TamilNadu at a Glance

Madras State was formed in 1956 and renamed as Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969. Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. It lies on the eastern coast of the southern Indian Peninsula bordered by Puducherry (Pondicherry), Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu is bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Palakkad on the west, Bay of Bengal in the east, Gulf of Mannar, Palk Strait in the south east and Indian Ocean in the south. It is the eleventh largest state in India by area (about the size of Greece) and the sixth most populous state.

Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamils and has existed since prehistoric times. The culture and artwork of this region are considered to be some of the oldest in the world. It is home to one of the world’s classical languages, Tamil. The language has been documented as being around for at least 5,000 years in written form, but was spoken long before that. Tamil Nadu also has one of the oldest culinary heritages in the world. Tamil Nadu is the epicentre of Dravidian politics in India, which are dominated by the DMK and AIADMK parties. The fifth largest contributor to India’s and one of the most urbanised states in India, it is home to many natural resources, rare flora and fauna, cool hill stations, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and few UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Great Living Chola Temples : The Great Living Chola Temples are built during the Chola rule in the south of India.These temples are the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple ofGangaikonda- cholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuam and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004. The site is now known as the “Great Living Chola Temples”. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram : This group of sanctuaries, founded by the Pallava kings, was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries. Only 58 km from Chennai, this world heritage site in Tamil Nadu gained this distinction in 1984. This temple town is said to be at least two thousand years old and boasts of about forty monuments; for its ‘rathas’, 11 excavated temples or ‘mandapas’, giant open-air relief such as the famous `Descent of the Ganges` and `Arjuna`s Penance` and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva. These monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. Besides this, there are several famous temples at Mahabalipuram. The Temple of Sthalasayana Perumal and the Shore Temple are perhaps the best of all. It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture. Nilgiri Mountain Railway : In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as “Mountain Railways of India.” after it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of modernisation plans.