 years before homo sapiens arrived from Africa. A Neolithic stone celt (a hand-held ax) with the Indus script was discovered at Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu. According to epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan, this was the first datable artifact bearing the Indus script in Tamil Nadu. According to Mahadevan, the find was evidence of the use of the Harappan language, and therefore that the "Neolithic people of the Tamil country spoke a Harappan language." The date of the celt was estimated at between 1500 BCE and 2000 BCE. The early history of the people and rulers of Tamil Nadu is a topic in Tamil literary sources known as Sangam literature. Numismatic, archaeological, and literary sources corroborate that the Sangam period lasted for about eight centuries, from 500 BCE to 300 CE. The recent excavations in Alagankulam archaeological site suggest that Alagankulam is one of the important trade centers or port cities of the Sangam Era. Ancient Tamil Nadu contained three monarchical states, headed by kings called Vendhar and several tribal chieftaincies, headed by the chiefs called by the general denomination Vel or Velir. Still lower at the local level, there were clan chiefs called kizhar or manner.

Present Day

Tamil Nadu is a state in southern India. Its capital and largest city are Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry and the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is bounded by the Eastern Ghats on the north, by the Nilgiri Mountains, the Meghamalai Hills, and Kerala on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait on the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean on the south. The state shares a maritime border with the nation of Sri Lanka. The region was ruled by several regimes, including the "three crowned rulers" – Chera, Chola, and Pandyan states, which shape the region's cuisine, culture, and architecture. After the fall of the Kingdom of Mysore, the British Colonial rule during the modern period led to the emergence of Chennai, then known as Madras, as a metropolitan city. Modern-day Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956 after the reorganization of states on linguistic lines. The state is home to several historic buildings, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, hill stations, and three World Heritage sites. Tamil Nadu is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth-largest by population. The economy of Tamil Nadu is the second-largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹21.6 trillion (US$300 billion) and has the country's 11th-highest GSDP per capita of ₹229,000 (US$3,200). It ranks 11th among all Indian states in the human development index. Tamil Nadu is the most urbanized state in India and one of the most industrialized states; the manufacturing sector accounts for more than one-third of the state's GDP. Its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world.

Future

The State of Tamil Nadu is directed to conduct a regular survey of sediment deposits in the rivers or reservoirs, anaicuts, lakes, ponds, etc., before undertaking the work of desilting of dredging as part of the maintenance of these water bodies," the bench said. The tribunal also directed Tamil Nadu to strictly permit river bed sand mining according to the provisions of EIA Notification, 2006 as amended from time to time and in compliance with Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020. It also asked the state of Tamil Nadu to have adequate control and monitoring mechanism of these activities for effective mining/desilting/dredging by providing all necessary infrastructure, including the technical assistance and technology available for this purpose. The State of Tamil Nadu is also directed to instruct the enforcement authorities to take stringent action against the persons who violate the norms and engage in illegal sand mining or other exploitation of the mines/minerals than the permitted quantity. The State of Tamil Nadu is also directed to have a permanent Expert Appraisal Committee in each District under the Chairmanship of District Collector with experts from the Mining Geology Department, PWD, Irrigation Department, and if necessary, an outside independent agency to carry out the work of conducting replenishment study and for preparation of District Survey Report in this regard and directions be issued to them to carry out these things in a regular manner well in advance before deciding to entrust the work of desilting or dredging or river sand mining to the concerned machinery.

Must Visit Places ------------

Brihadisvara Temple

Brihadishvara temple, also called Rajarajeswaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located on the South Bank of the Kaveri river Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest South Indian temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture. It is called Dakshina Meru (Meru of the south). Built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples," along with the Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple that are about 70 kilometers (43 mi) and 40 kilometers (25 mi) to its northeast respectively. The original monuments of this 11th-century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes, and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism and Vaishnavism, and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. The temple was damaged in its history, and some artwork is now missing. Additional mandapam and monuments were added in the centuries that followed. The temple now stands amidst fortified walls that were added after the 16th century.

Shore Temple

The Shore Temple (built-in 700–728 AD) is so named because it overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It is located near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, south India. It is a structural temple built with blocks of granite, dating from the 8th century AD. At the time of its creation, the site was a busy port during Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty. As one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. It is one of the oldest structural (versus rock-cut) stone temples of South India. Shore temple is a complex of temples and shrines. Marco Polo and the European merchants who came to Asia after he called the site Seven Pagodas. One of these is believed to be the Shore Temple. The temple probably acted as a landmark for the navigation of their ships. As it appears like a Pagoda, the name became familiar to the seafarers. This structural temple complex was the culmination of the architectural creations that were initiated by King Narasimhavarman II in mid 7th century, starting with the Cave temples and the monolithic Rathas. Even though the architectural creation of sculpturing cut-in and cut-out structures continued during subsequent periods, as seen in the Atiranachanda cave, the Pidari rathas, and the Tiger cave, the main credit for the architectural elegance of the Shore Temple complex in the category of structural temples goes to the King Rajasimha (700–28 AD), also known as Narasimhavarman II, of the Pallava Dynasty. It is now inferred that this temple complex was the last in a series of temples that seemed to exist in the submerged coastline; this is supported by the appearance of an outline of its sister temples off the coast during the Tsunami of 2004, which struck this coastline. The architecture of the Shore Temple was continued by the Cholas (in the temples that they built), who ruled Tamil Nadu after defeating the Pallavas.

Ranganathaswamy Temple

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha, a Supreme God, Maha Vishnu, located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in their Divya Prabhanda. It has the unique distinction of being the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to The Supreme God Vishnu. The Srirangam temple is the largest temple compound in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. Some of these structures have been renovated, expanded, and rebuilt over the centuries as a living temples. The latest addition is the outer tower, approximately 73 meters (240 ft)tall, completed in 1987. The Place Srirangpatna had the name of the Srirangapuri in the early ages. Later it got the name of the Srirangapatna. The town is an island being surrounded by the river Cauvery. In this town, there is the temple of Sri Ranganatha. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha, Sri Gangadereshwara, Sri Jyothirmaheshwara, and other small temples. Among them, the main temple is that of Sri Ranganatha. The inner apartment of SriRanganatha temple was built in 817 CE by a lady named Hambi, of the class of dancers in the year 894 CE.

Nilgiri Mountains

The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in western Tamil Nadu, India. At least 24 of the Nilgiri Mountains' peaks are above 2,000 meters (6,600 ft), the highest peak being Doddabetta, at 2,637 meters (8,652 ft). The Nilgiri Hills are separated from the Karnataka Plateau to the north by the Moyar River. Three national parks border portions of the Nilgiri mountains. Mudumalai National Park lies in the northern part of the range where Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu meet, covering 321 km². Mukurthi National Park lies in the southwest part of the range in Kerala, covering an area of 78.5 km², which includes intact shola-grassland mosaic, habitat for the Nilgiri Tahr. Silent Valley National Park lies just to the south and contiguous with those two parks, covering 89.52 km². The Nilgiri Hills are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (itself part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. and form a part of the protected bio reserves in India.

Hogenakkal Falls

Hogenakkal Falls is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river on the border between the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu and the Chamrajnagar district of Karnataka. It is located 127 km (79 mi) from Bangalore, 165 km (103 mi) from Kollegal, 147 km (91 mi) from Kolar, 152 km (94 mi) from Kolar Gold Fields, 46 km (29 mi), 181 km (112.46 mi) from Mysore, and 46 km (29 mi) from Dharmapuri. It is sometimes referred to as the "Niagara Falls of India," it is known for bathing areas and hired boat rides and as a major tourist attraction. Carbonatite rocks in this site are considered the oldest of their kind in South Asia and one of the oldest in the world. The Government of Tamil Nadu proposed converting the falls into providing drinking water for the state. The word Hogenakkal is formed of two Kannada words, hoge and Kal. When the waterfalls on the rocks, it appears as if he (smoke) is emanating from the top of the Kal (rock) because of the force of the water, hence Hogenakkal (smoking rocks). It is also called Marikottayam by the people of Tamil Nadu.

Thiruvalluvar Statue

The Thiruvalluvar Statue, or the Valluvar Statue, is a 41-meter-tall (133 ft) stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Valluvar, author of the Tirukkural, an ancient Tamil work on Dharmic and morality. It is located atop a small island near the town of Kanyakumari on the southernmost point of the Indian peninsula on the Coromandel Coast, where two seas (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) and an ocean (the Indian Ocean) meet. The statue was sculpted by the Indian sculptor V. Ganapati Sthapati, who also created the Iraivan Temple, and was unveiled on the millennium day of 1 January 2000 by the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. It is currently the 25th tallest statue in India. The combined height of the statue and pedestal is 133 feet (41 meters), denoting the 133 chapters of the Tirukkural. This includes 95 feet (29 meters) sculpture of Valluvar standing upon a 38 feet (12 meters) pedestal representing the 38 chapters of Virtue, the first of the three books of the Kural text. The statue itself represents the second and third books of the Kural text, namely, Wealth and Love. The whole design signifies that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue