Tamil Nadu
Area: 130,058 sq km
Capital: Chennai
Capital: Chennai
Language: Tamil
Districts: 29
Tamil Nadu is situated on the south eastern side of the Indian peninsula. It is
bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal, in the south by the Indian ocean, in
the west by the States of Kerala and Karnataka and in the north by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Physiography:
The land mass of the state can be divided into two natural divisions;
- the eastern coastal plain
- the hilly region along the north and the west.
On the east are the Palani Hills on which is situated the famous hill station Kodaikanal. The slopes of the Western Ghats are covered with heavy evergreen forests. The Nilgiris and the Anamalai are the hill groups with the maximum height.In the famous Ootacamund area of the Nilgiris District, is the highest peak Dodda-betta, 2640 metres above the sea level.
The rivers of the state flow eastward from the western ghats and are entirely rain-fed. The perennial rivers are:- Palar, Cheyyar, Ponnaiyar, Kaveri, Meyar, Bhavani, Amaravati, Vaigai, Chittar and Tamaraparni. The non-perennial rivers are the Vellar, Noyal, Suruli, Gundar, Vaipar, Valparai and Varshali. The 760-km-long Kaveri is the great river of the state.
History:
Tamil Nadu has a very ancient history that goes back some 6000 years. The state represents the nucleus of Dravidian culture in India, which antedated the Aryan culture in India by almost a thousand years. It is generally held that the architects of the Indus Valley Civilizations of the 4th millennium B.C. were Dravidians and that at a time anterior to the Aryans, they were spread over the
whole of India. With the coming of the Aryans into North India, the Dravidians
appear to have been pushed into the south, where they have remained confined. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala form the repositories of the
Dravidian Culture.
The Dravida country of which modern Tamil Nadu formed a part, was reputedly under three dynasties, Chola, Pandya and Chera from the 4th century B.C. The Cholas (occupying the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli districts) excelled in
military exploits. In the 2nd century B.C. a Chola Prince, Elara, conquered Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The Pandyas excelled in trade and learning. They controlled the districts of Madurai and Tirunelveli and part of South Kerala. A Pandiyan King sent an ambassador to the Roman Emperor Augustus in the first century B.C. The Cheras were powerful on the west coast in what is, today, Central and North
Kerala.
The Pallavas of Kanchi rose to prominence in the 4th century A.D. and dominated the south for another 400 years. In the sixth century they overran the Chola dominions and carried their arms as far as Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The famous Alvars and Nayanars, sage-poets, flourished during the Pallava era. In the 9th century the last of the Pallavas was defeated by the Cholas who again became a great power in the south.In the 13th century the Pandyas became dominant.
Their kingdom was a great centre of international trade. The rise of Vijayanagar spelt the decline of the Pandyas. They were ultimately defeated by Vijayanagar, and their territories were annexed to the Vijayanagar Empire. With the disintegration of the Vijayanagar Empire, Tamil Nadu was parcelled out among several petty kings.The rise of Muslim power in India has had its impact on Tamil Nadu, but by and large, Tamil Nadu remained unaffected by the political convulsions in north and central India.
The East India Company was established at Madras in 1639. Slowly the whole of Tamil Nadu and most of South India came under British sway.When India became free, the old Madras province, comprising Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and part of Kerala continued as the state of Madras. But the agitation for a separate Andhra state compelled the Government to bifurcate the State into two separate States. Andhra Pradesh to include the Telugu-speaking areas and Madras, the Tamil speaking areas. The old capital Madras city was retained by the new Madras State.
Under the States Reorganization Act 1956, Madras lost the Malabar District and the Kasargod taluk of S. Kanara District to the newly formed state, Kerala, while
Madras gained four taluks of the Trivandrum District and Shencotta taluk of the
Quilon District from Kerala. The four taluks thus gained were constituted into a
new district of Madras as the Kanyakumari District. In April 1960, 405 sq miles
of Chittoor District in Andhra Pradesh was transferred to Madras in exchange for
326 sq miles from Chengalpattu and Salem Districts.On Jan. 14, 1969, Madras State changed its name to Tamil Nadu. The capital city Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996.
Administration:
The legislature consists of one house—the Legislative Assembly, The Legislative
Council was abolished in 1986.The state is divided into 29 districts. Govt. said in May, 1999 that Perambaloor district would be bifurcated to form a new district Ariyalur, with headquarters at Ariyalur.
Districts
- Tiruvallur
- Coimbatore
- Dharmapuri
- Kanyakumari
- Chennai
- Madurai
- Dindigul
- Nagapattinam
- Nilgiris ( Ootty )
- Vellore
- Erode
- Pudukkottai
- Ramanathapuram
- Virudhunagar
- Sivagangai
- Salem
- Cuddalore
- Trichirappalli
- Thanjavur
- Tirunelveli
- Thiruvannamalai
- Tuticorin
- Viluppuram
- Karur
- Perambaloor
- Kancheepuram
- Namakkal
- Thiruvarur
- Theni
Tamil Nadu's per capita income is Rs. 3164, based on '80-'81 prices. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The yield of rice amounting to 2.5 tonnes per hectare is among the highest in India. At the end of 1993, Tamil Nadu achieved a production level of 68.05 lakh tonnes of rice and other cereals, and 3.42 lakh tonnes of pulses.Tamil Nadu's sugarcane yield of 100 tonnes per ha is a world record. About 3.5 lakh acres have sugarcane grown on them. Cotton is grown in 2.8 lakh ha.The principal plantation crops are tea and coffee. Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly one fourth of the spinning capacity in India, one fifth of cement, caustic soda and nitrogenous fertilisers and one tenth of the nation's production of sugar, bicycles and calcium carbide. Tamil Nadu produces 60% of safety matches and 77% of finished leather.The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) and TIIC are the major Corporations set up to provide financial assistance and technical knowhow to large, medium and small scale industries. With the aid of these Corporations, industrial complexes called growth centres and industrial estates have been set up in different parts of Tamil Nadu—Hosur, Ranipet, Guindy, Ambattur, Karaikudi, Sivagangai, Paramakudi and Tiruchirappalli. SIPCOT is now overseeing the formation of four industrial parks spanning 8078 acres, and the Export Promotion Industrial Park, Gummidi-poondi. Public sector undertakings located in the state include Neyveli Lignite Complex,
Integral Coach Factory, High Pressure Boiler Plant, Hindustan Teleprinters, Hindustan Photo Films, Madras Refineries, Madras Fertilizers, Heavy Vehicles
Factory and Pugalur Paper Factory.The Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (Kamini) is the only U-233 fuelled operating reactor in the world. All Transport Coporations (20) were renamed and brought under the Tamil Nadu Govt. Transport Corporation in 1997.
Major ports are Chennai and Tuticorin. Main railway junctions include Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Salem. The length of road network is nearly 1.70 lakh km.A second international airport at Chennai is under consideration.Tamil Nadu has begun a project to create Samathuvapurams (equality villages) in all districts, aimed at bringing about communal harmony. The first Samathuvapuram was set up at Melakottai in Madurai district. Members from all religions and communities will live in these equality villages without any differential treatment.Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy was opened at Thoothukudi in Sept. 98. In August, '98, Supreme Court disposed of Tamil Nadu's suit, ending a 6-year-long litigation on Cauvery river water between T. Nadu and Karnataka in view of Centre's scheme to implement the 1991 interim accord. All districts are to get direct access to the internet.
Universities:
- Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, Pin: 630 003;
- Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Allahabad;
- Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai (the first in India), Pin: 600 028;
- Anna University, Chennai, Pin: 600 025;
- Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Pin: 608 002;
- Sri Avinasalingom Institute for Home Science & Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Pin: 641 043;
- Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Pin: 641 046;
- Bharatidasan University, Thiruchirapally, Pin: 620 024;
- Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, Chennai, Pin: 600 017;
- Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigam, Pin: 624 302;
- Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Pin: 600 036;
- University of Madras, Chennai, Pin: 600 005;
- Madras Medical College & Research Institute, Chennai, Pin: 600 003;
- Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Pin: 625 021;
- Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Pin: 627 012;
- Mother Teresa Women's University, Kodaikanal, Pin: 624 102;
- Periyar University, Salem, Pin: 636 011;
- Sri Chandra-sekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Maha Vidyalaya, Kancheepuram, Pin: 631 561;
- Sri Ramachandra Medical College& Research Institute, Chennai, Pin: 600 116;
- Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, Pin: 641 003;
- Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai, Pin: 600 032;
- Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, Pin: 600 051;
- Tamil University, Thanjavur, Pin: 613 005.
Tourism:
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation runs a chain of hotels, a Beach Resort, Youth Hostels, and boat houses at Muthukkadu, Ootty, Pichavaram and
Yercaud.
Hill Stations: Uthagamandalam (Ooty), Kodaikanal and Yercaud.Religious Places: Suchindram, Rameswa-ram, Tiruchendur, Madurai, Palani, Tiruchirapalli, Srirangam, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Nagore, Velankanni, Vaitheeswaran Koil, Chidambaram, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchee-puram, Tiruttani and
Kanyakumari.
Tourist Centres:
Mamallapuram (Mahaba-lipuram), Padmanabhapuram, Poompuhar, Pichawaram, Point Calimere, Courtallam, Hogenakkal, Anamalai Sanctuary, Mudumalai Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Kalakkad and Vandaloor Zoo and Mundanthurai Sanctuary. At Chennai: Fort St. George, San Thome, Fort Museum, Marina Beach, Snake Park, Guindy Park, Guindy Deer Sanctuary and Children's Park, Egmore Museum, Valluvar-kottam Park, Crocodile and Vandaloor Zoo, Muthukkadu Boat House.
Labels: Tamil Nadu
