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Tourism Places In Tamilnadu
Tamilnadu, state in southern India, bordered on the north by Andhra Pradesh state,
on the northwest by Karnataka state, on the west by Kerala state, and on the east
and south by the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Occupying the extreme south
of the Indian peninsula, Tamil Nadu has an area of 130,058 sq km (50,215 sq mi).
The state of Tamil Nadu is divided into 26 Administrative Districts which
in turn are further bifurcated into smaller divisions and subdivisions including
a total of 17,272 villages. The state Capital, Madras now renamed as Chennai is
the fourth largest city in the Indian sub-continent. It extends over an area of
174 Sq.km
Its Legislative House has 235 seats. The state sends 57 members to the Indian national
parliament: 18 to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and 39 to the Lok Sabha (lower house).
There are 18 local government administrative districts.
History
The history of Tamil Nadu dates back to the time the Dravidians had moved south,
following the advent of Aryans in the north. Historically, South India consisted
of four main Dravidian Kingdoms, the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas (who ruled
over what is now Tamil Nadu) and the Chalukyas. The Muslim invasion of the South
in the 14th century caused a retaliatory reaction from the Hindus, who rallied to
build a strong new kingdom, with its capital at Vijaynagar. On independence, the
Madras province, as the south was known then, was divided on a linguistic basis
into states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A mutual exchange of certain
areas between Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Malabar and Kasargod to Kerala; Shencotta and
Kanyakumari from Kerala) was undertaken according to the State Reorganisation Act,
following which Madras adopted a new name, Tamil Nadu.
Society,arts and culture
The people of Tamil Nadu lead by and large, relaxed lifestyles. Tamils have deep
interest in music, dance and literature. Dance forms like Bharanatyam and various
forms of music, including Carnatic Music, have flourished here for centures. Festivals
are a daily feature in this region. Navaratri or Dussehra (September/October), Deepavali
(October/ November), Karthika (November/December) and Pongal (January ) are the
popular ones. A unique festival of Carnatic music, the Thyagaraja festival is held
annually in January at Thiruvariyar, the birth place of famous singer poet Thyagaraja,
where one can witness the amazing spectacle of mass performance, in total harmony
and rhythm. Handicrafts include the most intricately carved designes in wood, stone
and metal. The exquisitely carved Bronze and Tanjore plate deserve special mention
here
The people of the state speak Tamil language. But of late owing to immigrants from
other states into the urban centres of the state, there has been a discernible increase
in the number of languages spoken in the state. Today several languages such as
Telegu, Malayalam, Hindi and other Indian languages are being spoken in the state.
Other than these languages, English is spoken by the educated in most parts of the
state. Tamil Nadu has a literacy rate of 62.66 per cent with the male literacy rate
being 63.78 per cent and the female literacy rate being 44.60 per cent.
Tamils are lovers of good food. Their favourite cuisines invariably consist of idly
(steamed rice cakes), dosai (a pancake made from a batter of rice) and lentils crisp
fried on a pan, vada (deep fried doughnuts made from a batter of lentils), pongal
(a mish mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with ghee, cashew
nuts, pepper and cummin seed), uppuma (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard,
pepper, cummin seed and dry lentils.) Lunch or meals consists of cooked rice served
with an array of vegetable dishes, sambar, chutneys, rasam (a hot broth made with
tamarind juice and pepper) and curd (yogurt).
Economy and Infrastructure
Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population.
Irrigation has been practiced since the earliest times; today there are more than
20,000 km (12,430 mi) of irrigation channels. Important crops include sugarcane,
groundnuts, oilseeds, cotton, bananas, potatoes, tea, and spices. Major forest products
are timber, sandalwood, pulpwood and fuel wood, while the minor products include
bamboo, eucalyptus, rubber, tea, cashew, honey and ivory.
Tamil Nadu has a 1000 km long coastline with its equatorial climate permitting year
round fishery and farming. The state has a fairly stable presence in this sector
with abundant skilled labour available, over 200 registered exporters of marine
products, 29 freezing plants and 36 cold storages Investment opportunities in this
sector include, shrimp farming and processing, Crab culture, Seaweed culture, etc,
in additon to opportunities in infrastructure like air freight services, Cold storage
facilities, Freezing plant etc.
Minerals like limestone, lignite, granite, clay, gypsum, feldspar, graphite and
iron are found abundantly in Tamil Nadu. Besides these small quantities of gold,
copper, magnesite, kaolin, bauxite, etc. are also found here
Industrial production is focused around Chennai and includes cotton, sugar, leather
(more than 40 percent of India's exports), textiles, engineering, petrochemicals,
and the manufacture of vehicles, railway rolling stock, and precision tools. Although
power-generating capacity has increased, Tamil Nadu suffers from a shortage of electricity.
A nuclear power station completed in 1986 and located south of Chennai at Kalpakkam
is still not producing at full capacity
Tamil Nadu has a well-developed transportation network, including national and state
highways; railnetwork; airports at Chennai, Madurai, and Tiruchchirappalli;
and major ports at Chennai and Tuticorin
Hotels of Tamil Nadu
The State has hotels of star and non star category catering to the needs of the
tourists visiting Tamil Nadu. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafés which
cater to the needs of all segment of travelers.
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