TAMIL NADU

constituent state of India, located in the extreme southeastern part of the Indian peninsula. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and south; by the states of Kerala to the west, Karnataka (Mysore) to the northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the north. Its capital is Madras. The history of Tamil Nadu began with the establishment of a trinity of Tamil powers in the areathe Cera, Cola, and Pandya kingdoms. Aryan influence increased after about AD 200 at a time when the area appears to have been engaged in considerable foreign trade. Various wars marked the period from the 6th to the 9th century, and from about 850 the area was dominated by Colas. In the mid-14th century the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagarincluding Tamil Naducame into prominence and lasted for 200 years. The British established a trading post at the fishing village of Madraspatnam (now Madras) in 1639, and from the 17th century to 1946 the area was known as the Madras Presidency. By 1956 the presidency had been divided among the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Mysore (now Karnataka), and Tamil Nadu within an independent Republic of India. The state is divided naturally between the flat country along the eastern coast and the hilly regions of the north and west. The broadest part of the eastern plains is the fertile Cauvery River delta; farther south are the arid plains of Ramanathapuram and Madurai. The high Western Ghats range runs all along the state's western border. The lower hills of the Eastern Ghats run through the centre of the region. The most important rivers include the Cauvery, the Ponnaiyar, the Palar, the Vaigai, and the Tambraparni. The Cauvery and its tributaries are Tamil Nadu's most important sources of water and power. The climate is tropical. The temperature in summer occasionally exceeds 109 F (43 C) and in winter seldom falls below 64 F (18 C). The lowest temperatures are found during December and January, and the highest from April to June. The average annual rainfall, coming mainly between October and December, depends on the southwest and northeast monsoons and ranges between 25 and 75 inches (640 and 1,910 mm) each year. Tamil Nadu's population characteristics have changed little over the centuries, and the Tamil people, who make up the bulk of the state's population, remain proud of their Dravidian language and culture. Most of the hill tribes are of Veddoid origin. Tamil is the official state language. Telugu, Kannada, Urdu, Malayalam, and English are minority languages. Nearly 90 percent of the population is Hindu; Christians account for about 5 percent. Although Tamil Nadu is one of the three most urbanized states of India, it is still a rural land. Agriculture is the mainstay of life for about three-quarters of the rural population, and about one-half of the cultivated land is under irrigation. Multiple cropping, the use of new and better strains of rice, cotton, sugarcane, and millet, and the use of chemical fertilizers have done much to increase farm production. The state has been self-sufficient in food-grain production since 1967; and cotton, coffee, tea, and sugarcanetogether with rice and peanuts (groundnuts)are important cash crops. Improved port facilities and the effective use of electric-power resources have helped Tamil Nadu's industrial development. It is one of the most industrialized of the Indian states. Cotton ginning, spinning, and weaving continue to be the major industries, followed by the manufacture of cars, motorcycles, electric motors, and transformers. The state also has petroleum refineries and fertilizer plants, as well as tire, aluminum, cement, chemical, and paper factories. The transport system of the southern Indian states converges on the city of Madras, and its artificial harbour handles seaborne traffic. There is an international airport at Meenambakkam near Madras; other airports are at Tiruchchirappalli, Madurai, and Coimbatore. The state is served by a railway network and motorable roads. In Tamil Na du, Hinduism remains at the core of the culture, and there are more than 9,300 large temples in the state. The cycle of temple festivals attracts large congregations of devotees. Classical bharata natyam dancing and Carnatic music are widely practiced. Painting and sculpture are less developed, although there are schools for sculptors in stone and bronze. Since the 1940s the motion picture has become the most popular form of mass entertainment. There are both touring and permanent cinema theatres, and sentimental and spectacular films are produced by the state's film studios. There are universities at Madras, Anamalai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, and the state has several medical colleges, engineering colleges, and polytechnic and industrial training institutes. Area 50,216 square miles (130,058 square km). Pop. (1991) 55,638,318. state of India. It is located in the extreme south of the subcontinent. The state has an area of 50,215 square miles (130,057 square kilometres). It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and south and by the states of Kerala to the west, Karnataka (formerly Mysore) to the northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the north. The capital is Madras. Tamil Nadu represents the Tamil-speaking area of what was formerly the Madras Presidency. The Tamils are proud of their Dravidian language and culture, and they have resisted attempts by the union government to make Hindi the national language. While it has an industrial core in Madras, the state is essentially agricultural. Additional reading C. Vira Raghavan, Tamil Nadu (1973), provides a brief overview. Paul Hockings (ed.), Blue Mountains: The Ethnography and Biogeography of a South Indian Region (1989), is an extensive study of the Nilgiri Hills District. Stanley J. Heginbotham, Cultures in Conflict: The Four Faces of Indian Bureaucracy (1975), focuses on the region's public administration and agricultural development. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, The Culture and History of the Tamils (1964), is eminently readable and factual. Ayinipalli Aiyappan The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica History The history of Tamil Nadu begins with the establishment of a trinity of Tamil powers in the regionnamely, the Cera, Cola, and Pandya kingdoms. By about AD 200 the influence of northern Aryan powers had progressed, and the Aryan sage Agastya had established himself as a cultural hero. The use of Roman gold and lamps and the consumption of Italian wine testify to the extensive foreign trade of the period. From the mid-6th century until the 9th century, the Calukyas of Badami, the Pallavas of Kaci, and the Pandyas of Madurai fought a long series of wars in the region. The period, nonetheless, was marked by a revival of Hinduism and the advance of the fine arts. From about AD 850, Tamil Nadu was dominated by the Colas, of whom Rajendra I (reigned 101444) was the most distinguished ruler. In the mid-14th century the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, which included all of Tamil Nadu, came into prominence. During the 300 years of Vijayanagar rule, Telugu-speaking governors and officials were introduced in the administration. In 1640 the English East India Company opened a trading post at the fishing village of Madraspatnam (now Madras) with the permission of the local ruler. The history of Tamil Nadu from the mid-17th century to 1946 is the story of the Madras Presidency in relationship to the rise and fall of British power in India. After 1946 the Madras Presidency was able to make steady progress, as it had a stable government. In 1953 the Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh was formed, and in 1956 the presidency was further divided into the states of Kerala, Mysore (now Karnataka), and Tamil Nadu. Ayinipalli Aiyappan The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica