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Tamil Nadu
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Tamil Nadu
State
Official logo of Tamil Nadu
Emblem of Tamil Nadu
Anthem: "Tamil Thai Valthu"#
Location of Tamil Nadu in India
Location of Tamil Nadu in India
Coordinates: 13.09N 80.27ECoordinates: 13.09N 80.27E
Country India
Formation 26 January 1950
Capital Chennai
Districts 32
Government
Body Government of Tamil Nadu
Governor Banwarilal Purohit
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Chief Justice Indira Banerjee
Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan IAS[1]
Director General of Police T. K. Rajendran IPS[2]
Area
Total 130,060 km2 (50,220 sq mi)
Area rank 11th
Population (2011)[3]
Total 72,147,030
Rank 6th
Density 550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code IN-TN
HDI Increase 0.570 (medium)[4]
HDI rank 6th (2015)[5]
Literacy 80.33% (2011)[6]
Official languages Tamil and English[7]
Website www.tn.gov.in
^# Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem, while "Invocation to Tamil Mother" is the
state song/anthem.
^ Established in 1773; Madras State was formed in 1950 and renamed as Tamil Nadu
on 14 January 1969[8]
^^ Tamil is the official language of the state. English is declared as an
additional official language for communication purposes.[7]
Symbols
Emblem TamilNadu Logo.svgSrivilliputhur Andal temple
Language Word Tamil.svgTamil
Song Neerarum Kadaludutha.jpg "Invocation to Goddess Tamil"
Dance Bharathanatyam By Ranjitha.jpgBharathanattiyam
Animal Niltahr.jpgNilgiri tahr
Bird Emerald dove444.jpgEmerald dove
Flower Gloriosa Superba.jpgGloriosa lily
Tree Palm Tamil Nadu.jpgPalm tree
Sport A Kabaddi match at 2006 Asian Games.jpgKabaddi
Tamil Nadu (Tamil pronunciation: [t?ami? n?a??u] (About this sound listen); Tami?
Na?u; literally 'The Land of Tamils' or 'Tamil Country') is one of the 29 states of
India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai (formerly known as Madras). Tamil
Nadu[9] 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, 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.

Tamil Nadu is the eleventh-largest state in India by area and the sixth-most
populous. The state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human
Development Index in 2011, and is the second largest state economy in India with ?
13,842 billion (US$220 billion) in gross domestic product after Maharashtra.[5][10]
[11] Tamil Nadu was ranked as one of the top seven developed states in India based
on a "Multidimensional Development Index" in a 2013 report published by the Reserve
Bank of India.[12] 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. In addition, its people have
developed and continue classical arts, classical music, and classical literature.
The state is also home to a number of historic buildings and religious sites
including Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, historic hill stations, multi-
religious pilgrimage sites, and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[13][14]

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Prehistory
1.2 Indus valley script between 2000 and 1500 BCE
1.3 Sangam period (300 BCE 300 CE)
1.4 Bhakti Movement
1.5 Medieval period (6001300)
1.5.1 Chola Empire
1.6 Vijayanagar and Nayak period (13361646)
1.7 Power struggles of the 18th century (16921801)
1.8 During British rule (18011947)
1.9 India (1947present)
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
3 Flora and fauna
4 National and state parks
5 Governance and administration
6 Administrative subdivisions
7 Politics
7.1 Pre-Independence
7.2 Post-Independence
8 Demographics
9 Religion
10 Language
11 Education
12 Culture
12.1 Literature
12.2 Festivals and traditions
12.3 Music
12.4 Art and dance
12.5 Film industry
12.6 Television industry
12.7 Cuisine
13 Economy
13.1 Agriculture
13.2 Textiles and leather
13.3 Automobiles
13.4 Heavy industries and engineering
13.5 Electronics and software
14 Infrastructure
14.1 Transport
14.1.1 Road
14.1.2 Rail
14.1.3 Airports
14.1.4 Seaport
14.2 Energy
15 Sports
16 Tourism
17 See also
18 Notes
19 References
20 External links
History
Main article: History of Tamil Nadu
Prehistory
Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous
habitations in the Indian peninsula.[15] In Adichanallur, 24 km (15 mi) from
Tirunelveli, archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed
169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons, bones, husks, grains of rice,
charred rice and celts of the Neolithic period, 3,800 years ago.[16] The ASI
archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is "very
rudimentary" Tamil Brahmi.[17] Adichanallur has been announced as an archaeological
site for further excavation and studies.[18] About 60 per cent of the total
epigraphical inscriptions found by the ASI in India are from Tamil Nadu, and most
of these are in the Tamil language.[19][20][21][22] [23][24][25][26][27]

A new study of Indigenous Australian DNA suggests there was some form of migration
from India to Australia about 4,000 years ago.[28] Genetic evidence suggests that
just over 4 millennia ago a group of Indian travellers landed in Australia and
stayed. The evidence emerged a few years ago after a group of Aboriginal mens Y
chromosomes matched with Y chromosomes typically found in Indian men. The study
found a pattern of SNPs that is found in genetics of Dravidian speakers from South
India. [29] [30] [31] [32]

Indus valley script between 2000 and 1500 BCE

A Neolithic stone celt (a hand-held axe) with the Indus script on it was discovered
at Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu. According to epigraphist
Iravatham Mahadevan, this was the first datable artefact bearing the Indus script
to be found in Tamil Nadu. Mahadevan claimed that the find was evidence of the use
of the Harappan language, and therefore that the "Neolithic people of the Tamil
country spoke a Tamil language". The date of the celt was estimated at between 1500
BCE and 2000 BCE.[33]

Sangam period (300 BCE 300 CE)

Main articles: Sangam period, Tamilakam, and Sangam landscape

Sage Agastya father of Tamil literature, Sangam period

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 six centuries,
from 300 BC to AD 300. The recent excavations in Alagankulam archaeological site
suggests that Alagankulam is one of the important trade centre or port city in
Sangam Era.[34]

Three dynasties, namely the Chera, Chola and Pandya, ruled the area of present-day
Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Chera ruled the whole of present-day Kerala and parts of
western Tamil Nadu comprising Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Karur, Salem and Erode
districts from the capital of Vanchi Muthur (thought to be modern day Karur). The
Chola dynasty ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu from their
capital, Uraiyur; and the Pandya dynasty ruled southern Tamil Nadu, from capitals
at Korkai and Madurai.

All three dynasties had extensive trade relationships with Rome, Greece, Egypt,
Ceylon, Phoenicia, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. Trade flourished in commodities
such as spices, ivory, pearls, beads and gems. Chera traded extensively from
Muziris on the west coast, Chola from Arikamedu and Puhar and Pandya through Korkai
port. A Greco-Roman trade and travel document, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
(c. AD 60 100) gives a description of the Tamil country and its ports.

Besides these three dynasties, the Sangam era Tamilakam (Tamil homeland) was also
divided into various provinces named 'nadu', meaning 'country'. Sangam literature
refers these provinces as "koduntamil mandalam" which were not exactly political or
socio-cultural units but linguistic agglomerations like Kongu Nadu, Puzhinadu,
Thondai Nadu, Nanjilnadu, Ay Nadu and Venadu.

Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, the three Tamil kingdoms were overwhelmed by
the Kalabhras. The period of their rule is sometimes referred to as the "Dark Age"
in Tamil history and little is known about it. The Kalabhras were expelled by the
Pallavas, Mutharaiyar, Badami Chalukyas and Pandyas in the 6th century.

Bhakti Movement
Main article: Bhakti Movement

Sambandar, one of the sixty-three Nayanars, (Bhakti Movement)

The Bhakti movement originated in Tamil speaking region of south India and spread
northwards through India. The Bhakti Movement was a rapid growth of bhakti
beginning in this region with the Saiva Nayanars (4th10th centuries)[35] and the
Vaisnava Alvars who spread bhakti poetry and devotion.[35][36] The Alwars and
Nayanmars were instrumental in propagating the Bhakti tradition.

Medieval period (6001300)

Kallanai or Grand Anicut, an ancient dam built on the Kaveri River in

Tiruchirappalli by Karikala Chola around the 2nd century AD[37][38][39][40]

Shore Temple built by the Pallavas at Mamallapuram during the 8th century, now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
During the 4th to 8th centuries, Tamil Nadu saw the rise of the Pallava dynasty
under Mahendravarman I and his son Mamalla Narasimhavarman I.[41] The Pallavas
ruled parts of South India with Kanchipuram as their capital. Tamil architecture
reached its peak during Pallava rule. Narasimhavarman II built the Shore Temple
which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Meenakshi Amman Temple

Much later, the Pallavas were replaced by the Chola dynasty as the dominant kingdom
in the 9th century and they in turn were replaced by the Pandyan Dynasty in the
13th century. The Pandyan capital Madurai was in the deep south away from the
coast. They had extensive trade links with the south east 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, Marco Polo
mentioned the Pandyas as the richest empire in existence. Temples such as the
Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai and Nellaiappar Temple at Tirunelveli are the
best examples of Pandyan temple architecture.[42] The Pandyas excelled in both
trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the south coast of
India, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls in the
known ancient world.

Chola Empire
Main article: Chola dynasty

The Chola Empire at its greatest extent, during the reign of Rajendra Chola I in
1030
During the 9th century, the Chola dynasty was once again revived by Vijayalaya
Chola, who established Thanjavur as Chola's new capital by conquering central Tamil
Nadu from Mutharaiyar and the Pandya king Varagunavarman II. Aditya I and his son
Parantaka I expanded the kingdom to the northern parts of Tamil Nadu by defeating
the last Pallava king, Aparajitavarman. Parantaka Chola II expanded the Chola
empire into what is now interior Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka, while under
the great Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose to a notable
power in south east Asia. Now the Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal and Sri
Lanka. 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 Sri Lanka.
Rajendra Chola's navy went even further, occupying coasts from Burma (now ) to
Vietnam, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya,
Philippines[43] in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king
of Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital and named it
Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

The Cholas were prolific temple builders right from the times of the first medieval
king Vijayalaya Chola. These are the earliest specimen of Dravidian temples under
the Cholas. His son Aditya I built several temples around the Kanchi and Kumbakonam
regions. The Cholas went on to becoming a great power and built some of the most
imposing religious structures in their lifetime and they also renovated temples and
buildings of the Pallavas, acknowledging their common socio-religious and cultural
heritage. The celebrated Nataraja temple at Chidambaram and the Sri Ranganathaswami
Temple at Srirangam held special significance for the Cholas which have been
mentioned in their inscriptions as their tutelary deities. Rajaraja Chola I and his
son Rajendra Chola built temples such as the Brihadeshvara Temple of Thanjavur and
Brihadeshvara Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the Airavatesvara Temple of
Darasuram and the Sarabeswara (Shiva) Temple, also called the Kampahareswarar
Temple at Thirubhuvanam, the last two temples being located near Kumbakonam. The
first three of the above four temples are titled Great Living Chola Temples among
the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Architecture from Chola period From left to right: Airavatesvara Temple at

Darasuram; Natarajan, Shiva as celestial dancer; and Parvathi, the consort of Shiva
Vijayanagar and Nayak period (13361646)
Main article: Vijayanagara Empire

Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal at Madurai

The Muslim invasions of southern India triggered the establishment of the Hindu
Vijayanagara Empire with Vijayanagara in modern Karnataka as its capital. The
Vijayanagara empire eventually conquered the entire Tamil country by c. 1370 and
ruled for almost two centuries until its defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565
by a confederacy of Deccan sultanates. Subsequently, as the Vijayanagara Empire
went into decline after the mid-16th century, many local rulers, called Nayaks,
succeeded in gaining the trappings of independence. This eventually resulted in the
further weakening of the empire; many Nayaks declared themselves independent, among
whom the Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjore were the first to declare their
independence, despite initially maintaining loose links with the Vijayanagara
kingdom.[42] The Nayaks of Madurai and Nayaks of Thanjavur were the most prominent
of Nayaks in the 17th century. They reconstructed some of the well-known temples in
Tamil Nadu such as the Meenakshi Temple.

Power struggles of the 18th century (16921801)

By the early 18th century, the political scene in Tamil Nadu saw a major change-
over and was under the control of many minor rulers aspiring to be independent. The
fall of the Vijayanagara empire and the Chandragiri Nayakas gave the sultanate of
Golconda a chance to expand into the Tamil heartland. When the sultanate was
incorporated into the Mughal Empire in 1688, the northern part of current-day Tamil
Nadu was administrated by the nawab of the Carnatic, who had his seat in Arcot from
1715 onward. Meanwhile, to the south, the fall of the Thanjavur Nayaks led to a
short lived Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. The fall of the Madurai Nayaks brought up
many small Nayakars of southern Tamil Nadu, who ruled small parcels of land called
palayams. The chieftains of these Palayams were known as Palaiyakkarar (or
'polygar' as called by British) and were ruling under the nawabs of the Carnatic.

Fort Dansborg at Tharangambadi built by the Danish

Europeans started to establish trade centres during the 17th century in the eastern
coastal regions. Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat,[44]
while the Danes had their establishment in Tharangambadi also known as Tranquebar.
[45] In 1639, the British, under the East India Company, established a settlement
further south of Pulicat, in present-day Chennai. British constructed Fort St.
George[46] and established a trading post at Madras.[47] By 1693, the French
established in trading posts at Pondichry. The British and French were competing
to expand the trade in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu which also witnessed many
battles like Battle of Wandiwash as part of the Seven Years' War.[48] British
reduced the French dominions in India to Puducherry. Nawabs of the Carnatic
bestowed tax revenue collection rights on the East India Company for defeating the
Kingdom of Mysore. Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah surrendered much of his territory to
the East India Company which firmly established the British in the northern parts.
In 1762, a tripartite treaty was signed between Thanjavur Maratha, Carnatic and the
British by which Thanjavur became a vassal of the Nawab of the Carnatic which
eventually ceded to British.

In the south, Nawabs granted taxation rights to the British which led to conflicts
between British and the Palaiyakkarar, which resulted in series of wars called
Polygar war to establish independent states by the aspiring Palaiyakkarar. Puli
Thevar was one of the earliest opponents of the British rule in South India.[49]
Thevar's prominent exploits were his confrontations with Marudhanayagam, who later
rebelled against the British in the late 1750s and early 1760s. Rani Velu Nachiyar,
was the first woman freedom fighter of India and Queen of Sivagangai.[50] She was
drawn to war after her husband Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar (17501772), King of
Sivaganga was murdered at Kalayar Kovil temple by British. Before her death, Queen
Velu Nachi granted powers to the Maruthu brothers to rule Sivaganga.[51]
Kattabomman (17601799), Palaiyakkara chief of Panchalakurichi who fought the
British in the First Polygar War.[52] He was captured by the British at the end of
the war and hanged near Kayattar in 1799. Veeran Sundaralingam (17001800) was the
General of Kattabomman Nayakan's palayam, who died in the process of blowing up a
British ammunition dump in 1799 which killed more than 150 British soldiers to save
Kattapomman Palace. Oomaithurai, younger brother of Kattabomman, took asylum under
the Maruthu brothers, Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu and raised an army[53].
They formed a coalition with Dheeran Chinnamalai and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja
which fought the British in Second Polygar Wars. Dheeran Chinnamalai (17561805),
Polygar chieftain of Kongu and feudatory of Tipu Sultan who fought the British in
the Second Polygar War. After winning the Polygar wars in 1801, the East India
Company consolidated most of southern India into the Madras Presidency.
Srivilliputhur Andal Temple Gopuram has been adopted as the official Seal of Tamil
Nadu
During British rule (18011947)
Main article: Madras Presidency
At the beginning of the 19th century, the British firmly established governance
over the entire Tamil Nadu. The Vellore mutiny on 10 July 1806 was the first
instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British
East India Company, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century.[54]
The revolt, which took place in Vellore, was brief, lasting one full day, but
brutal as mutineers broke into the Vellore fort and killed or wounded 200 British
troops, before they were subdued by reinforcements from nearby Arcot.[55][56] The
British crown took over the control governance from the Company and the remainder
of the 19th century did not witness any native resistance until the beginning of
20th century Indian Independence movements. During the administration of Governor
George Harris(18541859) measures were taken to improve education and increase
representation of Indians in the administration. Legislative powers given to the
Governor's council under the Indian Councils Act 1861 and 1909 Minto-Morley Reforms
eventually led to the establishment of the Madras Legislative Council. Failure of
the summer monsoons and administrative shortcomings of the Ryotwari system resulted
in two severe famine in the Madras Presidency, the Great Famine of 187678 and the
Indian famine of 189697. The famine led to migration of people as bonded labours
for British to various countries which eventually formed the present Tamil
diaspora.

India (1947present)
When India became independent in 1947, Madras presidency became Madras state,
comprising present-day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh up to Ganjam district in
Odisha, 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".[57]

Geography

Topographic map of Tamil Nadu

Western Ghats traverse along the western border of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 km2 (50,216 sq mi), and is eleventh largest
state in India. The bordering states are Kerala to the west, Karnataka to the north
west and Andhra Pradesh to the north. To the east is the Bay of Bengal and the
state encircles the union territory of Puducherry. 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 western, southern and the north western parts are hilly and rich in vegetation.
The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats meet at the Nilgiri hills. The Western
Ghats traverse 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 the country's third longest coastline at about 906.9 km (563.5 mi).
[58] 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. 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.[59]
Climate
Tamil Nadu is mostly 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 two distinct periods of rainfall:

south west monsoon from June to September, with strong southwest winds;
North east monsoon from October to December, with dominant north east winds;
The annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in) of which 48 per cent is
through the north east monsoon, and 32 per cent 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.[60] Tamil Nadu is
divided into seven agro-climatic zones: north east, north west, west, southern,
high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Kaveri Delta (the most fertile agricultural
zone).

Flora and fauna

Main articles: Wildlife of Tamil Nadu and List of birds of Tamil Nadu
There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Protected
areas provide safe habitat for large mammals including elephants, tigers, leopards,
wild dogs, sloth bears, gaurs, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langurs, Nilgiri
tahrs, grizzled giant squirrels and sambar deer, resident and migratory birds such
as cormorants, darters, herons, egrets, open-billed storks, spoonbills and white
ibises, little grebes, Indian moorhen, black-winged stilts, a few migratory ducks
and occasionally grey pelicans, marine species such as the dugongs, turtles,
dolphins, Balanoglossus and a wide variety of fish and insects.

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. The
Gymnosperm diversity of the country is 64 species of which Tamil Nadu has four
indigenous species and about 60 introduced species. The Pteridophytes diversity of
India includes 1022 species of which Tamil Nadu has about 184 species. Vast numbers
of bryophytes, lichen, fungi, algae and bacteria are among the wild plant diversity
of Tamil Nadu.

Common plant species include the state tree: palmyra palm, eucalyptus, rubber,
cinchona, clumping bamboos (Bambusa arundinacea), common teak, Anogeissus
latifolia, Indian laurel, grewia, and blooming trees like Indian labumusum,
ardisia, and solanaceae. Rare and unique plant life includes Combretum ovalifolium,
ebony (Diospyros nilagrica), Habenaria rariflora (orchid), Alsophila, Impatiens
elegans, Ranunculus reniformis, and royal fern.[61]

National and state parks

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve has the largest elephant population in India

Main article: Protected areas of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has a wide range of Biomes extending east from the South Western Ghats
montane rain forests in the Western Ghats through the South Deccan Plateau dry
deciduous forests and Deccan thorn scrub forests to tropical dry broadleaf forests
and then to the beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves, and coral reefs of the
Bay of Bengal. The state has a range of flora and fauna with many species and
habitats. To protect this diversity of wildlife there are Protected areas of Tamil
Nadu as well as biospheres which protect larger areas of natural habitat often
include one or more National Parks. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve
established in 1986 is a marine ecosystem with seaweed and sea grass communities,
coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove forests. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
located in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills comprises part of adjoining states
of Kerala and Karnataka. The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve is in the south west
of the state bordering Kerala in the Western Ghats. Tamil Nadu is home to five
declared National parks located in Anamalai, Mudumalai, Mukurithi, Gulf of Mannar
and Guindy located in the centre 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 wild life sanctuaries for tiger, elephant and birds.

Governance and administration

Main articles: Government of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Legislature

Madras High Court, Chennai

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.[62] The Chief
Justice of the Madras High Court is the head of the judiciary.[62] The present
Governor, Chief Minister and the Chief Justice are Vidyasagar Rao (acting
governor),[63] Edappadi K. Palaniswami[64] and Indira Banerjee[65] respectively.
Administratively the state is divided into 32 district. Chennai (formerly known as
Madras) is the state capital. It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration in India
and is also one of the major Metropolitan cities of India. The state comprises 39
Lok Sabha constituencies and 234 Legislative Assembly constituencies.[66]

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 five years. The present government is headed by Edappadi K.
Palaniswami, after the demise of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J.
Jayalalithaa of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The Tamil Nadu
legislative assembly is housed at the Fort St. George in Chennai. The state had
come under the President's 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.

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.[67]
The Tamil Nadu Police Force is over 140 years old. It is the fifth largest state
police force in India (as of 2015, total police force of TN is 1,11,448) and has
the highest proportion of women police personnel in the country (total women police
personnel of TN is 13,842 which is about 12.42%) to specifically handled violence
against women in Tamil Nadu.[68][69] In 2003, the state had a total police
population ratio of 1:668, higher than the national average of 1:717.

Administrative subdivisions
Main articles: Districts of Tamil Nadu and Local bodies in Tamil Nadu

Districts of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is subdivided into 32 districts, which are listed below. A district is
administered by a District Collector who is mostly an Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) member, appointed by State Government. Districts are further divided into 226
Taluks administrated by Tahsildars comprising 1127 Revenue blocks. A District has
also one or more Revenue Divisions (in total 76) constituted by many Revenue
Blocks. 16,564 Revenue villages (Village Panchayat) are the primary grassroots
level administrative units which in turn might include many villages and
administered by a Village Administrative Officer (VAO), many of which form a
Revenue Block. Cities and towns are administered by Municipal corporations and
Municipalities respectively. The urban bodies include 12 city corporations, 125
municipalities and 529 town panchayats.[70][71][72] The rural bodies include 31
district panchayats, 385 panchayat unions and 12,524 village panchayats.[73][74]
[75]

Districts of Tamil Nadu

[show] District Headquarters Area Population
(2011) Population
density
Politics
Main articles: Elections in Tamil Nadu, Politics of Tamil Nadu, and Dravidian
parties

Fort St. George hosts the Chief Secretariat of the government of Tamil Nadu
Pre-Independence
Prior to Indian independence Tamil Nadu was under British colonial rule as part of
the Madras Presidency. The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the Indian
National Congress (INC). Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1916.
One of the earliest regional parties, the South Indian Welfare Association, a
forerunner to Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu, was started in 1916. The party was
called after its English organ, Justice Party, by its opponents. Later, South
Indian Liberal Federation was adopted as its official name. The reason for victory
of the Justice Party in elections was the non-participation of the INC, demanding
complete independence of India.

The Justice Party which was under E.V.Ramaswamy was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam in
1944. It was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an
independent state called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its
two leaders EVR and C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party
to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK decided to enter politics in
1956.

Post-Independence
Political
Alliance Assembly
(2016) Lok Sabha
(2014)
AIADMK+ 134 37
DMK+ 98 0
Independent/Other 0 2
Source: Election Commission of India.[76][77]
Re-organisation of Indian states according to linguistic and ethnic basis has
moderated Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for separation from the Indian
Union. The Anti-Hindi agitations in the mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and a
more powerful political force in the state. The DMK routed the INC in the 1967
elections and took control of the state government, ending INC's stronghold in
Tamil Nadu. C.N. Annadurai became the DMK's first Chief Minister. M Karunanidhi
took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969.
Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by MG Ramachandran, popularly known as
MGR. In 1972, he split from DMK and formed the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(ADMK) and later renamed the party as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He
was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in 1987. After the
death of MGR, AIADMK was defeated in 1989 assembly polls because of the split of
the party into two factions headed by Janaki (wife of MGR) and Jayalalithaa. Later
on J. Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was elected as the General
Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been several splits in both the DMK and
the AIADMK, but since 1967 one of those two parties has held power in the state.

Demographics
Historical population
Year Pop. %
1951 30,119,000
1961 33,687,000 +11.8%
1971 41,199,000 +22.3%
1981 48,408,000 +17.5%
1991 55,859,000 +15.4%
2001 62,406,000 +11.7%
2011 72,138,958 +15.6%
Source:Census of India[78]
Main article: Demographics of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is the seventh most populous state in India. 48.4 per cent of the
state's population live in urban areas, the second highest percentage among large
states in India. The state has registered the lowest fertility rate in India in
year 200506 with 1.7 children born for each woman, lower than required for
population sustainability.[79][80]

At the 2011 India census, Tamil Nadu had a population of 72,147,030.[81] The sex
ratio of the state is 995 with 36,137,975 males and 36,009,055 females. There are a
total of 23,166,721 households.[81] The total children under the age of 6 is
7,423,832. A total of 14,438,445 people constituting 20.01 per cent of the total
population belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC) and 794,697 people constituting 1.10
per cent of the population belonged to Scheduled tribes (ST).[82][81]

The state has 51,837,507 literates, making the literacy rate 80.33 per cent. There
are a total of 27,878,282 workers, comprising 4,738,819 cultivators, 6,062,786
agricultural labourers, 1,261,059 in house hold industries, 11,695,119 other
workers, 4,120,499 marginal workers, 377,220 marginal cultivators, 2,574,844
marginal agricultural labourers, 238,702 marginal workers in household industries
and 929,733 other marginal workers.[83]

v t e
Largest cities or towns in Tamil Nadu
As of the 2011 Census
Rank Name District Pop.
Chennai
Chennai
Coimbatore
Coimbatore 1 Chennai Chennai 70,88,000 Madurai
Madurai
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli
2 Coimbatore Coimbatore 16,01,438
3 Madurai Madurai 15,61,129
4 Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli 9,16,674
5 Tiruppur Tiruppur 8,77,778
6 Salem, Tamil Nadu Salem 8,29,267
7 Erode Erode 4,98,129
8 Tirunelveli Tirunelveli 4,73,637
9 Ambattur Tiruvallur 4,66,205
10 Avadi Tiruvallur 3,45,996
List of most populous towns in Tamil Nadu

Among the cities in 2011, the state capital, Chennai, was the most populous city in
the state, followed by Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Tiruppur respectively.[84]
India has a human development index calculated as 0.619, while the corresponding
figure for Tamil Nadu is 0.736, placing it among the top states in the country.[85]
[86] The life expectancy at birth for males is 65.2 years and for females it is
67.6 years.[87] However, it has a high level of poverty especially in the rural
areas. In 20042005, the poverty line was set at ? 351.86/month for rural areas and
? 547.42/month for urban areas. Poverty in the state dropped from 51.7 per cent in
1983 to 21.1 per cent in 2001[88] For the period 20042005, the Trend in Incidence
of Poverty in the state was 22.5 per cent compared with the national figure of 27.5
per cent. The World Bank is currently assisting the state in reducing poverty, High
drop-out and low completion of secondary schools continue to hinder the quality of
training in the population. Other problems include class, gender, inter-district
and urban-rural disparities. Based on URP Consumption for the period 20042005,
percentage of the state's population Below Poverty Line was 27.5 per cent. The
Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative ranks Tamil Nadu to have a
Multidimensional Poverty Index of 0.141, which is in the level of Ghana among the
developing countries.[89] Corruption is a major problem in the state with
Transparency International ranking it the second most corrupt among the states of
India.[90]

Religion
Religion in Tamil Nadu (2011)[91]

Hinduism (87.58%)
Christianity (6.12%)
Islam (5.86%)
Jainism (0.12%)
Sikhism (0.02%)
Buddhism (0.01%)
Other or not religious (0.3%)
As per the religious census of 2011, Tamil Nadu had 87.6% Hindus, 6.1% Christians,
5.9% Muslims, 0.1% Jains and 0.3% following other religions or no religion.[92]

The state is home to the core schools of medieval and modern Hinduism as well as
several non-mainstream Hindu movements. These include Nayanmars Saivism, Saiva
Siddhanta, Alvar Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnavism and Ayya-Vazhi. In modern times, well
known figures for Hinduism in the state include Ramana Maharishi and the Kanchi
Sankaracharya. All Hindu deities in various forms and a large number of village
deities are worshiped by Hindus in Tamil Nadu. Murugan is considered to be the God
of Tamil people. Tamil Nadu dominates the list of largest Hindu Temples in the
world which include the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, Madurai Meenakshi Amman
Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple at Kanchipuram, Chidambaram Nataraja Temple,
Tiruvannamalai Arunachaleswar Temple, Brihadeeswarar Temple at Tanjore among
others. The emblem of Government of Tamil Nadu depicts the Gopuram (gateway tower)
of the Andal Temple at Srivilliputhur.

Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai has one of the largest temple complexes
Christians form 6 per cent of the population. Christians are mainly concentrated in
the southern districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli. St.
Thomas Mount in Chennai, the place where St. Thomas's death is believed to have
occurred when he came to India, The Santhome Basilica, built atop the site of the
tomb of St. Thomas, and the Vailankanni Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health are
churches revered by Christians in India. The Church of South India and the
Pentecostal Mission Church are headquartered in Chennai.

Muslims constitute close to 6% of the population of the state and are mainly
concentrated in Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Nagappattinam, Vellore, Thoothukudi,
Madurai and Tirunelveli districts. Among Muslims, 97.5 per cent are Sunni and the
rest are Shias. The Sunnis adhere to either Hanafi or Shafi schools of thought.
Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district and Nagore in Nagapattinam district are important
pilgrimage sites for Muslims. Kazimar Big Mosque in Madurai and Karpudaiyar masjid
in Kayalpatnam are among the earlier mosques in Tamil Nadu.

Samanars or Tamil Jains have a legacy dating back to 250 BC. They made significant
contributions to Tamil literature. According to the 2001 census there were 83,359
Jains in Tamil Nadu. Jains make up 0.13 per cent of the population. Scheduled
castes and Scheduled tribes comprise 19 per cent and 1 per cent of the population
respectively. An anti-conversion law came into force in 2002 which law was repealed
later in June 2004.

Tamil Brahmi inscription

Language
Main article: Tamil language
Tamil (?????) is the official language of Tamil Nadu. English is also in common
usage as an official language of India. When India adopted national standards,
Tamil was the first language to be recognised as a classical language of India.[93]
As of 2001 census, Tamil is spoken as the first language by 89.43 percent of the
population.

Education
Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India.[94] Tamil Nadu has
performed reasonably well in terms of literacy growth during the decade 20012011.
A survey conducted by the Industry body Assocham ranks Tamil Nadu top among Indian
states with about 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in primary and upper
primary education. One of the basic limitations for improvement in education in the
state is the rate of absence of teachers in public schools, which at 21.4 per cent
is significant.[95] The analysis of primary school education in the state by
Pratham shows a low drop-off rate but poor quality of state education compared to
other states.[96] Tamil Nadu has 37 universities, 552 engineering colleges[97] 449
Polytechnic Colleges[98] and 566 arts and science colleges, 34335 elementary
schools, 5167 high schools, 5054 higher secondary schools and 5000 hospitals. Some
of the notable educational institutes present in Tamil Nadu are Indian Institute of
Technology Madras, College of Engineering, Guindy, Indian Institute of Management
Tiruchirappalli, Indian Maritime University, National Institute of Technology,
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Madras Medical College,
Loyola College, Chennai, Ethiraj College for Women, Stella Maris College, Chennai,
Anna University, Government College of Technology, Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University.

Tamil Nadu now has 69 per cent reservation in educational institutions for socially
backward section of the society, the highest among all Indian states.[99] The
Midday Meal Scheme programme in Tamil Nadu was first initiated by Kamaraj, then it
was expanded by M G Ramachandran in 1983.

Culture
Main articles: Tamil people, Temples of Tamil Nadu, and Tamil literature

Seventh century paintings in the Sittanavasal Cave, Pudukottai

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture.[100] Tamil Nadu is known for
its rich tradition of literature, art, music and dance which continue to flourish
today. Tamil Nadu is a land most known for its monumental ancient Hindu temples and
classical form of dance Bharata Natyam.[101] Unique cultural features like
Bharatanatyam[102] (dance), Tanjore painting,[103] and Tamil architecture were
developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu. [104]

Literature
Tamil written literature has existed for over 2000 years.[105] The earliest period
of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca. 300 BC AD 300.[106]
[107] It is the oldest Indian literature amongst all others.[108] The earliest
epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 3rd
century BC.[109][110]
Most early Tamil literary works are in verse form, with prose not becoming more
common until later periods. The Sangam literature collection contains 2381 poems
composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous.[111] Sangam literature is
primarily secular, dealing with everyday themes in a Tamilakam context.[112] The
Sangam literature also deals with human relationship and emotions.[113] The
available literature from this period was categorised and compiled in the 10th
century into two categories based roughly on chronology. The categories are:
Pathinenmaelkanakku (The Major Eighteen Anthology Series) comprising E??uttokai
(The Eight Anthologies) and the Pattupattu (Ten Idylls) and Pathinenkilkanakku (The
Minor Eighteen Anthology Series).

Much of Tamil grammar is extensively described in the oldest known grammar book for
Tamil, the Tolkappiyam. Modern Tamil writing is largely based on the 1000 B.C
grammar Na??ul which restated and clarified the rules of the Tolkappiyam, with some
modifications. Traditional Tamil grammar consists of five parts, namely e?uttu,
sol, poru?, yappu, a?i. Of these, the last two are mostly applied in poetry.[114]
Notable example of Tamil poetry include the Tirukkural written by Tiruvalluvar
before 2000 years.

In 1578, the Portuguese published a Tamil book in old Tamil script named
'Thambiraan Vanakkam', thus making Tamil the first Indian language to be printed
and published.[115] Tamil Lexicon, published by the University of Madras, is the
first among the dictionaries published in any Indian language.[116] During the
Indian freedom struggle, many Tamil poets and writers sought to provoke national
spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts among the common man, notably
Subramanya Bharathy and Bharathidasan.

Festivals and traditions

Pongal is an important festival in Tamil Nadu

Thiruvalluvar was the great Tamil poet and philosopher

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.[117] The Tamil language saying Thai
Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum literally meaning, the birth of the month of Thai will
pave way for new opportunities is often quoted with reference to this festival.
The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old
clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of the old and
emergence of the new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on
the first day of the tenth Tamil month Thai (14 January or 15 January in western
calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cattle, as
they provide milk and are used to plough the lands.Jallikattu, a bull taming
contest, marks the main event of this day. Alanganallur is famous for its
Jallikattu[118][119] contest usually held on 3rd day of Pongal. During this final
day, Kaanum Pongal the word "kaanum", means 'to view' in Tamil. In 2011 the
Madras High Court Bench ordered the cockfight at Santhapadi and Modakoor Melbegam
villages permitted during the Pongal festival while disposing of a petition filed
attempting to ban the cockfight.[120] The first month in the Tamil calendar is
Chittirai and the first day of this month in mid-April is celebrated as Tamil New
Year. The Thiruvalluvar calendar is 31 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar, i.e.
Gregorian 2000 is Thiruvalluvar 2031. Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of
the Tamil month Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water level in the river
Kaveri. Apart from the major festivals, in every village and town of Tamil Nadu,
the inhabitants celebrate festivals for the local gods once a year and the time
varies from place to place. Most of these festivals are related to the goddess
Maariyamman, the mother goddess of rain. Other major Hindu festivals including
Deepavali (Death of Narakasura), Ayudha Poojai, Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara), Krishna
Jayanthi and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated. Eid ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Milad un
Nabi, Muharram are celebrated by Muslims whereas Christmas, Good Friday, Easter are
celebrated by Christians in the state. Mahamagam a bathing festival at Kumbakonam
in Tamil Nadu is celebrated once in 12 years. People from all the corners of the
country come to Kumbakonam for the festival. This festival is also called as
Kumbamela of South.[121][122]

Music
See also: Ancient Tamil music and Carnatic music

M. S. Subbulakshmi, was the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's
highest civilian honour
The kings of ancient Thamizhagam created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Literature,
Music and Drama). Music played a major role in sangams. Music in Tamil Nadu had
different forms. In villages where farming was the primary occupation, women who
worked in the fields used to sing kulavai songs. Odhuvars, Sthanikars or
Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the
devotional Thevaram songs. In sharp contrast with the restrained and intellectual
nature of Carnatic music, Tamil folk music tends to be much more exuberant. Popular
forms of Tamil folk music include the Villuppa??u, a form of music performed with a
bow, the urumee mellam or Naiyandi mellam which incorporates the use of the urumee
and the Na??uppur_appa??u, ballads that convey folklore and folk history.

Nadhaswaram and Thavil players

Carnatic music is the classical music form of southern India. This is one of the
world's oldest & richest musical traditions. The Trinity of Carnatic music Tyagi,
Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri were from Tamil Nadu. TyagiAaradhanai
(worship) takes place every year in the month of Marghazhi in Thiruvaiyaru all
carnatic musicians render their obesiance to Saint Thyagarajar by singing his
compositions. The composers belonging to the Tamil Trinity, namely Muthu Thandavar
(?1560 ?1640), Arunachala Kavi (17121779) and Marimutthu Pillai (17171787)
composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and helped in the evolution of
Carnatic music. Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music
Season during DecemberJanuary, which includes performances by hundreds of artists
all over the city.

In terms of modern cine-music, Ilaiyaraaja was a prominent composer of film music

in Tamil cinema during the late 1970s and 1980s. His work highlighted Tamil folk
lyricism and introduced broader western musical sensibilities to the south Indian
musical mainstream. Tamil Nadu is also the home of the double Oscar Winner A.R.
Rahman[123][124][125] who has composed film music in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi films,
English and Chinese films. He was once referred to by Time magazine as "The Mozart
of Madras".

Art and dance

Bharata Natyam performance

Tamils have a large number of folk dances. These are performed for every possible
occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, weddings and
festivals. Tamil dance is closely intertwined with the Tamil theatrical tradition.

The most celebrated of these dances is the karakattam. In its religious form, the
dance 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 temmanguppa??u 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 mayila??am, where the dancers tie a string of
peacock feathers around their waist; oyilattam, danced in a circle while waving
small pieces of cloth of various designs colors; poikkal kuthiraiyaa??am, where the
dancers use dummy horses; manattam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping
of deer; paraiya??am, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thippanda??
am, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches.

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Prior to the
colonial period, it used to be performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis. In this
form, it as also been called sadir or chinna melam. Many of the ancient sculptures
in Hindu temples are based on Bharata Natyam dance postures. Bharatanatyam is a
traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque
poses. It continues to be a popular dance style at present times and is practised
by male and female dancers all over India. Terukkuttu or Kattaikkuttu is a
traditional form of Tamil street theatre folk dance/drama.

Film industry
Main article: Tamil cinema
Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry nicknamed as "Kollywood", which
released the most number of films in India in 2013.[126] The term Kollywood is a
portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood.[127] Tamil cinema is one of the largest
industries of film production in India.[128] In Tamil Nadu, cinema ticket prices
are regulated by the government. Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of ?
50, while theaters with more than three screens may charge a maximum of ?120 per
ticket.[129] The first silent film in Tamil Keechaka Vadham, was made in 1916.[130]
The first talkie was a multi-lingual film, Kalidas, which released on 31 October
1931, barely 7 months after India's first talking picture Alam Ara.[131] Swamikannu
Vincent, who had built the first cinema of South India in Coimbatore, introduced
the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land
close to a town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was
established in Madras, called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the
fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors.[132]

Television industry
There are more than 30 television channels of various genre in Tamil. DD Podhigai,
Doordarshan's Tamil language regional channel was launched on 14 April 1993.[133]
The first private Tamil channel, Sun TV was founded in 1993 by Kalanidhi Maran. In
Tamil Nadu, the television industry is influenced by politics and majority of the
channels are owned by politicians or people with political links.[134] The
government of Tamil Nadu distributed free televisions to families in 2006 at an
estimated cost ?3.6 billion (US$56 million) of which has led to high penetration of
TV services.[135][136] Cable used to be the preferred mode of reaching homes
controlled by government run operator Arasu Cable.[137] From the early 2010s,
Direct to Home has become increasingly popular replacing cable television services.
[138] Tamil television serials form a major prime time source of entertainment and
are directed usually by one director unlike American television series, where often
several directors and writers work together.[139]

Vegetarian food from Tamil Nadu served in a banana leaf

Cuisine
Main article: Tamil cuisine
Tamil cuisine is typical of south Indian cuisine in that rice and rice-derived
dishes form the major portion of a diet (see rice and curry). Guests sit on a coir
mat rolled out on the floor and a full course meal was served on a banana leaf.
Idli, steamed rice-cakes, prepared from a fermented batter of rice and black gram
and Dosai, crepes made from a fermented batter of rice and black gram are popular
breakfast items.
Items that are native to Tamil Nadu are Santhakai/Sandhavai, Athirasam, Chakkarai
Pongal and Kuli Paniyaram. Salem is renowned for its unique mangoes, Madurai is the
place of origin of milk dessert Jigarthanda while Palani is known for its
Panchamirtham.[140] Coffee and tea are the staple drinks.[141]

Economy
Main articles: Economy of Tamil Nadu, List of conglomerates in Tamil Nadu, and List
of rivers of Tamil Nadu

TIDEL Park, Coimbatore; Coimbatore is one of the leading BPO centres in India
For the year 201415 Tamil Nadu's GSDP was ?9.767 trillion (US$150 billion), and
growth was 14.86.[142] It ranks third in foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals
(cumulative 19912002) of ? 225.826 billion ($5,000 million), next only to
Maharashtra and Delhi constituting 9.12 per cent of the total FDI in the country.
[143] The per capita income in 20072008 for the state was ? 72,993 ranking third
among states with a population over 10 million and has steadily been above the
national average.[144]

Gross State Domestic Product in ? Crores at Constant Prices[145]

[hide]Year GSDP Growth Rate Share in India
200001 142,065 5.87% 7.62%
200102 139,842 -1.56% 7.09%
200203 142,295 1.75% 6.95%
200304 150,815 5.99% 6.79%
200405 219,003 11.45% 7.37%
200506 249,567 13.96% 7.67%
200607 287,530 15.21% 8.07%
200708 305,157 6.13% 7.83%
200809 321,793 5.45% 7.74%
200910 356,632 10.83% 7.89%
201011 403,416 13.12% 8.20%
201112 433,238 7.39% 8.26%
201213 447,944 3.39% 8.17%
201314 480,618 7.29% 8.37%
According to the 2011 Census, Tamil Nadu is the most urbanised state in India (49
per cent), accounting for 9.6 per cent of the urban population while only
comprising 6 per cent of India's total population.[146][10] Services contributes to
45 per cent of the economic activity in the state, followed by manufacturing at 34
per cent and agriculture at 21 per cent. Government is the major investor in the
state with 51 per cent of total investments, followed by private Indian investors
at 29.9 per cent and foreign private investors at 14.9 per cent. Tamil Nadu has a
network of about 113 industrial parks and estates offering developed plots with
supporting infrastructure. According to the publications of the Tamil Nadu
government the Gross State Domestic Product at Constant Prices (Base year
20042005) for the year 20112012 is ?4.281 trillion (US$67 billion), an increase
of 9.39 per cent over the previous year. The per capita income at current price
is ? 72,993.

Tamil Nadu has six Nationalised Home Banks which originated in this state; Two
government-sector banks Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank in Chennai, and Four
private-sector banks City Union Bank in Kumbakonam, Karur Vysya Bank, Lakshmi Vilas
Bank in Karur, and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited in Tuticorin.

Agriculture
Tamil Nadu has historically been an agricultural state and is a leading producer of
agricultural products in India. In 2008, Tamil Nadu was India's fifth biggest
producer of rice. The total cultivated area in the State was 5.60 million hectares
in 200910.[147] The Cauvery delta region is known as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu.
[148][better source needed] In terms of production, Tamil Nadu accounts for 10 per
cent in fruits and 6 per cent in vegetables, in India.[149] Annual food grains
production in the year 200708 was 10035,000 mt.[147]

Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of turmeric

The state is the largest producer of bananas, turmeric, flowers,[149] tapioca,[149]
the second largest producer of mango,[149] natural rubber,[150] coconut, groundnut
and the third largest producer of coffee, sapota,[149] Tea[151] and Sugarcane.
Tamil Nadu's sugarcane yield per hectare is the highest in India. The state has
17,000 hectares of land under oil palm cultivation, the second highest in India.
[152]

Agriculture forms a major portion of state's economy

Dr M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the Indian Green Revolution" was from
Tamil Nadu.[153] Tamil Nadu Agricultural University with its seven colleges and
thirty two research stations spread over the entire state contributes to evolving
new crop varieties and technologies and disseminating through various extension
agencies. Among states in India, Tamil Nadu is one of the leaders in livestock,
poultry and fisheries production. Tamil Nadu had the second largest number of
poultry amongst all the states and accounted for 17.7 per cent of the total poultry
population in India.[154] In 20032004, Tamil Nadu had produced 3783.6 million of
eggs, which was the second highest in India representing 9.37 per cent of the total
egg production in the country.[155] With the second longest coastline in India,
Tamil Nadu represented 27.54 per cent of the total value of fish and fishery
products exported by India in 2006. Namakkal is also one of the major centres of
egg production in India. Coimbatore is one of the major centres for poultry
production.[156][157]

Textiles and leather

Kanchipuram hand loom silk sarees

Tamil Nadu is one of the leading States in the textile sector and it houses the
country's largest spinning industry accounting for almost 80 per cent of the total
installed capacity in India. When it comes to yarn production, the State
contributes 40 per cent of the total production in the country. There are 2,614
Hand Processing Units (25 per cent of total units in the country) and 985 Power
Processing Units (40 per cent of total units in the country) in Tamil Nadu.
According to official data, the textile industry in Tamil Nadu accounts for 17 per
cent of the total invested capital in all the industries.[158] Coimbatore is often
referred to as the "Manchester of South India" due to its cotton production and
textile industries.[159] Tirupur is the country's largest exporter of knitwear.
[160][161][162] for its cotton production. The region around Coimbatore, Tirupur,
Palladam, Karur and Erode is referred to[by whom?] as the "Textile Valley of India"
with the export from the Tirupur ? 50,000 million ($1,000 million) and Karur
generates around ? 35,500 million ($750 million) a year in foreign exchange.
Rajapalayam, Gobichettipalayam, Pollachi, Udumalpet, Theni and Vedasandur are known
for its cotton spinning mills. Gobichettipalayam is a prominent producer of white
silk with the country's first automated silk reeling unit present here. Kanchipuram
and Arani are world-famous for their pure silk sarees and hand loom silk weaving
industries. Aruppukottai, Salem, and Sathyamangalam are also famous for art-silk
sarees. Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, Sankarankovil, Andipatti, Tiruchengodu,
Paramakudi, Kurinjipadi, Chennimalai, Komarapalayam are major handloom centres.
Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, Sankarankovil, Negamam, Cinnalapatti, Woraiyur,
Pochampalli are famous for its soft cotton saree weaving. Madurai is known for its
Chungidi cotton sarees and Bhavani for its cotton carpets.

The state accounts for 70 per cent of leather tanning capacity in India and 38 per
cent of leather footwear and components.[citation needed] Leather and tannery
industries are located around Dindigul Erode and Vellore, its nearby towns such as
Ranipet, Melvisharam, Pernambut, Ambur, Vaniyambadi and Perundurai.[citation
needed]

Automobiles
Tamil Nadu has seen major investments in the automobile industry over many decades
manufacturing cars, railway coaches, battle-tanks, tractors, motorcycles,
automobile spare parts and accessories, tyres and heavy vehicles. Chennai is known
as the Detroit of India.[163] Major global automobile companies including BMW,
Ford, Robert Bosch, Renault-Nissan, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Mitsubishi Motors, and
Michelin as well as Indian automobile majors like Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok
Leyland, Hindustan Motors, TVS Motors, Irizar-TVS, Royal Enfield, MRF, Apollo
Tyres, TAFE Tractors, DaimlerChrysler AG Company also invested (?) 4 billion for
establishing new plant in Tamil Nadu.[164] Karur is a hub for Bus body building
industries. The giants like Ashok Leyland, TVS, LMW, MRF and ELGI are headquartered
in Tamil Nadu.

Heavy industries and engineering

Tamil Nadu is one of the highly industrialised states in India. Over 11% of the S&P
CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Tamil Nadu. Many heavy engineering
and manufacturing companies are located in and around the suburbs of Chennai.
Bharat Heavy Electricals, one of India's largest electrical equipment manufacturing
companies, has manufacturing plants at Tiruchirapalli and Ranipet. India's leading
steel producer, the state-owned Steel Authority of India has a steel plant in
Salem. Sterlite Industries has a copper smelter at Tuticorin and an aluminium plant
in Mettur. The Chennai Petroleum Corporation is a state-owned oil and gas
corporation headquartered in Chennai, and owns refineries at Manali and Panangudi.
The state government owns the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers,[165] in Karur.
Jointly with the Tata Group, the state owns the world's sixth largest manufacturer
of watches, under the brand name of Titan, at Hosur. A number of large cement
manufacturers, including the Chettinad Group, Ramco Cements, Tancem, the Dalmia
Group, UltraTech Cements and ACC are present across the state.

Coimbatore is also referred to as "the Pump City" as it supplies two-thirds of

India's requirements of motors and pumps. The city is one of the largest exporters
of wet grinders and auto components and the term "Coimbatore Wet Grinder" has been
given a Geographical indication.[166]

TIDEL Park in Chennai

Electronics and software
Electronics manufacturing is a growing industry in Tamil Nadu, with many
international companies like Nokia, Flextronics, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, Foxconn,
Samsung, Cisco, Moser Baer, Lenovo, Samsung, Dell, Sanmina-SCI, Texas Instruments
having chosen Chennai as their south Asian manufacturing hub. Products manufactured
include circuit boards and cellular phone handsets.[167]

Tamil Nadu is the second largest software exporter by value in India. Software
exports from Tamil Nadu grew from ? 76 billion ($1.6 billion) in 200304 to ? 207
billion {$5 billion} by 200607 according to NASSCOM[168] and to ? 366 billion in
200809 which shows 29 per cent growth in software exports according to STPI. Major
national and global IT Companies such as Syntel, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tata
Consultancy Services, Verizon, Hewlett-Packard, Robert Bosch, Amazon.com, eBay,
PayPal, IBM, Accenture, Ramco Systems, DXC Technology, Cognizant Technology
solutions, Tech Mahindra, Polaris, Aricent, MphasiS, Mindtree, Hexaware
Technologies and many others have offices in Tamil Nadu. The top engineering
colleges in Tamil Nadu have been a major recruiting hub for the IT firms. According
to estimates, about 50 per cent of the HR required for the IT and ITES industry was
being sourced from the State.[169] Coimbatore is the second largest software
producer in the state, next to Chennai.[170]

Infrastructure
Transport
Road

A view of the NH 47 Expressway between Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu

Pamban road (left) and rail (right) bridges, connecting the Indian mainland with
the Pamban Island

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Chennai International Airport, one of India's major international airports

Main articles: Transport in Tamil Nadu and Road network in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has a transportation system that connects all parts of the state.TNSTC
Online Booking Portal Tamil Nadu is served by an extensive road network, providing
links between urban centres, agricultural market-places and rural areas. There are
29 national highways in the state, covering a total distance of 5,006.14 km
(3,110.67 mi).[171][172] The state is also a terminus for the Golden Quadrilateral
project, that connects four major metropolitan cities in India (Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata). The state has a total road length of 167,000 km (104,000 mi), of
which 60,628 km (37,672 mi) are maintained by Highways Department. This is nearly
2.5 times higher than the density of all-India road network.[173] The major road
junctions are Chennai, Vellore, Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli,
Tuticorin, Karur, Krishnagiri, Dindigul, Kanniyakumari. Road transport is provided
by state owned Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and State Express Transport
Corporation. Almost every part of state is well connected by buses 24 hours a day.
The State accounted for 13.6 per cent of all accidents in the country With 66,238
accidents in 2013, 11.3 per cent of all road accident deaths and 15 per cent of all
road-related injuries, according to data provided by the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways. Although Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of road accidents
in India, it also leads in having reduced the number of fatalities in accident-
prone areas with deployment of personnel and a sustained awareness campaign. The
number of deaths at areas decreased from 1,053 in 2011 to 881 in 2012 and 867 in
2013.[174]

Rail
Tamil Nadu has a well-developed rail network as part of Southern Railway.
Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway network extends over a large area of
India's southern peninsula, covering the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry,
a small portion of Karnataka and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh. Express trains
connect the state capital Chennai with Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Chennai Central
is gateway for train towards north whereas Chennai Egmore serves as gateway for
south. Tamil Nadu has a total railway track length of 5,952 km (3,698 mi) and there
are 532 railway stations in the state. The network connects the state with most
major cities in India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is one of the UNESCO World
Heritage Site connecting Ooty on the hills and Mettupalayam in the foot hills which
is in turn connected to Coimbatore city. The centenary old Pamban Bridge over sea
connecting Rameswaram in Pamban island to mainland is an engineering marvel. It is
one of the oldest cantilever bridges still in operation, the double-leaf bascule
bridge section can be raised to let boats and small ships pass through Palk Strait
in Indian Ocean. Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network and is
constructing a Chennai Metro with phase1 operational since July 2015 . Major
railway junctions( 4 & above lines ) in the state are Chennai, Coimbatore, Katpadi,
Madurai, Salem, Erode, Dindigul, Karur, Nagercoil, Tiruchirapalli and Tirunelveli.
Chennai Central, Madurai Junction, Katpadi Junction, Chennai Egmore, Salem
Junction, Tiruchirappalli Junction, Coimbatore Junction are upgraded to A1 grade
level. Loco sheds are located at Erode, Arakkonam, Royapuram in Chennai and
Tondaiyarpet in Chennai, Ponmalai (GOC) in Tiruchirappalli as Diesel Loco Shed. The
loco shed at Erode is a huge composite Electric and Diesel Loco shed. MRTS which
covers from Chennai Beach to Velachery, and metro rail also running between Alandur
and koyambedu station.

Airports
Tamil Nadu has four international airports namely Chennai International Airport,
Coimbatore International Airport, Tiruchirapalli International Airport and Madurai
International Airport. Salem Airport and Tuticorin Airport are domestic airports.
Chennai International Airport is a major international airport and aviation hub in
South Asia. Besides civilian airports, the state has four air bases of the Indian
Air Force namely Thanjavur AFS, Tambram AFS, Coimbatore AFS and two naval air
stations INS Rajali and INS Parundu of Indian Navy.

Seaport
Tamil Nadu has three major seaports located at Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin, as
well as seven other minor ports including Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.[147] Chennai
Port is an artificial harbour situated on the Coromandel Coast and is the second
principal port in the country for handling containers. Ennore Port handles all the
coal and ore traffic in Tamil Nadu. The volume of cargo in the ports grew by 13 per
cent during 2005.[175]

Energy

Wind farm in Muppandal and Aralvaimozhi region near Nagercoil

Kamuthi Solar Power Project

Tamil Nadu has the third largest installed power generation capacity in the
country. The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite
Power Plant, many hydroelectric plants including Mettur Dam, hundreds of windmills
and the Narimanam Natural Gas Plants are major sources of Tamil Nadu's electricity.
Tamil Nadu generates a significant proportion of its power needs from renewable
sources with wind power installed capacity at over 7154 MW,[176] accounting for 38
per cent of total installed wind power in India .[177] It is presently adding the
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant to its energy grid, which on completion would be
the largest atomic power plant in the country with 2000MW installed capacity.[178]
The total installed capacity of electricity in the State by January 2014 was 20,716
MW.[179] Tamil Nadu ranks first nationwide in diesel-based thermal electricity
generation with a national market share of over 34 per cent.[180] From a power
surplus state in 200506, Tamil Nadu has become a state facing severe power
shortage over the recent years due to lack of new power generation projects and
delay in the commercial power generation at Kudankulam Atomic Power Project. The
Tuticorin Thermal Power Station has five 210 megawatt generators. The first
generator was commissioned in July 1979. The thermal power plants under
construction include the coal-based 1000 MW NLC TNEB Power Plant. From the current
17MW installed Solar power, Tamil Nadu government's new policy aims to increase the
installed capacity to 3000MW by 2016.[181]

Sports
Main article: Sports in Tamil Nadu
Kabbadi, a team contact sport originated in Tamil Nadu and is recognised as the
state game.[182] The traditional sport of Tamil Nadu include Silambam,[183] a Tamil
martial arts played with a long bamboo staff, Cockfight, Jallikattu,[184] a bull
taming sport famous on festival occasions, ox-wagon racing known as Rekkala,[185]
[183] Kite flying also known as Pattam viduthal,[184] Goli, the game with marbles,
[184] Aadu Puli, the "goat and tiger" game[184] and Kabaddi also known as Sadugudu.
[184] Most of these traditional sports are associated with festivals of land like
Thai Pongal and mostly played in rural areas.[184] In urban areas of Tamil Nadu,
modern sports like bat and ball games are played.[184] Mrs. Ilavazhaki World carrom
Champion from 20022016

The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium chennai

Viswanathan Anand, world chess champion 20072013

The most popular game in Tamil Nadu like rest of India is cricket. The M. A.
Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is an international cricket ground with a capacity
of 50,000 and houses the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.[186] Srinivasaraghavan
Venkataraghavan,[187] Krishnamachari Srikkanth,[188] Laxman Sivaramakrishnan,[189]
Sadagoppan Ramesh, Laxmipathy Balaji,[190] Murali Vijay,[191] Ravichandran
Ashwin[192] and Dinesh Karthik are some prominent cricketers from Tamil Nadu. The
MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai is a popular fast bowling academy for pace bowlers
all over the world. Cricket contests between local clubs, franchises and teams are
popular in the state. Chennai Super Kings represent the city of Chennai in the
Indian Premier League, a popular Twenty20 league. The Super Kings are the most
successful team in the league with two IPL titles and two CLT20 titles.

Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu has a long-standing motor sports culture. The sport was pioneered by
Sundaram Karivardhan (195495) in its early days. Motor racing between the 1960s
and 1980s was conducted at Sholavaram, a track used as a World War II air strip.
Modern motor racing events are held at the Irungattukottai Race Track owned and
operated by Madras Motor Sports Club near Sriperumbudur and Kari Motor Speedway in
Coimbatore. The only two people to represent India in Formula 1 are both from Tamil
Nadu, namely Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to participate in F1 racing, and
Karun Chandhok.

Tennis is also a popular sport in Tamil Nadu with notable international players
including Ramesh Krishnan,[193] Ramanathan Krishnan,[193] Vijay Amritraj[194] and
Mahesh Bhupathi. Nirupama Vaidyanathan, the first Indian women to play in a
grandslam tournament also hails from the state. The ATP Chennai Open tournament is
held in Chennai every January. The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu
(SDAT) owns Nungambakkam tennis stadium which hosts Chennai Open and Davis Cup
play-off tournaments.

The Tamil Nadu Hockey Association is the governing body of Hockey in the state.
Vasudevan Baskaran was the captain of the Indian team that won gold medal in 1980
Olympics at Moscow. The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai hosts international
hockey events and is regarded by the International Hockey Federation as one of the
best in the world for its infrastructure.[195]

The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), a government body, is vested
with the responsibility of developing sports and related infrastructure in the
state.[196] The SDAT owns and operates world class stadiums and organises sporting
events.[197] It also accommodates sporting events, both at domestic and
international level, organised by other sports associations at its venues. The YMCA
College of Physical Education at Nandanam in Chennai was established in 1920 and
was the first college for physical education in Asia. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
in Chennai is a multi-purpose stadium hosting football and track & field events.
The Indian Triathlon Federation and the Volleyball Federation of India are
headquartered in Chennai. Chennai hosted India's first ever International Beach
Volleyball Championship in 2008. The SDAT TNSRA Squash Academy in Chennai is one
of the very few academies in south Asia hosting international squash events.

Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Tamil Nadu
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur is a UNESCO world heritage site

Marina Beach, the longest urban beach in the country

The tourism industry of Tamil Nadu is the largest in India, with an annual growth
rate of 16 per cent. Tourism in Tamil Nadu is promoted by Tamil Nadu Tourism
Development Corporation (TTDC), a Government of Tamil Nadu undertaking. According
to Ministry of Tourism statistics, 4.68 million foreign (20.1% share of the
country) and 333.5 million domestic tourists(23.3% share of the country) visited
the state in 2015 making it the most visited state in India both domestic and
foreign tourists.[198] The state boasts some of the grand Hindu temples built in
Dravidian architecture. The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur and Gangaikonda
Cholapuram built by the Cholas, the Airavateswara temple in Darasuram and the Shore
Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram (also called
Mamallapuram) have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[199][200]

See also
Chronology of Tamil history
List of countries where Tamil is an official language
Outline of Tamil Nadu
Coastline of Tamil Nadu
Tamil culture
Tamil diaspora
Tamil Eelam
Tamil Muslim
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rest of the corpus of Sangam literature deals with human relationship and emotions.
See K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, A History of South India, OUP (1955) pp. 330335
Jump up ^ Sastri 2008, pp. 330335.
Jump up ^ "Five fold grammar of Tamil", University of Pennsylvania
Jump up ^ Karthik Madhavan. "Tamil saw its first book in 1578". The Hindu.
Jump up ^ Kolappan, B. (22 June 2014). "Delay, howlers in Tamil Lexicon embarrass
scholars". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
Jump up ^ "Pongal Tamil festival". Tamilnadu.com. 4 February 2013. Archived from
the original on 8 February 2014.
Jump up ^ Alanganallur-Jallikattu. "Alanganallur-Jallikattu, Madurai, Tamil Nadu".
Shadow Chief. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
Jump up ^ "Alanganallur". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27
November 2006.
Jump up ^ The Hindu & 14 January 2011.
Jump up ^ "Mahamagam Festival".
Jump up ^ Fairs and Festivals of India. p. 326.
Jump up ^ The Times of India & 23 February 2009.
Jump up ^ BBC News & 23 February 2009.
Jump up ^ The Economic Times & 23 February 2009.
Jump up ^ "Tamil Nadu leads in film production".
Jump up ^ Hiro, Dilip (2010). After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World. p.
248. ISBN 978-1-56858-427-0.
Jump up ^ "Tamil, Telugu film industries outshine Bollywood". Business Standard. 25
January 2006. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
Jump up ^ Ashok Kumar, S.R. (2 January 2007). "Cinema ticket rate revision reflects
a balancing act". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
Jump up ^ "Metro Plus Chennai / Madras Miscellany : The pioneer'Tamil' film-maker".
The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
Jump up ^ Velayutham, Selvaraj. Tamil cinema: the cultural politics of India's
other film industry. p. 2.
Jump up ^ "He brought cinema to South". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 April 2010.
Retrieved 26 September 2011.
Jump up ^ "Regional Language Satellite Service". Doordarshan. Archived from the
original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
Jump up ^ "Tamil Nadu TV empire". Newslaundry. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
Jump up ^ "Jayalalithaa govt scraps free TV scheme in Tamil Nadu". DNA India.
Retrieved 6 July 2015.
Jump up ^ "What Happens When a State Is Run by Movie Stars". NY Times. Retrieved 6
July 2015.
Jump up ^ "Sun TV seals deal with Arasu at Rs 3cr a month". Times of India.
Retrieved 6 July 2015.
Jump up ^ "FY-2015: Inflection point for DTH companies in India". India Television.
Retrieved 6 July 2015.
Jump up ^ Chosun Ilbo 2007.
Jump up ^ Baradwaj Rangan. "In search of Madurai Jigarthanda". The Hindu. Retrieved
24 January 2015.
Jump up ^ Shankar, Shylashri (16 December 2016). "A coffee break in tradition".
Open the magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
Jump up ^ GSDP at current prices 2015.
Jump up ^ The Hindu & 22 April 2005.
Jump up ^ The Economic Times & 12 June 2012.
Jump up ^ GSDP at constant prices 2014.
Jump up ^ e-census India 2002.
^ Jump up to: a b c Tamil Nadu agricultural department 2009.
Jump up ^ "Tanjore, the "Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu"". tanjore.net.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Tamil Nadu horticulture 2008.
Jump up ^ Rubber board 2006.
Jump up ^ Tea production in India 2002.
Jump up ^ Palmoil Study 2004.
Jump up ^ MS Swaminathan Research Foundatation 2010.
Jump up ^ Live stock and poultry statistics 2005.
Jump up ^ Egg production from 1997 to 2004 2004.
Jump up ^ "India's Gems and Jewellery Market is Glittering". Resource Investor.
Retrieved 30 August 2011.
Jump up ^ "Tamil Nadu Poultry Industry Seeks Export Concessions". Retrieved 28
March 2015.
Jump up ^ Sangeetha Kandavel. "New textile policy on the anvil". The Hindu.
Jump up ^ "Nicknames of places in India". Retrieved 28 June 2015.
Jump up ^ Challenges to textile and apparel industry in Tamil Nadu 2000.
Jump up ^ "Nick Names of India Places Manchester of India Ahmedabad Cochin Queen of
Arabian Sea General Knowledge in India". winentrance.com.
Jump up ^ "The Indian Express Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 24 January
2015.
Jump up ^ "Why Chennai turned into 'Detroit of India'". Financial Express. 13 March
2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
Jump up ^ Daimler 2012.
Jump up ^ TNPL 2012.
Jump up ^ "Industry of Coimbatore". Retrieved 28 June 2015.
Jump up ^ Business Line & 7 October 2005.
Jump up ^ Business Line & 7 May 2006.
Jump up ^ Sangeetha Kandavel. "TCS jumps the gun in campus hiring". The Hindu.
Jump up ^ "Coimbatore: IT sector on the fast track : NATION India Today".
intoday.in.
Jump up ^ "National Highways Summary Ministry of Road Transport & Highways,
Government of India". morth.nic.in.
Jump up ^ "Join the Citizen Dialogue on Highway Safety Ministry of Road Transport
& Highways, Government of India". Morth.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Highways 2012.
Jump up ^ TCA Sharad Raghavan. "T.N. reduces deaths in road accidents". The Hindu.
Jump up ^ Ennore Port 2011.
Jump up ^ Welcome to Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), Chennai Archived 22
December 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu energy policy 2009.
Jump up ^ NPCIL 2009.
Jump up ^ [1] Archived 2 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Central Electrical Authority 2012.
Jump up ^ http://mnre.gov.in/file-
manager/UserFiles/guidelines_sbd_tariff_gridconnected_res/Tamilnadu%20Solar
%20Energy%20Policy%202012.pdf
Jump up ^ Li 2012, p. 183.
^ Jump up to: a b Crego 2003, pp. 3233.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Ramaswamy 2007, pp. 7374.
Jump up ^ Croker 1907, p. 223.
Jump up ^ MA Chidambaram Stadium 2012.
Jump up ^ Srinivas Venkataraghavan 2012.
Jump up ^ Kris Srikkanth 2012.
Jump up ^ Laxman Sivaramakrishnan 2012.
Jump up ^ Lakshmipathy Balaji 2012.
Jump up ^ Murali Vijay 2013.
Jump up ^ Ravichandran Ashwin 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Garg 2010, p. 316.
Jump up ^ Garg 2010, p. 327.
Jump up ^ The Hindu & 20 October 2004.
Jump up ^ TN Sports and Youth Welfare department 1992.
Jump up ^ Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu 2012.
Jump up ^ http://tourism.gov.in/sites/default/files/Other/India%20Tourism%20Book
%20English.pdf
Jump up ^ UNESCO Chola temples 2012.
Jump up ^ UNESCO Mahabalipuram temples 2012.
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