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Travel Guide ––» Tamil Nadu Travel Guide
Tamil Nadu Travel Guide
Tamil
Nadu, the heart of the Dravidian culture and tradition, has for time immemorial,
been a pioneer of peace and knowledge, and the visual legacy of the culture
of the state, is among the most satisfying spectacles in India.
Sharing boundaries with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala,
Tamil Nadu has an unbroken coast line, edging the Bay of Bengal.
Densely forested uplands which abound in wildlife, intensively cultivated farmlands
interspersed with rocky wastes, mountain chains of the Western Ghats, which
give way to fertile coastal plains and plateaus form the geographical features
of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Fairs & Festivals
PONGAL FESTIVAL
Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. People extend their tribute to
the Sun, Nature and the Cattle wealth for helping them with a rich harvest and
Prosperity.
The traditional preparation of 'Pongal' i.e. boiling rice with jaggery and milk,
takes place at every home.
The
tourist offices will organise celebrations for the benefit of foreign and domestic
tourists. This thanks- giving festival is celebrated on the first day of the
Tamil Month Thai (Middle Of January).
History of Tamil Nadu
The History of the Tamils presents an exciting pageant of a powerful civilization
whose origin dates back to ancient times. It is clear that the Tamils, who belong
to the Dravidian race, were the first major occupants of the country and settled
in the north-western part of India long before the coming of the Indo-Aryans.
Excavations have revealed that the features of the people of the Indus Valley
Civilization bore a strong resemblance to this race.
However, with the advent of the Aryans, the Dravidians were pushed back into
the deep south where they ultimately settled.
As is the case with most of the early history of the state, it is impossible
to pin-point the exact period, when the great Tamil Sangam (Academy) flourished,
though it can be said with some certainty that two Sangams were held well before
the Christian era and the third between 100 and 250 AD.
The Tamil Sangam, which marks the Golden Age of Tamil literature is the one
major source of knowledge about the administration, art, architecture and economic
conditions that existed then. Among some of the greatest compositions of the
four centuries of Sangam age are Tiruvalluvar's Thirukkural which consists of
1330 couplets about morality in private and public life combined with some of
life's greatest truths, compositions of the saint-poetess Avviayar, Pathupatu
or ten Idylls which is a compilation of the work of several authors on philosophy,
intermingled with descriptions of the natural world and Ettuthogai or the eight
anthologies.
Of these, the last is historically the most important as it contains a description
of the daily life of the people. This collection of poems is the earliest record
of its kind as far as the history of the Tamils is concerned.
Even after the end of the Sangam age, Tamil writers, under the patronage of
Royal Dynasties, continued to produce excellent literature like the two Tamil
epics Silapathikaram written between 200 - 300 AD by Ilango Adigal, the son
of a Chera King, and Manimekalai by Sattanar also written between the 2nd and
3rd century AD. Both contain vivid descriptions of life during their times.
Over the ages, the south was to see other great poets like the Nayanmars and
the Alwars and, later, the poet Kamban who composed the Tamil version of Ramayana.
The Pallavas ruled between the 6th and 8th century AD over a large portion of
Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. Their reign was marked by battles
with the Chalukyas of the north and the Pandyas of the south. Among the greatest
Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman-l and his son Narasimhavarman.
Among the famous temples built by the Pallavas are the temples of Kanchipuram,
the Kapaliswarar and Parthasarathy temples at Chennai, and last but not the
least, the magnificent poetry in rock and stone at Mamallapuram.
Kanchi has been described extensively by the Chinese traveller Huan Tsu Ang
who visited the city in the middle of the 6th century AD, and according to him
it was a major centre of learning. Among its more famous citizens was Dharmapala,
the Vice-Chancellor of the Nalanda University.
Quite probably the most ancient of the dynasties of the south, the Cholas had
their headquarters first at Uraiyur and later at Thanjavur and ruled over most
of modern Tamil Nadu.
