Tamil Nadu, 'The Land of Tamils' or 'Tamil Country') is 11th largest and sixth most populous state in India. Its capital and largest city are Chennai (formerly known as Madras). It covers an area of 130,058 km2 (50,216 sq mi), and lies in the Southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula 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, the Anamalai Hills, and Kerala on the West, 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 southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is Kanyakumari which is the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. The state shares a maritime border with the nation of Sri Lanka.
The state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human Development Index in 2011, with the second-largest state economy after Maharashtra with ₹13,842 billion in GDP. Its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world.
Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, Historic buildings and religious sites include Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Indian Angiosperm diversity comprises 17,672 species with Tamil Nadu leading all states in the country, with 5640 species accounting for 1/3 of the total flora of India. This includes 1559 species of medicinal plants, 533 endemic species, 260 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants and 230 red-listed species.
Tamil Nadu is home to five declared National parks located in Annamalai, Mudumalai, Mukurithi, Gulf of Mannar and Guindy located in the center of Chennai city. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Mukurthi National Park, and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are the tiger reserves in the state. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve has the largest elephant population in India. Besides these bio-reserves, there are many state and central run wildlife sanctuaries for tiger, elephant, and birds.
Tamil Nadu is subdivided into 32 districts, Districts are further divided into 226 Taluks administrated by Tahsildars comprising 1127 Revenue blocks.
The districts are:
Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of the Madras Presidency prior to Indian independence. The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the Indian National Congress (INC). Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916.
Classical arts, classical music, and classical literature have existed for over 2000 years. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from 300 BC-AD 300. It is the oldest Indian literature amongst all others. The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 3rd century BC. The most celebrated dances are the karakattam. In its religious form, it 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 performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu 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 Mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist; ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; poikkal kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; manattam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; paraiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Prior to the colonial period, it was performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis. This form is also been called sadir or chinna melam.
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 widely celebrated festivals throughout Tamil Nadu, which has historically been an agricultural state and is a leading producer of agricultural products in India.
Tamil Nadu State
The state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human Development Index in 2011, with the second-largest state economy after Maharashtra with ₹13,842 billion in GDP. Its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world.
Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, Historic buildings and religious sites include Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Indian Angiosperm diversity comprises 17,672 species with Tamil Nadu leading all states in the country, with 5640 species accounting for 1/3 of the total flora of India. This includes 1559 species of medicinal plants, 533 endemic species, 260 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants and 230 red-listed species.
Tamil Nadu is home to five declared National parks located in Annamalai, Mudumalai, Mukurithi, Gulf of Mannar and Guindy located in the center of Chennai city. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Mukurthi National Park, and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are the tiger reserves in the state. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve has the largest elephant population in India. Besides these bio-reserves, there are many state and central run wildlife sanctuaries for tiger, elephant, and birds.
Districts of TamilNadu State
The districts are:
Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of the Madras Presidency prior to Indian independence. The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the Indian National Congress (INC). Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916.
Classical arts, classical music, and classical literature have existed for over 2000 years. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from 300 BC-AD 300. It is the oldest Indian literature amongst all others. The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 3rd century BC. The most celebrated dances are the karakattam. In its religious form, it 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 performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu 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 Mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist; ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; poikkal kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; manattam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; paraiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Prior to the colonial period, it was performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis. This form is also been called sadir or chinna melam.
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 widely celebrated festivals throughout Tamil Nadu, which has historically been an agricultural state and is a leading producer of agricultural products in India.
