Tamil Nadu (
Tamil:
தமிழ்நாடு) (
pronounced [t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ] (
listen)) is one of the 28
states of
India. Its capital is
Chennai, the largest city. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the
Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the
union territory of
Pondicherry, and the states of
Kerala,
Karnataka, and
Andhra Pradesh. It is bound by the
Eastern Ghats in the north, the
Nilgiri, the
Anamalai Hills, and
Palakkad on the west, by the
Bay of Bengal in the east, the
Gulf of Mannar, the
Palk Strait in the south east, and by the
Indian Ocean in the south.
Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the seventh most populous state. It is the fourth largest contributor (as of 2010)
[4] to India's
GDP and ranks tenth in Human Development Index as of 2006.
[2] Tamil Nadu is also the most urbanised state in India.
[5] The state has the highest number (10.56%) of business enterprises and stands second in total employment (9.97%) in India,
[6] compared to the population share of about 6%.
Culture
Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of venerable culture. Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of
literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today. Unique cultural features like Bharatanatyam (dance),
Tanjore painting, and Tamil architecture were developed and continue to be practised in Tamil Nadu.
[edit]Language and literature
Tamil is the only 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 very first language to be recognized as a
classical language of India.
[70] The Tamil people regard their language a very important part of their cultural identity.
Most early Tamil literary works are in verse form, with prose not becoming more common until later periods. Throughout its history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain.
கேடில் விழுச்செல்வம் கல்வி யொருவற்கு
மாடல்ல மற்றை யவை-(திருக்குறள் - 400)
|
'Learning is a wealth that none could destroy
Nothing else gives genuine joy'
– (Tirukkural – 400) |
Notable examples of Tamil poetry include the
Tirukkural, written during the
Tamil Sangams period. The poem encompasses a universal outlook, as the author,
Tiruvalluvar, does not mention his religion, land, or the audience for his work. He is often portrayed as a holy saint of Tamil Nadu today. Ancient Tamil literature is predominantly secular and deals with everyday life in the Tamil Context.
[71]
The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi by the Danish missionaries. 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. Even today, Tamil Nadu is home to creative writers like
Vairamuthu.
Languages of Tamil Nadu in 2001
Tamil (89.43%)
Telugu (5.65%)
Kannada (1.68%)
Urdu (1.51%)
Tamil is spoken by 89.43% of the population. Minority languages include Telugu (5.65%), Kannada (1.68%), Urdu (1.51%), Malayalam (0.89%), Gujarati / Saurashtri (0.32%), Hindi (0.30%) and Marathi (0.10%).
[72]
[edit]Religions
| Population by religion, 2001[73] |
|---|
| Religious group | Population (million) | % |
|---|
| Hindu | 55.0 | 88.1 |
| Christian | 3.79 | 6.1 |
| Muslim | 3.47 | 5.6 |
| Total [74] | 62.4 | 100 |
About 88% of the population identifies as Hindu and Tamil Nadu is the home of the core schools of medieval and modern Hinduism as well as several non-mainstream Hindu movements. These include
Saiva Siddhanta,
Ramanuja'sVishishtadvaita,
Alvars'
Sri Vaishnavism, and
Nayanmars Saivisim. Several important Hindu Tamil figures became important figures for Hinduism as a whole (e.g.
Ramanuja.) In modern times, well known figures for Hinduism in the state include
Ramana Maharishi and the Kanchi Paramacharya.
Murugan, Thirumal (
Vishnu),
Sivan,
Sakthi in various forms and a large number of village deities are also worshiped by Hindus in Tamil Nadu.
Christians and
Muslims together form over 11% of the population. Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of Kanyakumari (44% of the population, 2001), Thoothukudi (17%, 2001) and Tirunelveli (11%,2001).
St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, the place where
St. Thomas, one of the disciples of
Jesus, was believed to have been martyred, is an important pilgrimage site for Indian Christians. The
Santhome Basilica, widely believed by Christians in India to have been built atop 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 are mainly concentrated in areas such as Adirampattinam,
Kayalpatnam,
Kilakarai, Pernambut, Ambur, Vaniyambadi,
Madurai, Nagore, and Melapalayam, with the state capital Chennai also home to a number of Muslims. Among Muslims, 97.5% 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
Kazimar Street,
Madurai and Karpudaiyar masjid in Kayalpatnam are one of the earlier mosques in Tamil Nadu.
Samanars or
Tamil Jains have a legacy dating back 250 BC. They made significant contributions to Tamil literature. According to the 2001 census there were 83,359
Jains in Tamil Nadu. There is a popular atheist movement in the 1940s as well.
[edit]Festivals
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. 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. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal — the word "kaanum", means 'to view' in Tamil.
The first month in the Tamil calendar is
Chitterai and the first day of this month in mid-April is celebrated as
Tamil New Year. Thiruvalluvar Calendar is 31 years ahead of Gregorian Calendar, that is 2000 AD in Gregorian calendar is represented as 2031 in Thiruvalluvar Calendar.
Aadi Perukku is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month
Aadi, which celebrates the rising of the water level in the
river Cauvery. Apart from these 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.
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
Villuppāṭṭu, a form of music performed with a bow, and the
Nāṭṭuppur̲appāṭṭu,
ballads that convey folklore and folk history. Some of the leading Tamil folk artists in the early 21st century are Pushpuvanam Kuppuswamy,
Dr. Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Paravai muniammal etc.
Carnatic music is the classical music form of Southern India. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions.
[76] The Trinity of Carnatic music
Tyagaraja,
Muthuswami Dikshitar and
Syama Sastri were from Tamil Nadu. Thyagarajar
Aaradhanai (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.
[77] The composers belonging to the
Tamil Trinity, namely
Muthu Thandavar (?1560 – ?1640),
Arunachala Kavi (1712–1779) and
Marimutthu Pillai (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
Madras Music Season during December–January, which includes performances by hundreds of artists all over the city.
[edit]Arts and dance
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 is
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 temmanguppāṭṭu or thevar pāṭṭu, 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
mayilāṭṭam, where the dancers tie a string of peacock feathers around their waist;
ōyilāttam, danced in a circle while waving small pieces of cloth of various colours; 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.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu. Prior to the colonial perriod, 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.
Kalaripayattu or
varmakalai is actually a martial art of tamil origin. During the pallava rule it flourished to the present day kerala.
[edit]Film industry
Tamil Nadu is also home to the
Tamil film industry. It is known for being the second largest film industry in terms of revenue and worldwide distribution, in
India.
[81][82] It is based at
Kodambakkam in Chennai city.
[edit]Cuisine
Main article:
Tamil cuisine
Vadai with sambar, a traditionally used vegetarian food
Chettinad cuisine, typically served on a banana leaf
Tamil cuisine is basically South Indian cuisine, where rice and rice-derived dishes form the major portion of a diet (see
rice and curry). There are regional sub-varieties namely Chettinadu, Kongunadu, Madurai, Tirunelveli varieties etc. Traditionally, food is served on a
banana leaf instead of a
plate and eaten with the right hand. Rice is the staple food of Tamils and is typically eaten mixed with
sambhar (with or without
ghee), vegetarian or non-vegetarian kulambu,
rasam,
curd and
buttermilk. This is accompanied with various vegetarian and/or non-vegetarian dishes like
kootu,
aviyal, poriyal,
appalam, varuval, peratal, kothsu, varieties of
pickles and chicken, mutton, or fish fry. Breakfast and snack items include
dosai, Adai,
idly,
vadai,
pongal, appam (aappam), paniyaram, puttu, uppumavu (uppuma), santhakai (a sort of noodles),
idiyappam and
uthappam. These items are eaten along with
sambar, varieties of
chatni and podi. Traditionally prepared filter coffee is unique in taste and popular all over the state. The
Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine, while
Ambur,
Dindigal and
Sankarankoil are known for their
Biriyani. Sweet items that are native to Tamil Nadu and prepared at homes are Athirasam, Chakkarai Pongal (prepared during Pongal) and Kuli Paniyaram. Tirunelveli is known for its unique wheat Halwa and Palani is renowned for its Panchamirtham. North Indian, Western, Chinese and
fast food culture are also popular in Tamil Nadu.
