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Tamil Nadu is situated on the south eastern side of the Indian peninsula. It is
bounded on the east by Bay of Bengal, in the south by the Indian ocean, in the
west by the states of Kerala and Karnataka and in the North by the Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh. It is regarded as the cradle of Dravidian culture with its
cultural paraphernalia speckled all across the state in the form of magnificent
temples, gateways, intricate carvings, and the society seeped in tradition.Tamil
Nadu is the second most industrialized state in India.
The key industries of the state are heavy engineering and manufacturing-based
companies, textile industries, heavy engineering and manufacturing-based
companies.
The land mass of the state can be divided into two natural divisions,
(1) The Eastern coastal plain
(2) The hilly region along the North and the West
The eastern and western tips of the state are defined by the Point Calimere and
Mudumalai wildlife sanctuaries while the southernmost tip of Cape Comorin or
Kanyakumari, the Land's End of India.
There are more than 30,000 temples in this sate; which has given Tamil Nadu the
title, "Land of Temples". The Tamils have always been a God fearing lot and are
ardent worshippers of Shiva, Vishnu, Parvati and Lakshmi Subramanya. Vinayaka or
Pillayar is perhaps the most worshipped of the gods and is also called Ganapati
or Ganesh. He is the elephant headed elder son of Lord Shiva and Parvati and is
extremely benign in appearance. During any festival or celebration, worship of
this God is given precedence over the other.
Tamil Nadu which holds in itself a land, a language and a culture existed since
the prehistoric times. During the rule of two most important dynasties, the
Pallavas and Chola from 1st to 8th century AD, the famous temples built were in
Kanchipuram, the Kapaliswarar and Parthasarathy at Chennai the magnificent
poetry in rock and stone at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram). Kanchi has been
described extensively by the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang who visited this city
in the middle of the 6th century AD, as a major centre of learning.
Much of the ancient culture of Tamil Nadu is still alive. We have Carnatic
music, an Indian classical tradition.
Bharatha Natyam is its twin dance form, always accompanied by this music. The
rich tradition of folk music continues to inspire the more popular film music.
Food in Tamil Nadu does go beyond the famous idli, sambar, and dosai. You can
find more information on numerous topics pertaining to the place. Tamil Nadu is
the ultimate destination. It has everything to offer from temple architecture;
rock cut edicts, lush green hills and tea slopes at Kodaikanal, Ooty and Coonoor
; flora and fauna at the game sanctuaries in Vedanthangal and Mudumalai; the
sound of ankle bells of the Bharat Natyam, the classical dance with 108 postures
and the Mahabalipuram beach near Madras. |
