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| Tamil Nadu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — State — | |||
| |||
| Motto: Truth alone Triumphs | |||
| Anthem: Invocation to Goddess Tamil | |||
 | |||
 | |||
| Coordinates: 13.09°N 80.27°ECoordinates: 13.09°N 80.27°E | |||
| Country |  India | ||
| Established | 26 January 1950† | ||
| Capital | Chennai | ||
| Largest cities | Chennai,Madurai,Coimbatore | ||
| Districts | 32 total | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Konijeti Rosaiah | ||
| • Chief Minister | Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) | ||
| • Legislature | Unicameral (234 seats) | ||
| • Chief Justice | M. Yusuf Eqbal | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 130,058 km2 (50,216 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 11th | ||
| Population (2011)[1] | |||
| • Total | 72,138,958 | ||
| • Rank | 7th | ||
| • Density | 550/km2 (1,400/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | IN-TN | ||
| HDI |  0.736 (medium) | ||
| HDI rank | 10th (2006)[2] | ||
| Literacy | 93.3% (2nd) | ||
| Official languages | Tamil தமிழ் | ||
| Website | tn.gov.in | ||
| ^† Established in 1773; Madras State was formed in 1950 and renamed as Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969[3] | |||
Tamil Nadu /ˈtæmɨl ˈnɑːduː/ (Tamiḻ Nāṭu [t̪amɨɭ naːɖɯ] (
listen)) is one of the 28states of India. Its capital is Chennai, the largest city. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory ofPondicherry, 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.
listen)) is one of the 28states of India. Its capital is Chennai, the largest city. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory ofPondicherry, 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. It is the second largest state economy in India as of 2012[4][5], after overtaking Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in the two years since 2010 when it was the fourth largest[6] contributer to India's GDP. The state ranked among the top 5 states in India in Human Development Index as of 2006.[2] Tamil Nadu is also the most urbanised state in India.[7] The state has the highest number (10.56%) of business enterprises and stands second in total employment (9.97%) in India,[8]compared to the population share of about 6%.
The region has been the home of the Tamil people since at least 500 BCE. Its official language Tamil has been in use in inscriptions and literature for over 2000 years.[9]Tamil Nadu is home to many natural resources, Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and eightUNESCO World Heritage Sites.[10][11]
Contents[hide] |
[edit]History
Main article: History of Tamil Nadu
[edit]Prehistory
Tamil Nadu's history dates back to pre-historic times. Archaeological evidence points to this area (In places like Adhichanallur,Tirunelveli) being one of the longest continuous habitations in India.[12] In Adichanallur, 24 km (15 mi) 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.[13] The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is "very rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.[14]Adichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.[15] About 60% of the total epigraphical inscriptions found by ASI in India are from Tamil Nadu and most of which are in Tamil language.[16] Geologists have discovered hundreds of fossilised dinosaur eggs, perhaps 65 million years old, underneath a stream in a tiny village in Ariyalur district.[17]Researchers from the Salem-based Periyar University believe that the clusters of eggs belonged to the aggressive Carnosaur and the leaf-eating Sauropoda.[18]
[edit]Early History (Sangam Period- 300BCE-300AD)
Main article: Sangam period
Early history of people and rulers of Tamil Nadu spotlighted by Tamil literature known asSangam literature. Numismatic, archaeological and literature sources corroborate thatSangam period lasted for about six centuries spanning 300 BCE – 300 CE. Three dynasties namely Chera, Chola and Pandya ruled the whole of present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. TheChera ruled the whole of present day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu comprisingCoimbatore, Karur, Salem and Erode districts from the capital of Vanchi Muthur (thought to be modern day Karur). Chola dynasty ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu fromUraiyur as capital and Pandya dynasty ruled the southern Tamil Nadu from Korkai andMadurai as capital. All three dynasties had extensive trade relationship with then known ancient kingdoms of Rome, Greece, Egypt, Ceylon, Phoenicia, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. Trade flourished with commodities like spices, ivory, pearls, beads and gems. Chera traded extensively from Muziris in the west coast, Chola from Arikamedu and Puharand Pandya through Korkai port. The greeko-roman trade and travel document Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 60–100 CE) gives an elaborate description of the Tamil country and its ports. The Kalabhras, invaded and displaced the three Tamil kingdoms and ruled between the third and the seventh centuries CE of the Sangam period. This is referred to as the Dark Age in Tamil history. They were expelled by the Pallavas and the Pandyas in sixth century.
[edit]Medieval Period (600–1300)
During Kalabhras' rule Jainism flourished in the land of the Tamils. The didactic work Naaladiyar was composed during their reign. It consists of moral sayings in the venpa meter, 400 in number in 40 chapters, each by one Jain ascetic, according to tradition. Following in the tradition of Jainism, Naaladiyar emphasises virtues such as control of the senses, asceticism, renunciation, and other desirable social qualities.
During the forth to eighth centuries century CE, Tamil Nadu saw the rise of the Pallavasunder Mahendravarman I and his son Mamalla Narasimhavarman I and his uncleBodhidharma.[19] Pallavas ruled a large portion of South India with Kanchipuram as their capital. Dravidian architecture reached its peak during the Pallava rule. Narasimhavarman IIbuilt the Shore Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pallavas were replaced by the Cholas as the dominant kingdom in the 10th century C.E. and they in turn were replaced by Pandyas in the 13th century C.E. The Pandyan capital Madurai was in the deep south away from the coast. They had extensive trade links with the Southeast Asian maritime empires of Srivijaya and their successors, as well as contacts, even formal diplomatic contacts, reaching as far as the Roman Empire. During the 13th century C.E.Marco Polo mentioned the Pandyas as the richest empire in existence. Temples such as theMeenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai and Nellaiappar Temple at Tirunelveli are the best examples of Pandyan temple architecture.[20][21] The Pandyas excelled in both trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the South Indian coast, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls in the known ancient world.
The Cholas who were very active during the Sangam age were entirely absent during the first few centuries.[22] The period started with the rivalry between the Pandyas and the Pallavas, which in turn caused the revival of the Cholas. The Cholas went on to becoming a great power. Their decline saw the brief resurgence of the Pandyas. This period was also that of the re-invigorated Hinduism during which temple building and religious literature were at their best.[23]
[edit]Chola Empire
Main article: Chola dynasty
By the 9th century, during the times of the second Chola monarch Aditya I, his sonParantaka I, Parantaka Chola II itself the Chola empire had expanded into what is now interior Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka, while under the great Rajaraja Chola and his sonRajendra 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 3,600,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi). Rajaraja Chola conquered all of peninsular South India and parts of the Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went even further, occupying coasts from Burma (now Myanmar) to Vietnam,[24] theAndaman 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 itGangaikonda Cholapuram. Nearby this chola capital an sculptural carving temple is located at Melakadambur, which is supposedly the only Karakkoil in Tamil Nadu.
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."[25] Another example is Annamalaiyar Temple located at the city of Tiruvannamalai and the Chidambaram Temple in the heart of the temple town of Chidambaram. Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola period is said to be the golden period of Tamil Nadu, and under them the Chola empire rose to be one of the most powerful empires in all of South India. With the decline of the Cholas between 1230 and 1280 CE, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again, underMaravarman Sundara Pandya and his younger brother, the celebrated Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan.
This revival was short-lived as the Pandya capital of Madurai itself was sacked by Alauddin Khilji's troops under General Malik Kafur in 1316. The Muslim invasion led to the establishment of the short lived Madurai Sultanate.[26]
[edit]Vijayanagar and Nayak period (1336–1646)
Main article: Vijayanagara Empire
These Muslim invasions triggered the establishment of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country by c. 1370 CE which ruled for almost two centuries till the defeat at the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by the Deccan sultanates. Subsequently, as the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, many local kings succeeded to the throne of Vijayanagara with the result that its grip loosened over its feudatories among whom the Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjore were among the first to declare their independence, despite initially maintaining loose links with the Vijayanagara kingdom."[20] 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.
[edit]Rule of Nawabs and Nizams (1692–1801)
In the early 18th century, the eastern parts of Tamil Nadu came under the dominions of theNizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of the Carnatic. While Wallajah was supported by the English, Chanda Shahib was supported by the French by the middle of the 18th century. In the late 18th century, the western parts of Tamil Nadu, came under the dominions of Hyder Ali and later Tipu Sultan, particularly with their victory in the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
[edit]European rule (1801–1947)
Main article: Madras Presidency
Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat, while the Danish had their establishment in Tranquebar (Tharangambadi). In 1639, the British, under the British East India Company, established a settlement further south of Pulicat, in present day Chennai. In the late 18th century, the British fought and reduced the French dominions in India toPondicherry. Nizams of Hyderabad and the Nawabs of the Carnatic bestowed tax revenue collection rights on the East India Company for defeating the Kingdom of Mysore. After winning the Polygar wars, the East India Company consolidated most of southern India into the Madras Presidency coterminous with the dominions of Nizam of Hyderabad. Pudukkottairemained as a princely state.
[edit]Tamil Nadu in independent India (1947 -)
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, South Canara district Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Tamil country.
[edit]Geography
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 northwest and Andhra Pradesh to the north. To the east is the Bay of Bengal and the union territory of Pondicherry. 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. TheWestern Ghats and the Eastern Ghats and they both meet at the Nilgiri hills.[27] 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 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 910 kilometres (600 mi) which is the country’s third longest coastline. Tamil Nadu's coastline bore the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it hit India, which caused 7,793 direct deaths in the state.[28] 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.[29]
[edit]Climate
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:
- advancing monsoon period, South West monsoon from June to September, with strong southwest winds;
- North East monsoon from October to December, with dominant northeast winds;
- dry season from January to May.
The normal annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in) 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.[30]
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.[31]
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[edit]Governance and administration
Main articles: Government of Tamil Nadu and Legislature of Tamil Nadu
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 are Konijeti Rosaiah, J. Jayalalitha and M. Y. Eqbal respectively.[33]Administratively the state is divided into 32 districts. It has 10 city corporations, 125 municipalities, 529 town panchayats and 12,524 village panchayats.[34][35] Chennai(formerly known as Madras) is the state capital. It is the fourth largest city in India and is also one of the eight Metropolitan cities of India. The state comprises 39 Lok Sabhaconstituencies and 234 Legislative Assembly constituencies.
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 AIADMK led alliance came to power in 2011 and consists of a council of 33 ministers, headed by the Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha. The Tamil Nadu legislative assembly is housed at the Fort St. George in Chennai. The state had come under the President's rule 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.
The local administration is divided into revenue administration and developmental administration. Revenue Divisions of Tamil Naduprovides the Revenue divisions and Taluks of Tamil Nadu. These administrative units are classified based on the district. Each of the 32 districts in Tamil Nadu is divided into divisions, which are further divided to Taluks.[36] Each of these Taluks have a list of revenue villages under them. Tahsildar is the head of these Taluks. Developmental administration, in contrast, is carried out by Panchayat Unions (called blocks) in rural areas. These panchayat unions have a set of panchayat villages under them. In urban areas, the governance is done by municipal corporations, municipalities or town panchayats based on the size of the town.[36] Tamil Nadu has 10 municipal corporations: Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Vellore, Tirunelveli, Erode, Tirupur and Thoothukudi.
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.[37] 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 personnel in the country.[38] As of 2003, the state had a total police population ratio of 1:668, higher than the national average of 1:717. The current Director General of Police (law and order) of Tamil Nadu is K. Ramanujan.[39]
[edit]Districts
Main article: Districts of Tamil Nadu
The 32 districts of Tamil Nadu are listed below with the numbers corresponding to those in the image at right.
| District | Headquarters | Area | Population (2011) | Pop density | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ariyalur | Ariyalur | 1,944 km³ | 752,481 | 387 /km² |
| 2 | Chennai | Chennai | 174 km² | 4,681,087 | 26,903 /km² |
| 3 | Coimbatore | Coimbatore | 4,642 km² | 3,472,578 | 748 /km² |
| 4 | Cuddalore | Cuddalore | 3,705 km² | 2,600,880 | 702 /km² |
| 5 | Dharmapuri | Dharmapuri | 4,527 km² | 1,502,900 | 332 /km² |
| 6 | Dindigul | Dindigul | 6,054 km² | 2,161,367 | 357 /km² |
| 7 | Erode | Erode | 5,692 km² | 2,259,608 | 397 /km² |
| 8 | Kanchipuram | Kanchipuram | 4,305 km² | 3,990,897 | 927 /km² |
| 9 | Kanyakumari | Nagercoil | 1,685 km² | 1,863,174 | 1,106 /km² |
| 10 | Karur | Karur | 2,902 km² | 1,076,588 | 371 /km² |
| 11 | Krishnagiri | Krishnagiri | 5,091 km² | 1,883,731 | 370 /km² |
| 12 | Madurai | Madurai | 3,695 km² | 3,041,038 | 823 /km² |
| 13 | Nagapattinam | Nagapattinam | 2,416 km² | 1,614,069 | 668 /km² |
| 14 | Namakkal | Namakkal | 3,402 km² | 1,721,179 | 506 /km² |
| 15 | Nilgiris | Udagamandalam | 2,552 km² | 735,071 | 288 /km² |
| 16 | Perambalur | Perambalur | 1,748 km² | 564,511 | 323 /km² |
| 17 | Pudukkottai | Pudukkottai | 4,652 km² | 1,618,725 | 348 /km² |
| 18 | Ramanathapuram | Ramanathapuram | 4,180 km² | 1,337,560 | 320 /km² |
| 19 | Salem | Salem | 5,249 km² | 3,480,008 | 663 /km² |
| 20 | Sivaganga | Sivaganga | 4,140 km² | 1,341,250 | 324 /km² |
| 21 | Thanjavur | Thanjavur | 3,477 km² | 2,402,781 | 691 /km² |
| 22 | Theni | Theni | 2,872 km² | 1,243,684 | 433 /km² |
| 23 | Thoothukudi | Thoothukudi | 4,599 km² | 1,738,376 | 378 /km² |
| 24 | Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 4,508 km² | 2,713,858 | 602 /km² |
| 25 | Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli | 6,709 km² | 3,072,880 | 458 /km² |
| 26 | Tirupur | Tirupur | 5,192 km² | 2,471,222 | 476 /km² |
| 27 | Tiruvallur | Tiruvallur | 3,552 km² | 3,725,697 | 1,049 /km² |
| 28 | Tiruvannamalai | Tiruvannamalai | 6,188 km² | 3,468,965 | 654 /km² |
| 29 | Tiruvarur | Tiruvarur | 2,379 km² | 1,268,094 | 533 /km² |
| 30 | Vellore | Vellore | 6,081 km² | 3,928,106 | 646 /km² |
| 31 | Viluppuram | Viluppuram | 7,185 km² | 3,463,284 | 482 /km² |
| 32 | Virudhunagar | Virudhunagar | 4,280 km² | 1,943,309 | 454 /km² |
List of top ten cities having population of one lakh and above as per 2011 Census:[40]
+ +
| 6 | Pallavaram | Pallavaram | 216.30 |
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