Tamil Nadu Anthem: ' Location of Tamil Nadu in Coordinates:: Country India Formation 26 January 1950 Capital Government • Body • • • Indira Banerjee • Girija Vaidyanathan • T. Rajendran Area • Total 130,060 km 2 (50,220 sq mi) Area rank Population (2011) • Total 72,147,030 • Rank • Density 550/km 2 (1,400/sq mi) () 0.570 ( medium) HDI rank 6th (2015) 80.33% (2011) and Website 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 Tamil is the of the state.

Aug 14, 2015. We can't bring back those serials on TV (how I wish we could) but we can for sure take you back in time and remind you of those lovely days of your childhood. Dekh Bhai Dekh. Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. Malgudi Days. Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.

English is declared as an additional official language for communication purposes. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil pronunciation: ( ); TamiḻNāṭu; literally 'The Land of Tamils' or 'Tamil Country') is one of the 29. Its capital and largest city is (formerly known as Madras). Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the and is bordered by the of and the states of,, and.

It is bounded by the on the north, by the, the, and on the west, by the in the east, by the and the on the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean on the south. The state shares a maritime border with the nation of. Tamil Nadu is the eleventh-largest state in India by area and the sixth-most populous. The state was ranked sixth among according to the in 2011, and is the in India with ₹13,842 billion (US$220 billion) in gross domestic product after Maharashtra. 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.

Its official language is, which is one of the longest-surviving 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 of, historic, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eight. Main article: Prehistory [ ] Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in the Indian peninsula. In, 24 km (15 mi) from, archaeologists from the (ASI) unearthed 169 clay urns containing human skulls, skeletons, bones, husks, grains of rice, charred rice and of the period, 3,800 years ago.

The ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is 'very rudimentary'. Adichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies. 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. A new study of Indigenous Australian DNA suggests there was some form of migration from India to Australia about 4,000 years ago.

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 men’s Y chromosomes matched with Y chromosomes typically found in Indian men. The study found a pattern of SNPs that is found in genetics of speakers from South India. Indus valley script between 2000 and 1500 BCE [ ] A Neolithic stone (a hand-held axe) with the on it was discovered at Sembian-Kandiyur near in Tamil Nadu.

According to epigraphist, 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, and therefore that the 'Neolithic people of the Tamil country spoke a '. The date of the celt was estimated at between 1500 BCE and 2000 BCE.

Sangam period (300 BCE – 300 CE) [ ]. Sage father of Tamil literature, The early history of the people and rulers of Tamil Nadu is a topic in Tamil literary sources known as. 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 archaeological site suggests that Alagankulam is one of the important trade centre or port city in Sangam Era.

Three dynasties, namely the, and, ruled the area of present-day Tamil Nadu and. The ruled the whole of present-day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu comprising,,, and districts from the capital of (thought to be modern day ). The ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu from their capital,; and the Pandya dynasty ruled southern Tamil Nadu, from capitals at and. All three dynasties had extensive trade relationships with Rome, Greece, Egypt,,,, and. Trade flourished in commodities such as spices, ivory, pearls, beads and gems. Chera traded extensively from on the west coast, Chola from and and Pandya through Korkai port.

A Greco-Roman trade and travel document, the (c. AD 60 – 100) gives a description of the Tamil country and its ports. Besides these three dynasties, the Sangam era (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,,,, and. Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, the three Tamil kingdoms were overwhelmed by the.

The period of their rule is sometimes referred to as the 'Dark Age' in history and little is known about it. The Kalabhras were expelled by the,, and in the 6th century. Bhakti Movement [ ]. The Much later, the were replaced by the as the dominant kingdom in the 9th century and they in turn were replaced by the in the 13th century. The Pandyan capital was in the deep south away from the coast. They had extensive trade links with the south east Asian maritime empires of and their successors, as well as contacts, even formal diplomatic contacts, reaching as far as the. During the 13th century, mentioned the Pandyas as the in existence.

Temples such as the at and at are the best examples of Pandyan temple architecture. 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 [ ]. The at its greatest extent, during the reign of in 1030 During the 9th century, the Chola dynasty was once again revived by, who established as Chola's new capital by conquering central Tamil Nadu from and the Pandya king.

And his son expanded the kingdom to the northern parts of Tamil Nadu by defeating the last Pallava king,. Expanded the Chola empire into what is now interior Andhra Pradesh and coastal Karnataka, while under the great and his son, the Cholas rose to a notable power in south east Asia.

Now the stretched as far as and Sri Lanka. At its peak, the empire spanned almost 3,600,000 km 2 (1,400,000 sq mi). Rajaraja Chola conquered all of peninsular and parts of Sri Lanka.

's navy went even further, occupying coasts from Burma (now ) to Vietnam, the, Lakshadweep,,,, Philippines in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated, the king of Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital and named it.

The Cholas were prolific temple builders right from the times of the first medieval king. 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, acknowledging their common socio-religious and cultural heritage. The celebrated temple at and the at held special significance for the which have been mentioned in their inscriptions as their tutelary deities. And his son built temples such as the of and of, the of and the (Shiva) Temple, also called the Kampahareswarar Temple at, the last two temples being located near Kumbakonam. The first three of the above four temples are titled among the. At The Muslim invasions of southern India triggered the establishment of the with 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 in 1565 by a confederacy of. Subsequently, as the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after the mid-16th century, many local rulers, called, 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 and Tanjore were the first to declare their independence, despite initially maintaining loose links with the Vijayanagara kingdom. The Nayaks of Madurai and were the most prominent of Nayaks in the 17th century. They reconstructed some of the well-known temples in Tamil Nadu such as the. Power struggles of the 18th century (1692–1801) [ ] 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 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, who had his seat in from 1715 onward. Meanwhile, to the south, the fall of the led to a short lived. The fall of the 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 (or 'polygar' as called by British) and were ruling under the nawabs of the Carnatic.

At built by the Europeans started to establish trade centres during the 17th century in the eastern coastal regions. Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in, while the Danes had their establishment in also known as Tranquebar. In 1639, the British, under the East India Company, established a settlement further south of Pulicat, in present-day. British constructed and established a trading post at Madras. By 1693, the French established in trading posts. The British and French were competing to expand the trade in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu which also witnessed many battles like as part of the.

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. 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 to establish independent states by the aspiring Palaiyakkarar. Was one of the earliest opponents of the British rule in South India. Thevar's prominent exploits were his confrontations with, who later rebelled against the British in the late 1750s and early 1760s., was the first woman freedom fighter of India and Queen of Sivagangai. She was drawn to war after her husband Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar (1750–1772), King of was murdered at temple by British. Before her death, Queen Velu Nachi granted powers to the to rule Sivaganga.

(1760–1799), Palaiyakkara chief of Panchalakurichi who fought the British in the First. He was captured by the British at the end of the war and hanged near Kayattar in 1799. (1700–1800) 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., younger brother of Kattabomman, took asylum under the, Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu and raised an army. They formed a coalition with and Kerala Varma which fought the British in Second Polygar Wars. (1756–1805), 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. Main article: At the beginning of the 19th century, the British firmly established governance over the entire Tamil Nadu. The on 10 July 1806 was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which took place in, 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. 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 (1854–1859) 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 eventually led to the establishment of the. Failure of the summer monsoons and administrative shortcomings of the system resulted in two severe famine in the Madras Presidency, the and the. The famine led to migration of people as bonded labours for British to various countries which eventually formed the present. India (1947–present) [ ] When India became independent in 1947, Madras presidency became, 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'.

Geography [ ]. Traverse along the western border of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 km 2 (50,216 sq mi), and is eleventh largest state in India.

The bordering states are to the west, to the north west and to the north. To the east is the and the state encircles the union territory of.

The southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula is which is the meeting point of the, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. The western, southern and the north western parts are hilly and rich in vegetation. The and the meet at the. 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 at about 906.9 km (563.5 mi). Tamil Nadu's coastline bore the brunt of the 2004 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. 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: • from June to September, with strong southwest winds; • 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 and severe drought.

Tamil Nadu is divided into seven agro-climatic zones: north east, north west, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). Flora and fauna [ ].

Main articles: and There are about 2000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu. Protected areas provide safe habitat for large mammals including,,,,,,,,, and, resident and migratory birds such as,,,,, and,,,, a few migratory and occasionally, marine species such as the, turtles, dolphins, and a wide variety of fish and insects. Indian 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, 533 species, 260 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants and 230 species. The diversity of the country is 64 species of which Tamil Nadu has four indigenous species and about 60 introduced species.

The diversity of India includes 1022 species of which Tamil Nadu has about 184 species. Vast numbers of,, fungi, and bacteria are among the wild plant diversity of Tamil Nadu. Common plant species include the state tree:,, rubber,, clumping bamboos ( arundinacea),,,,, and blooming trees like,, and. Rare and unique plant life includes Combretum ovalifolium, ( Diospyros nilagrica), rariflora (orchid),, elegans, reniformis, and. National and state parks [ ].

Main article: Tamil Nadu has a wide range of extending east from the in the through the and to and then to the beaches,,,, and of the. The state has a range of flora and fauna with many species and habitats. To protect this diversity of wildlife there are of Tamil Nadu as well as which protect larger areas of natural habitat often include one or more National Parks. The established in 1986 is a marine ecosystem with seaweed and sea grass communities, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove forests.

The located in the and comprises part of adjoining states of Kerala and Karnataka. The 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,,, and located in the centre of city., and are the tiger reserves in the state.

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 [ ]. Madras High Court, Chennai The Governor is the constitutional head of the state while the is the head of the government and the head of the council of ministers. The of the is the head of the judiciary. The present Governor, Chief Minister and the Chief Justice are (acting governor), and respectively. Administratively the state is divided into 32 district.

(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 constituencies and 234 Legislative Assembly constituencies. Tamil Nadu had a until 1986, when it was replaced with a, like most other states in India. The term length of the government is five years. The present government is headed by, after the demise of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, of the.

The is housed at the in Chennai. The state had come under the 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 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 – 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. The 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. In 2003, the state had a total police population ratio of 1:668, higher than the national average of 1:717. Administrative subdivisions [ ]. Districts of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is subdivided into 32, which are listed below. A district is administered by a who is mostly an (IAS) member, appointed by State Government.

Districts are further divided into 226 administrated by comprising 1127. A District has also one or more Revenue Divisions (in total 76) constituted by many Revenue Blocks. 16,564 Revenue villages () 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 and Municipalities respectively. The urban bodies include 12, 125 and 529 town panchayats. The rural bodies include 31 district panchayats, 385 panchayat unions and 12,524 village panchayats. 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.

The main party in Tamil Nadu at that time was the (INC). Have dominated state politics since 1916. One of the earliest regional parties, the South Indian Welfare Association, a forerunner to in Tamil Nadu, was started in 1916. The party was called after its English organ,, by its opponents. Later, 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 in 1944. It was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called. However, due to the differences between its two leaders EVR and, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the (DMK). The DMK decided to enter politics in 1956. Post-Independence [ ] Political Alliance (2016) (2014) 134 37 98 0 Independent/Other 0 2 Source: Election Commission of India.

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 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. Annadurai became the DMK's first.

Took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969. Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by, 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 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. Main article: 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 in India in year 2005–06 with 1.7 children born for each woman, lower than required for population sustainability. At the 2011 India census, Tamil Nadu had a population of 72,147,030. 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. 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 (SC) and 794,697 people constituting 1.10 per cent of the population belonged to (ST). 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. Largest cities or towns in Tamil Nadu As of the 1 70,88,000 2 16,01,438 3 15,61,129 4 9,16,674 5 8,77,778 6 8,29,267 7 4,98,129 8 4,73,637 9 4,66,205 10 3,45,996 List of most populous towns in Tamil Nadu Among the cities in 2011, the state capital, Chennai, was the, followed by,, and respectively. 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. The at birth for males is 65.2 years and for females it is 67.6 years. However, it has a high level of poverty especially in the rural areas.

In 2004–2005, 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 For the period 2004–2005, 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 2004–2005, percentage of the state's population was 27.5 per cent. The ranks Tamil Nadu to have a of 0.141, which is in the level of Ghana among the developing countries. Corruption is a major problem in the state with Transparency International ranking it the second most corrupt among the states of India. Religion [ ]. Other or not religious (0.3%) As per the religious census of 2011, Tamil Nadu had 87.6%, 6.1%, 5.9%, 0.1% and 0.3% following other religions or no religion. The state is home to the core schools of medieval and modern Hinduism as well as several non-mainstream Hindu movements. These include Saivism,,, and.

In modern times, well known figures for Hinduism in the state include and the Kanchi. All Hindu deities in various forms and a large number of are worshiped by Hindus in Tamil Nadu. Is considered to be the God of Tamil people. Tamil Nadu dominates the list of in the world which include the,, at,, Temple, at among others.

The emblem of depicts the Gopuram (gateway tower) of the. Has one of the largest temple complexes form 6 per cent of the population.

Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of,, and. In Chennai, the place where 's death is believed to have occurred when he came to India, The, built atop the site of the tomb of St. Thomas, and the are churches revered by Christians in India. The and the Pentecostal Mission Church are headquartered in Chennai. Constitute close to 6% of the population of the state and are mainly concentrated in,,,,, and districts. Among Muslims, 97.5 per cent are Sunni and the rest are. The adhere to either or schools of thought.

In Ramanathapuram district and Nagore in Nagapattinam district are important pilgrimage sites for Muslims. In and Karpudaiyar masjid in Kayalpatnam are among the earlier mosques in Tamil Nadu. Or have a legacy dating back to 250 BC.

They made significant contributions to Tamil literature. According to the 2001 census there were 83,359 in Tamil Nadu. 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. Main article: Tamil (தமிழ்) is the official language of Tamil Nadu.

English is also in common usage as an. When India adopted national standards, Tamil was the first language to be recognised as a. As of 2001 census, Tamil is spoken as the first language by 89.43 percent of the population. Also (Mostly in Northern Part - Chennai, Vellore, Tiruvallur), (Mostly in central and Southern part- Madurai, Dindigul, Kumbakonam), (mostly in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli Areas) are the languages spoken by small portion of people. Education [ ] Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India. Tamil Nadu has performed reasonably well in terms of during the decade 2001–2011. 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. The analysis of primary school education in the state by shows a low drop-off rate but poor quality of state education compared to other states. Tamil Nadu has, 449 Polytechnic Colleges 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,,,,,,,,,,, and. Tamil Nadu now has 69 per cent reservation in educational institutions for socially backward section of the society, the highest among all Indian states. The programme in Tamil Nadu was first initiated by, then it was expanded by in 1983. Seventh century paintings in the, Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture.

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. Unique cultural features like (dance),, and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu. Literature [ ] has existed for over 2000 years. The earliest period of Tamil literature,, is dated from ca.

300 BC – AD 300. It is the amongst all others. The earliest records found on rock edicts and date from around the 3rd century BC.

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. Sangam literature is primarily secular, dealing with everyday themes in a context. The Sangam literature also deals with human relationship and emotions. The available literature from this period was categorised and compiled in the 10th century into two categories based roughly on chronology. The categories are: ( The Major Eighteen Anthology Series) comprising ( The Eight Anthologies) and the ( Ten Idylls) and ( The Minor Eighteen Anthology Series). Much of Tamil grammar is extensively described in the oldest known grammar book for Tamil, the.

Modern Tamil writing is largely based on the 1000 B.C grammar Naṉṉūl which restated and clarified the rules of the Tolkāppiyam, with some modifications. Traditional Tamil grammar consists of five parts, namely eḻuttu, sol, poruḷ, yāppu, aṇi. Of these, the last two are mostly applied in poetry. Notable example of Tamil poetry include the written by 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., published by the, is the first among the published in any Indian language. During the, many Tamil poets and writers sought to provoke national spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts among the common man, notably and. Festivals and traditions [ ]. Was the great Tamil poet and philosopher, also called as Tamizhar Thirunaal (festival of Tamils) or Makara Sankranti elsewhere in India, a four-day is one of the most widely celebrated festivals throughout Tamil Nadu. 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., a bull taming contest, marks the main event of this day. Is famous for its Jallikattu 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 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. 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. 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, the mother goddess of rain.

Other major Hindu festivals including (Death of Narakasura), Ayudha Poojai, Saraswathi Poojai (), Jayanthi and are also celebrated.,,, 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. Was the first musician to be awarded the, 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 songs. In sharp contrast with the restrained and intellectual nature of, Tamil folk music tends to be much more exuberant. Popular forms of Tamil folk music include the, a form of music performed with a bow, the urumee mellam or Naiyandi mellam which incorporates the use of the and the, that convey folklore and folk history.

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, and were from Tamil Nadu. Tyagi Aaradhanai (worship) takes place every year in the month of Marghazhi in all carnatic musicians render their obesiance to Saint Thyagarajar by singing his compositions. The composers belonging to the, namely (?1560 –?1640), (1712–1779) and (1717–1787) composed hundreds of devotional songs in Tamil and helped in the evolution of Carnatic music. Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual during December–January, which includes performances by hundreds of artists all over the city. In terms of modern cine-music, 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 who has composed film music in,,, English and Chinese films. He was once referred to by as 'The of '. Art and dance [ ]. Performance 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. In its religious form, the dance is performed in front of an image of the goddess. The dancer bears on his or her head a brass pot filled with uncooked rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded by a bamboo frame, and tumbles and leaps to the rhythm of a song without spilling a grain. Karakattam is usually performed to a special type of song known as temmanguppāṭṭu a in the mode of a lover speaking to his beloved, to the accompaniment of a and. Other Tamil folk dances include, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist;, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various designs colors; poikkal kuthiraiyaaṭṭam, where the dancers use dummy horses; manattam, where the dancers imitate the graceful leaping of deer; paraiyāṭṭam, a dance to the sound of rhythmical drumbeats, and thīppandāṭṭam, a dance involving playing with burning wooden torches. Is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu.

Prior to the colonial period, it used to be performed in Hindu temples. 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. Or is a traditional form of folk dance/drama. Film industry [ ]. Main article: Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry nicknamed as 'Kollywood', which released the most number of films in India in 2013.

The term Kollywood is a of and Hollywood. Tamil cinema is one of the largest industries of film production in India. Download Game Soccer Manager Offline Explorer.

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. The first silent film in Tamil, was made in 1916. The first talkie was a multi-lingual film,, which released on 31 October 1931, barely 7 months after India's first talking picture., who had built the first cinema of in, 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, called 'Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone'. This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors.

Television industry [ ] There are more than 30 television channels of various genre in., 's Tamil language regional channel was launched on 14 April 1993. The first private Tamil channel, was founded in 1993. In Tamil Nadu, the television industry is influenced by politics and majority of the channels are owned by politicians or people with political links. 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. Cable used to be the preferred mode of reaching homes controlled by government run operator. From the early 2010s, has become increasingly popular replacing cable television services.

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. Main article: Tamil cuisine is typical of south Indian cuisine in that rice and rice-derived dishes form the major portion of a diet (see ).

Guests sit on a coir mat rolled out on the floor and a full course meal was served on a banana leaf., steamed rice-cakes, prepared from a fermented batter of rice and and, crepes made from a fermented batter of rice and are popular breakfast items. Items that are native to Tamil Nadu are, Athirasam, and Kuli Paniyaram. Is renowned for its unique, is the place of origin of milk dessert while is known for its Panchamirtham. And are the staple drinks. Coimbatore is one of the leading BPO centres in India For the year 2014–15 Tamil Nadu's was ₹9.767 trillion (US$150 billion), and growth was 14.86.

It ranks third in (FDI) approvals (cumulative 1991–2002) 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. The per capita income in 2007–2008 for the state was ₹ 72,993 ranking third among states with a population over 10 million and has steadily been above the national average.

Agriculture forms a major portion of state's economy, known as the 'father of the Indian ' was from Tamil Nadu. 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 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. In 2003–2004, Tamil Nadu had produced 3783.6 million of, which was the second highest in India representing 9.37 per cent of the total egg production in the country. 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. Is also one of the major centres of production in India. Is one of the major centres for poultry production. Textiles and leather [ ].

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. Is often referred to as the ' of ' due to its cotton production and textile industries. Is the country's largest exporter of knitwear.

For its cotton production. The region around Coimbatore, Tirupur, Palladam, and Erode is referred to [ ] as the 'Textile Valley of India' with the export from the Tirupur ₹ 50,000 million ($1,000 million) and generates around ₹ 35,500 million ($750 million) a year in foreign exchange.,,,, and Vedasandur are known for its cotton mills. Gobichettipalayam is a prominent producer of white silk with the country's first automated silk reeling unit present here. And are world-famous for their pure silk sarees and hand loom silk weaving industries.,, and are also famous for art-silk sarees.,,,,,,,, are major handloom centres.,,, Negamam, Cinnalapatti, Woraiyur, Pochampalli are famous for its soft cotton saree weaving.

Is known for its Chungidi cotton sarees and 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. [ ] Leather and industries are located around and, its nearby towns such as,,,, and. [ ] 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. Is known as the Detroit of India.

Major global automobile companies including,,, -,,,, and as well as Indian automobile majors like,,,, -,,,,, Company also invested ( ₹) 4 billion for establishing new plant in Tamil Nadu. 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., one of India's largest electrical equipment manufacturing companies, has manufacturing plants at and. India's leading steel producer, the state-owned has a steel plant in.

Has a copper smelter at and an aluminium plant in. The is a state-owned oil and gas corporation headquartered in Chennai, and owns refineries at and. The state government owns the, in. Jointly with the, the state owns the world's sixth largest manufacturer of watches, under the brand name of,. A number of large cement manufacturers, including the, Ramco Cements, Tancem, the, UltraTech Cements and are present across the state. 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 and and the term 'Coimbatore Wet Grinder' has been given a.

Main articles: and Tamil Nadu has a transportation system that connects all parts of the state. 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). The state is also a terminus for the project, that connects four major metropolitan cities in India (,,, ).

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. The major road junctions are Chennai,, Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Karur, Krishnagiri, Dindigul, Kanniyakumari. Road transport is provided by state owned and.

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. Rail [ ] Tamil Nadu has a well-developed rail network as part of. Headquartered at, the Southern Railway network extends over a large area of India's southern peninsula, covering the states of Tamil Nadu,, Puducherry, a small portion of and a small portion of.

Express trains connect the state capital Chennai with Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Is gateway for train towards north whereas 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 is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site connecting on the hills and in the foot hills which is in turn connected to city. The centenary old over sea connecting in 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 network and is constructing a 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.,,,,,, are upgraded to A1 grade level. Loco sheds are located at,, Royapuram in and Tondaiyarpet in, Ponmalai (GOC) in as Diesel Loco Shed.

The loco shed at 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,, and. And are domestic airports.

Is a major international airport and aviation hub in South Asia. Besides civilian airports, the state has four air bases of the namely,, and two naval air stations and of. Seaport [ ] Tamil Nadu has three major located at, and, as well as seven other minor ports including and. 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.

Tamil Nadu has the third largest installed power generation capacity in the country. The, Ennore Thermal Plant, Lignite Power Plant, many hydroelectric plants including, 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, accounting for 38 per cent of total installed wind power in India. It is presently adding the to its energy grid, which on completion would be the largest atomic power plant in the country with 2000MW installed capacity. The total installed capacity of electricity in the State by January 2014 was 20,716 MW. Tamil Nadu ranks in diesel-based thermal electricity generation with a national market share of over 34 per cent.

From a power surplus state in 2005–06, 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. 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. Main article:, a team contact sport originated in Tamil Nadu and is recognised as the state game. The traditional sport of Tamil Nadu include, a Tamil martial arts played with a long bamboo staff,,, a bull taming sport famous on festival occasions, racing known as Rekkala, flying also known as Pattam viduthal, Goli, the game with marbles, Aadu Puli, the 'goat and tiger' game and Kabaddi also known as Sadugudu.

Most of these traditional sports are associated with festivals of land like and mostly played in rural areas. In urban areas of Tamil Nadu, modern sports like bat and ball games are played. Ilavazhaki World carrom Champion from 2002–2016.

World chess champion 2007–2013 The most popular game in Tamil Nadu like rest of India is. The in Chennai is an international cricket ground with a capacity of 50,000 and houses the.,,,,,, and are some prominent cricketers from Tamil Nadu.

The 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. Represent the city of Chennai in the, a popular league. The Super Kings are the most successful team in the league with two IPL titles and two titles. In Coimbatore Tamil Nadu has a long-standing motor sports culture. The sport was pioneered by (1954–95) in its early days.

Motor racing between the 1960s and 1980s was conducted at, a track used as a World War II air strip. Modern motor racing events are held at the owned and operated by near and in Coimbatore. The only two people to represent India in are both from Tamil Nadu, namely, the first Indian to participate in racing, and.

Tennis is also a popular sport in Tamil Nadu with notable international players including,, and., the first Indian women to play in a grandslam tournament also hails from the state. The tournament is held in Chennai every January. The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) owns which hosts Chennai Open and Davis Cup play-off tournaments. The Tamil Nadu Hockey Association is the governing body of in the state. Was the captain of the Indian team that won gold medal in 1980 Olympics at Moscow. The in Chennai hosts international hockey events and is regarded by the as one of the best in the world for its infrastructure. 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. A Volte Ritornano Pdf Editor.

The SDAT owns and operates world class stadiums and organises sporting events. It also accommodates sporting events, both at domestic and international level, organised by other sports associations at its venues.

The College of Physical Education at Nandanam in Chennai was established in 1920 and was the first college for physical education in Asia. The in Chennai is a multi-purpose stadium hosting 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 Academy in Chennai is one of the very few academies in south Asia hosting international squash events.

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 (TTDC), a Government of Tamil Nadu undertaking. According to 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. The state boasts some of the grand built in.

The in and built by the, the Airavateswara temple in and the, along with the collection of other monuments in (also called Mamallapuram) have been declared as. See also [ ].