Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu(/ˌtæmɪlˈnɑːduː/;Tamil:[ˈtamiɻˈnaːɽɯ],abbr.TN) is the southernmoststateofIndia. Thetenth largest Indian state by areaand thesixth largest by population, Tamil Nadu is the home of theTamil people, who speak theTamil language—the state's official language and one of the longest survivingclassical languagesof the world. The capital and largest city isChennai.
Located on the south-eastern coast of theIndian peninsula, Tamil Nadu is straddled by theWestern GhatsandDeccan Plateauin the west, theEastern Ghatsin the north, theEastern Coastal Plainslining theBay of Bengalin the east, theGulf of Mannarand thePalk Straitto the south-east, theLaccadive Seaat the southerncapeof the peninsula, with the riverKaveribisecting the state. Politically, Tamil Nadu is bound by the Indian states ofKerala,Karnataka, andAndhra Pradesh, and encloses a part of theunion territoryofPuducherry. It shares an internationalmaritime borderwith theNorthern ProvinceofSri LankaatPamban Island.
Archaeological evidencepoints to Tamil Nadu being inhabited for more than 400 millennia, first byhominidsand then by modernhumans. The state has more than 5,500 years of continuous cultural history.Historically, theTamilakamregion was inhabited by Tamil-speakingDravidian people, who were ruled by several regimes over centuries such as theSangam eratriumvirateof theCheras,CholasandPandyas, thePallavas(3rd–9th century CE), and the laterVijayanagara Empire(14th–17th century CE).European colonizationbegan with establishing trade ports in the 17th century, with theBritish controllingmuch of the state as a part of theMadras Presidencyfor two centuries. After theIndian Independencein 1947, the region became theMadras Stateof the Republic of India and was further re-organized when states were redrawn linguistically in1956into its current shape. The state was renamed as Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil Country", in 1969. Hence,culture,cuisineandarchitecturehave seen multiple influences over the years and have developed diversely.
As of December 2023, Tamil Nadu had aneconomywith a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of₹27.22 trillion(US$310 billion), making it thesecond-largesteconomy amongst the 28 states of India. It has the country's9th-highest GSDP per capitaof₹315,220(US$3,600) and ranks11thinhuman development index. Tamil Nadu is also one of the most industrialised states, with themanufacturing sectoraccounting for nearly one-third of the state's GDP. With its diverse culture and architecture, long coastline, forests and mountains, Tamil Nadu is home to a number of ancient relics, historic buildings, religious sites,beaches,hill stations,forts,waterfallsand fourWorld Heritage Sites. The state'stourism industryis the largest among the Indian states. The state has threebiosphere reserves,mangroveforests, fiveNational Parks, 18wildlife sanctuariesand 17bird sanctuaries. TheTamil film industry, nicknamed as Kollywood, plays an influential role in the state's popular culture.
The name is derived fromTamil languagewithnadumeaning "land" and Tamil Nadu meaning "the land of Tamils". Theoriginand precise etymology of the word Tamil is unclear with multiple theories attested to it.In the ancientSangam literature,Tamilakamrefers to the area of present-day Tamil Nadu,Keralaand parts ofKarnatakaandAndhra Pradesh.Tolkāppiyam(2nd to 1st century BCE) indicates the borders of Tamilakam asTirumalaandKanniyakumari.The nameTamilakamis used in other Sangam era literature such asPuṟanāṉūṟu,Patiṟṟuppattu,Cilappatikaram, andManimekalai.Cilappatikaram(5th to 6th century CE) andRamavataram(12th century CE) mention the nameTamil Naduto denote the region.
Archaeological evidencepoints to the region being inhabited by hominids more than 400 millennia ago.Artifacts recovered inAdichanallurby theArchaeological Survey of India(ASI) indicate a continuous history from more than 3,800 years ago.Neolithicceltswith theIndus scriptdated between 1500 and 2000 BCE indicate the use of theHarappan language.Excavations atKeezhadihave revealed a large urban settlement, with the earliest artefact dated to 580 BCE, during the time of urbanization in theIndo-Gangetic plain.Further epigraphical inscriptions found at Adichanallur useTamil Brahmi, a rudimentary script dated to 5th century BCE.Potsherds uncovered from Keeladi indicate a script which might be a transition between the Indus Valley script and Tamil Brahmi script used later.
TheSangam periodlasted for about eight centuries, from 500 BCE to 300 CE with the main source of history during the period coming from the Sangam literature.AncientTamilakamwas ruled by atriumvirateof monarchical states,Cheras,CholasandPandyas.The Cheras controlled the western part of Tamilkam, the Pandyas controlled the south, and the Cholas had their base in theKaveridelta. The kings calledVendharruled over several tribes ofVelala(peasants), headed by theVelirchiefs.The rulers patronized multiple religions includingvedic religion,BuddhismandJainismand sponsored some of the earliest Tamil literature with the oldest surviving work beingTolkāppiyam, a book of Tamil grammar.
The kingdoms had significant diplomatic and trade contacts with other kingdoms to the north and with theRomans.Much of the commerce from the Romans and Han China were facilitated via seaports includingMuzirisandKorkaiwithspicesbeing the most prized goods along withpearlsandsilk.From 300 CE, the region was ruled by theKalabhras, warriors belonging to theVellalarcommunity, who were once feudatories of the three ancient Tamil kingdoms.The Kalabhra era is referred to as the "dark period" of Tamil history, and information about it is generally inferred from any mentions in the literature and inscriptions that are dated many centuries after their era ended.The twin Tamil epicsSilappatikaramandManimekalaiwere written during the era.Tamil classicTirukkuralbyValluvar, a collection of couplets is attributed to the same period.
Around the 7th century CE, the Kalabhras were overthrown by the Pandyas and Cholas, who patronised Buddhism and Jainism before the revival ofSaivismandVaishnavismduring theBhakti movement.Though they existed previously, the period saw the rise of thePallavasin the sixth century CE underMahendravarman I, who ruled parts ofSouth IndiawithKanchipuramas their capital.The Pallavas were noted for their patronage of architecture: the massivegopuram, ornate towers at the entrance of temples, originated with thePallava architecture. They built the group ofrock-cutmonuments inMahabalipuramand temples inKanchipuram.Throughout their reign, the Pallavas remained in constant conflict with the Cholas and Pandyas. The Pandyas were revived byKadungontowards the end of the 6th century CE and with the Cholas in obscurity inUraiyur, the Tamil country was divided between the Pallavas and the Pandyas.ThePallavaswere finally defeated by Chola princeAditya Iin the 9th century CE.
The Cholas became the dominant kingdom in the 9th century underVijayalaya Chola, who establishedThanjavuras Chola's new capital with further expansions by subsequent rulers. In the 11th century CE,Rajaraja Iexpanded the Chola Empire with conquests of entire Southern India and parts of present-daySri LankaandMaldives, and increased Chola influence across theIndian Ocean.Rajaraja brought in administrative reforms including the reorganisation of Tamil country into individual administrative units.Under his sonRajendra Chola I, the Chola Empire reached its zenith and stretched as far asBengalin the north and across the Indian Ocean.The Cholas built many temples in theDravidianstyle with the most notable being theBrihadisvara Templeat Thanjavur, one of the foremost temples of the era built by Rajaraja, andGangaikonda Cholapuram, built by Rajendra.
The Pandyas again reigned supreme early in the 13th century underMaravarman Sundara I.They ruled from their capital ofMaduraiand expanded trade links with other maritime empires.During the 13th century,Marco Polomentioned the Pandyas as the richest empire in existence. The Pandyas also built a number of temples including theMeenakshi Amman Templeat Madurai.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, there were repeated attacks fromDelhi Sultanate.TheVijayanagara kingdomwas founded in 1336CE.The Vijayanagara empire eventually conquered the entire Tamil country byc.1370and ruled for almost two centuries until its defeat in theBattle of Talikotain 1565 by a confederacy ofDeccan sultanates.Later, theNayaks, who were the military governors in the Vijaynagara Empire, took control of the region amongst whom theNayaks of MaduraiandNayaks of Thanjavurwere the most prominent.They introduced thepalayakkarararsystem and re-constructed some of the well-known temples in Tamil Nadu including the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.
In the 18th century, theMughal Empireadministered the region through theNawab of the Carnaticwith his seat atArcot, who defeated the Madurai Nayaks.TheMarathasattackedseveral times and defeated the Nawab after theSiege of Trichinopoly (1751–1752).This led to a short-livedThanjavur Maratha kingdom.
Europeans started to establish trade centres from the 16th century along the eastern coast. ThePortuguesearrived in 1522 and built a port namedSão Toménear present-dayMylaporein Madras.In 1609, theDutchestablished a settlement inPulicatand theDaneshad their establishment inTharangambadi.On 20 August 1639, Francis Day of theBritish East India Companymet with the Vijayanager emperorPeda Venkata Rayaand obtained a grant for land on the Coromandel coast for their trading activities.A year later, the company builtFort St. George, the first major English settlement in India, which became the nucleus of theBritish Rajin the region.By 1693, theFrenchestablished trading posts atPondichéry. In September 1746, the French captured Madras during theBattle of Madras.The British regained control of Madras in 1749 through theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelleand resisted aFrench siege attemptin 1759.The British and French competed to expand the trade which led toBattle of Wandiwashin 1760 as part of theSeven Years' War.The Nawabs of the Carnatic surrendered much of their territory to the British East India Company in the north and bestowed tax revenue collection rights in the South, which led to constant conflicts with the Palaiyakkarars known as thePolygar Wars.Puli Thevarwas one of the earliest opponents, joined later byRani Velu NachiyarofSivagangaiandKattabommanof Panchalakurichi in the first series of Polygar wars.TheMaruthu brothersalong withOomaithurai, the brother of Kattabomman, formed a coalition withDheeran Chinnamalaiand Kerala VarmaPazhassi Raja, which fought the British in the Second Polygar War.In the later 18th century, theMysore kingdomcaptured parts of the region and engaged in constant fighting with the British which culminated in the fourAnglo-Mysore Wars.
By the 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region and established theMadras Presidencywith Madras as the capital.After the defeat of Mysore in theFourth Anglo-Mysore Warin 1799 and the British victory in the second Polygar war in 1801, the British consolidated most of southern India into what was later known as theMadras Presidency.On 10 July 1806, theVellore mutiny, which was the first instance of a large-scale mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company, took place inVellore Fort.After theIndian Rebellion of 1857, theBritish Parliamentpassed theGovernment of India Act 1858, which transferred the governance of India from the East India Company to the British crown, forming theBritish Raj.
Failure of the summer monsoons and administrative shortcomings of theRyotwarisystem resulted in two severe famines in the Madras Presidency, theGreat Famine of 1876–78and theIndian famine of 1896–97which killed millions and the migration of many Tamils as bonded laborers to other British countries eventually forming the presentTamil diaspora.TheIndian Independence movementgathered momentum in the early 20th century with the formation of theIndian National Congress, which was based on an idea propagated by the members of theTheosophical Societymovement after a Theosophical convention held in Madras in December 1884.Tamil Nadu was the base of various contributors to the Independence movement includingV. O. Chidambaram Pillai,Subramaniya SivaandBharatiyar.The Tamils formed a significant percentage of the members of theIndian National Army(INA), founded bySubhas Chandra Bose.
After theIndependence of Indiain 1947, the Madras Presidency becameMadras state, comprising present-day Tamil Nadu and parts ofAndhra Pradesh,KarnatakaandKerala.Andhra statewas split from the state in 1953 and the state was further re-organized when states were redrawn linguistically in1956into the current shape.On 14 January 1969, Madras state was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil country".In 1965,agitationsagainst theimposition of Hindiand in support of continuing English as a medium of communication arose which eventually led to English being retained as an official language of India alongside Hindi.After independence, the economy of Tamil Nadu conformed to asocialistframework, with strict governmental control overprivate sectorparticipation,foreign trade, andforeign direct investment. After experiencing fluctuations in the decades immediately after Indian independence, the economy of Tamil Nadu consistently exceeded national average growth rates from the 1970s, due toreform-orientedeconomic policies.In the 2000s, the state has become one of the most urbanized states in the country with a higherHuman Development Indexcompared to national average.
Tamil Nadu covers an area of 130,058 km(50,216 sq mi) and is the tenth-largest state in India.Located on the south-eastern coast of theIndian peninsula, Tamil Nadu is straddled by theWestern GhatsandDeccan Plateauin the west, theEastern Ghatsin the north, theEastern Coastal Plainslining theBay of Bengalin the east, theGulf of Mannarand thePalk Straitto the south-east, and theLaccadive Seaat the southerncapeof the peninsula.Politically, Tamil Nadu is bound by the Indian states ofKerala,Karnataka, andAndhra Pradesh, and theunion territoryofPuducherry.  It shares an internationalmaritime borderwith theNorthern ProvinceofSri LankaatPamban Island. ThePalk Straitand the chain of low sandbars and islands known asRama's Bridgeseparate the region fromSri Lanka, which lies off the southeastern coast.The southernmost tip of mainland India is atKanyakumariwhere the Indian Ocean meets the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
The Western Ghats run south along the western boundary with the highest peak atDoddabetta(2,636 m (8,648 ft)) in theNilgiri Hills.TheEastern Ghatsrun parallel to the Bay of Bengal along the eastern coast and the strip of land between them forms theCoromandelregion.They are a discontinuous range of mountains intersected byKaveri river.Both mountain ranges meet at theNilgirimountains which run in a crescent approximately along the borders of Tamil Nadu with northern Kerala and Karnataka, extending to the relatively low-lying hills of the Eastern Ghats on the western portion of the Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh border.TheDeccan plateauis the elevated region bound by the mountain ranges and the plateau slopes gently from west to east resulting in major rivers arising in the Western Ghats and flowing east into the Bay of Bengal.
Thecoastline of Tamil Naduis 1,076 km (669 mi) long, and is the second longest statecoastlinein the country afterGujarat.There arecoral reefslocated in the Gulf of Mannar and Lakshadweep islands.Tamil Nadu's coastline was permanently altered by theIndian Ocean tsunamiin 2004.
Tamil Nadu falls mostly in a region of low seismic hazard with the exception of the western border areas that lie in a low to moderate hazard zone; as per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, Tamil Nadu falls in Zones II and III.The volcanicbasaltbeds of the Deccan plateau were laid down in the massiveDeccan Trapseruption, which occurred towards the end of theCretaceousperiod, between 67 and 66 million years ago.Layer after layer was formed by the volcanic activity that lasted many years and when the volcanoes became extinct, they left a region of highlands with typically vast stretches of flat areas on top like a table.The predominant soils of Tamil Nadu arered loam,laterite,black,alluvialandsaline. Red soil, with a higher iron content, occupies a larger portion of the state and all the inland districts. Black soil is found inwestern Tamil Naduand parts of the southern coast. Alluvial soil is found in the fertile Kaveri delta region, with laterite soil found in pockets, and saline soil across the coast where the evaporation is high.
The region has atropical climateand depends on monsoons for rainfall.Tamil Nadu is divided into seven agro-climatic zones: northeast, northwest, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, andKaveridelta.Atropical wet and dry climateprevails over most of the inland peninsular region except for a semi-aridrain shadoweast of the Western Ghats. Winter and early summer are long dry periods with temperatures averaging above 18 °C (64 °F); summer is exceedingly hot with temperatures in low-lying areas exceeding 50 °C (122 °F); and the rainy season lasts from June to September, with annual rainfall averaging between 750 and 1,500 mm (30 and 59 in) across the region. Once the dry northeast monsoon begins in September, most precipitation in India falls in Tamil Nadu, leaving other states comparatively dry.Ahot semi-arid climatepredominates in the land east of the Western Ghats which includes inland south and south central parts of the state and gets between 400 and 750 millimetres (15.7 and 29.5 in) of rainfall annually, with hot summers and dry winters with temperatures around 20–24 °C (68–75 °F). The months between March and May are hot and dry, with mean monthly temperatures hovering around 32 °C (90 °F), with 320 millimetres (13 in) precipitation. Without artificial irrigation, this region is not suitable for agriculture.
Thesouthwest monsoonfrom June to September accounts for most of the rainfall in the region. The Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon hits the Western Ghats from Kerala and moves northward along theKonkan coast, with precipitation on the western region of the state.The lofty Western Ghats prevent the winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau; hence, the leeward region (the region deprived of winds) receives very little rainfall.The Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon heads toward northeast India, picking up moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The Coramandel coast does not receive much rainfall from the southwest monsoon, due to the shape of the land.Northern Tamil Nadu receives most of its rains from thenortheast monsoon.The northeast monsoon takes place from November to early March, when the surfacehigh-pressure systemis strongest.TheNorth Indian Ocean tropical cyclonesoccur throughout the year in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, bringing devastating winds and heavy rainfall.The annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm (37.2 in) of which 48 per cent is through the northeast monsoon, and 52 per cent through the southwest monsoon. The state has only 3% of the water resources nationally and is entirely dependent on rains for recharging its water resources. Monsoon failures lead to acutewater scarcityandsevere drought.
Forests occupy an area of 22,643 km(8,743 sq mi) constituting 17.4% of the geographic area.There is a wide diversity of plants and animals in Tamil Nadu, resulting from its varied climates and geography.Deciduous forestsare found along the Western Ghats whiletropical dry forestsandscrub landsare common in the interior.The southern Western Ghats have rain forests located at high altitudes called theSouth Western Ghats montane rain forests.The Western Ghats eco-region is one of the eight hottestbiodiversity hotspotsin the world and a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.There are about 2,000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu, 5640 species ofangiosperms(including 1,559 species ofmedicinal plants, 533endemicspecies, 260 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants, 230red-listedspecies), 64 species ofgymnosperms(including four indigenous species and 60 introduced species) and 184 species ofpteridophytesapart frombryophytes,lichen,fungi,algae, andbacteria.Common plant species include the state tree:palmyra palm,eucalyptus, rubber,cinchona, clumping bamboos (Bambusaarundinacea),common teak,Anogeissus latifolia,Indian laurel,grewia, and blooming trees likeIndian laburnum,ardisia, andsolanaceae. Rare and unique plant life includesCombretum ovalifolium,ebony(Diospyros nilagrica),Habenariarariflora(orchid),Alsophila,Impatienselegans,Ranunculusreniformis, androyal fern.
Important ecological regions of Tamil Nadu are theNilgiri Biosphere Reservein theNilgiri Hills, theAgasthyamala Biosphere Reservein theAgastya Mala-Cardamom HillsandGulf of Mannarcoral reefs.TheGulf of Mannar Biosphere Reservecovers an area of 10,500 km(4,100 sq mi) of ocean, islands and the adjoining coastline includingcoral reefs,salt marshesand mangroves. It is home toendangeredaquatic species, includingdolphins,dugongs,whalesandsea cucumbers.Bird sanctuaries, includingThattekad,Kadalundi,Vedanthangal,Ranganathittu,Kumarakom,Neelapattu, andPulicat, are home to numerous migratory and local birds.
Protected areas cover an area of 3,305 km(1,276 sq mi), constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the 22,643 km(8,743 sq mi) recorded forest area of the state.Mudumalai National Parkwas established in 1940 and was the first modernwildlife sanctuaryin South India. The protected areas are administered by theMinistry of Environment and Forestsof the government of India and theTamil Nadu Forest Department.Pichavaramconsists of a number of islands interspersing theVellarestuary in the north andColeroonestuary in the south withmangroveforests. The Pichavaram mangrove forests is one of the largest mangrove forests in India covering 45 km(17 sq mi) and supports the existence of rare varieties of economically important shells, fishes and migrant birds.The state has fiveNational Parkscovering 307.84 km(118.86 sq mi)–Anamalai, Mudumalai,Mukurthi,Gulf of Mannar, a marine national park andGuindy, an urban national park within Chennai.Tamil Nadu has 18wildlife sanctuaries.Tamil Nadu is home to one of the largest populations of endangeredBengal tigersandIndian elephantsin India.There are five declared elephant sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu as perProject Elephant–Agasthyamalai,Anamalai,Coimbatore, Nilgiris andSrivilliputtur.Tamil Nadu participates inProject Tigerand has five declaredtiger reserves–Anamalai,Kalakkad-Mundanthurai,Mudumalai,Sathyamangalamand Megamalai.There are seventeen declared bird sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu.
There is one conservation reserve atTiruvidaimarudurinThanjavur district. There are twozoosrecognised by theCentral Zoo Authority of IndianamelyArignar Anna Zoological ParkandMadras Crocodile Bank Trust, both located inChennai.The state has other smaller zoos run by local administrative bodies such asCoimbatore ZooinCoimbatore,Amirthi Zoological ParkinVellore, Kurumpampatti Wildlife Park inSalem, Yercaud Deer Park inYercaud, Mukkombu Deer Park inTiruchirapalliand Ooty Deer Park inNilgiris.There are five crocodile farms located atAmaravatiinCoimbatore district,HogenakkalinDharmapuri district, Kurumbapatti inSalem district,Madras Crocodile Bank TrustinChennaiandSathanurinTiruvannamalai district.Threatened and endangered species found in the region include thegrizzled giant squirrel,grey slender loris,sloth bear,Nilgiri tahr,Nilgiri langur,lion-tailed macaque,and theIndian leopard.
Chennai is the capital of the state and houses thestate executive,legislativeandhead of judiciary.The administration of the state government functions through various secretariat departments. There are 43 departments of the state and the departments have further sub-divisions which may govern various undertakings and boards.The state is divided into 38districts, each of which is administered by aDistrict Collector, who is an officer of theIndian Administrative Service(IAS) appointed to the district by the Government of Tamil Nadu. For revenue administration, the districts are further subdivided into 87 revenue divisions administered by Revenue Divisional Officers (RDO) which comprise 310taluksadministered byTahsildars.The taluks are divided into 1349revenue blockscalledFirkaswhich consist of 17,680 revenue villages.Thelocal administrationconsists of 15municipal corporations, 121municipalitiesand 528town panchayatsin the urban areas, and 385panchayat unionsand 12,618village panchayats, administered by Village Administrative Officers (VAO).Greater Chennai Corporation, established in 1688, is the second oldest in the world and Tamil Nadu was the first state to establish town panchayats as a new administrative unit.
In accordance with theConstitution of India, thegovernoris a state'sde jurehead and appoints thechief ministerwho has thede factoexecutive authority.TheIndian Councils Act 1861established the Madras Presidency legislative council with four to eight members but was a mere advisory body to the governor of the presidency. The strength was increased to twenty in1892and fifty in1909.Madras legislative councilwas set-up in 1921 by theGovernment of India Act 1919with a term of three years and consisted of 132 Members of which 34 were nominated by the Governor and the rest were elected.TheGovernment of India Act 1935established abicameral legislaturewith the creation of a newlegislative councilwith 54 to 56 members in July 1937.Thefirst legislatureof Madras state under theConstitution of Indiawas constituted on 1 March 1952 after the1952 elections. The number of seats post the re-organization in 1956 was 206, which was further increased to 234 in 1962.In 1986, the state moved to aunicameral legislaturewith the abolition of the Legislative Council by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) act, 1986.The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is housed in theFort St. Georgein Chennai.The state elects 39membersto theLok Sabhaand 18 to theRajya Sabhaof theIndian Parliament.
TheMadras High Courtwas established on 26 June 1862 and is the highest judicial authority of the state with control over all the civil and criminal courts in the state.It is headed by aChief Justiceand has a bench at Madurai since 2004.TheTamil Nadu Police, established as Madras state police in 1859, operates under theHome ministryof the Government of Tamil Nadu and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the state.As of 2023, it consists of more than 132,000 police personnel, headed by aDirector General of Police.Women form 17.6% of the police force and specifically handleviolence against womenthrough 222 special all-women police stations.As of 2023, the state has 1854 police stations, the highest in the country, including 47 railway and 243 traffic police stations.The traffic police under different district administrations are responsible for the traffic management in the respective regions.The state is consistently ranked as one of thesafest for womenwith a crime rate of 22 per 100,000 in 2018.
Elections in India are conducted by theElection Commission of India, an independent body established in 1950.Politics in Tamil Nadu was dominated by national parties till the 1960s. Regional parties have ruled ever since. TheJustice PartyandSwaraj Partywere the two major parties in the erstwhile Madras Presidency.During the 1920s and 1930s, theSelf-Respect Movement, spearheaded byTheagaroya ChettyandE. V. Ramaswamy(commonly known as Periyar), emerged in the Madras Presidency and led to the formation of the Justice party.The Justice Party eventually lost the1937 electionsto theIndian National CongressandChakravarti Rajagopalacharibecame the chief minister of the Madras Presidency.In 1944, Periyar transformed the Justice party into a social organisation, renaming the partyDravidar Kazhagam, and withdrew from electoral politics.After independence, the Indian National Congress dominated the political scene in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s and 1960s under the leadership ofK. Kamaraj, who led the party after the death ofJawaharlal Nehruand ensured the selection of Prime MinistersLal Bahadur ShastriandIndira Gandhi.C. N. Annadurai, a follower of Periyar, formed theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) in 1949.
TheAnti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Naduled to the rise of Dravidian parties that formed Tamil Nadu's first government, in1967.In 1972, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of theAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) led byM. G. Ramachandran.Dravidian partiescontinue to dominate Tamil Nadu electoral politics with the national parties usually aligning as junior partners to the major Dravidian parties, AIADMK and DMK.M. Karunanidhibecame the leader of the DMK after Annadurai andJ. Jayalalithaasucceeded as the leader of AIADMK after M. G. Ramachandran.Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa dominated the state politics from the 1980s to early 2010s, serving as chief ministers combined for over 32 years.
C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor General of India post independence, was from Tamil Nadu. The state has produced three Indian presidents, namely,Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,R. Venkataraman,andAPJ Abdul Kalam.
As per the2011 census, Tamil Nadu had a population of 72.1 million and is theseventh most populous statein India.The population is projected to be 76.8 million in 2023 and to grow to 78 million by 2036.Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanized states in the country with more than 48.4 per cent of the population living in urban areas.As per the 2011 census, thesex ratiowas 996 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 943.The sex ratio at birth was recorded as 954 during the fourthNational Family Health Survey(NFHS) in 2015–16 which reduced further to 878 in the fifth NFHS in 2019–21, rankingthird worstamongst states.As per the 2011 census,Literacy ratewas 80.1%, higher than the national average of 73%.The literacy rate was estimated to be 82.9% as per the 2017National Statistical Commission(NSC) survey.As of 2011, there were about 23.17 million households with 7.42 million children under the age of six.A total of 14.4 million (20%) belonged toScheduled Castes(SC) and 0.8 million (1.1%) toScheduled tribes(ST).
As of 2017, the state had thelowestfertility ratein India with 1.6 children born for each woman, lower than required for sustaining the population.As of 2021, theHuman Development Index(HDI) for Tamil Nadu was 0.686, higher than that of India (0.633) butrankedmedium.As of 2019, thelife expectancyat birth was 74 years, one of thehighestamongst Indian states.As of 2023, 2.2% of the people live below thepoverty lineas per theMultidimensional Poverty Index, one of the lowest rates amongst Indian states.
The capital of Chennai is themost populousurban agglomeration in the state with more than 8.6 million residents, followed by Coimbatore, Madurai,TiruchirappalliandTiruppur, respectively.
The state is home to a diverse population of ethno-religious communities.According to the 2011 census,Hinduismis followed by 87.6% of the population.Christiansform the largestreligious minorityin the state with 6.1% of the population;Muslimsform 5.9% of the population.
Tamilsform a majority of the population with minorities includingTelugus,Marwaris,Gujaratis,Parsis,Sindhis,Odias,Kannadigas,Anglo-Indians,Bengalis,Punjabis,andMalayalees.The state also has a significantexpatriatepopulation.As of 2011, the state had 3.49 million immigrants.
Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu, whileEnglishserves as the additional official language.Tamil is one of the oldest languages and was the first to be recognized as aclassical language of India.As per the 2011 census, Tamil is spoken as the first language by 88.4% of the state's population, followed byTelugu(5.87%),Kannada(1.78%),Urdu(1.75%),Malayalam(1.01%) and other languages (1.24%)Variousvarietiesof Tamil are spoken across regions such asMadras Bashaiin northern Tamil Nadu,Kongu TamilinWestern Tamil Nadu,Madurai Tamilaround Madurai andNellai Tamilin South-eastern Tamil Nadu.It is part of theDravidian languagesand preserves many features ofProto-Dravidian, though modern-day spoken Tamil in Tamil Nadu freely usesloanwordsfrom other languages such asSanskritand English.Korean,Japanese,French,Mandarin Chinese,GermanandSpanishare spoken by foreign expatriates in the state.
TheLGBTrights in Tamil Nadu are among the most progressive inIndia.In 2008, Tamil Nadu set up the Transgender welfare board and was the first to introduce a transgender welfare policy, wherein transgender people can avail freesex reassignment surgeryin government hospitals.Chennai Rainbow Pridehas been held in Chennai annually since 2009.In 2021, Tamil Nadu became the first Indian state to ban conversion therapy andforced sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants, following the directions of the Madras High Court.In 2019, the Madras High Court ruled that the term "bride" under theHindu Marriage Act, 1955includes trans-women, thereby legalizing marriage between a man and a transgender woman.
Tamil women traditionally wear asari, a garment that consists of a drape varying from 5 to 9 yards (4.6 to 8.2 m) in length and 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.22 m) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff, as according to Indian philosophy, the navel is considered as the source of life and creativity.Ancient Tamil poetry such as theCilappadhikaram, describes women in exquisite drapery or sari.Women wear colourfulsilk sarison special occasions such as marriages.The men wear adhoti, a 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, white rectangular piece of non-stitched cloth often bordered in brightly coloured stripes. It is usually wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist.A colourfullungiwith typicalbatikpatterns is the most common form of male attire in the countryside.People in urban areas generally wear tailored clothing, and western dress is popular. Western-style school uniforms are worn by both boys and girls in schools, even in rural areas.TheKanchipuram silk sariis a type ofsilksarimade in theKanchipuramregion in Tamil Nadu and these saris are worn as bridal and special occasion saris by most women in South India. It has been recognized as aGeographical indicationby the Government of India in 2005–2006.Kovai Corais a type ofcottonsari made in the Coimbatore.
Riceis the diet staple and is served withsambar,rasam, andporiyalas a part of a Tamil meal.Coconutand spices are used extensively in Tamil cuisine. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes made of rice,legumes, andlentilswith its distinct aroma and flavour achieved by the blending offlavouringsand spices.The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor, having the food served on abanana leaf,and using clean fingers of the right hand to take the food into the mouth.After the meal, the fingers are washed; the easily degradable banana leaf is discarded or becomes fodder for cattle.Eating on banana leaves is a custom thousands of years old, imparts a unique flavor to the food, and is considered healthy.Idli,dosa,uthappam,pongal, andpaniyaramare popular breakfast dishes in Tamil Nadu.Palani Panchamirtham,Ooty varkey,Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai,Manapparai MurukkuandSrivilliputhur Palkovaare unique foods that have been recognised asGeographical Indications.
Tamil Nadu has an independentliterarytradition dating back over 2500 years from the Sangam era.Early Tamil literature was composed in three successive poetic assemblies known as theTamil Sangams, the earliest of which, according to legend, were held on a now vanishedcontinentfar to the south of India.This includes the oldest grammatical treatise,Tolkappiyam, and the epicsCilappatikaramandManimekalai.The earliestepigraphicrecords found on rock edicts andhero stonesdate from around the 3rd century BCE.The available literature from the Sangam period was categorised and compiled into two categories based roughly on chronology: thePatiṉeṇmēlkaṇakkuconsisting ofEṭṭuttokaiand thePattupattu, and thePatiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku. The existent Tamil grammar is largely based on the 13th-century grammar bookNaṉṉūlbased on theTolkāppiyam.Tamil grammar consists of five parts, namelyeḻuttu,sol,poruḷ,yāppu,aṇi.Tirukkural, a book on ethics byThiruvalluvar, is amongst the most popular works of Tamil literature.
In the early medieval period,VaishnavaandShaivaliterature became prominent following theBhakti movementin the sixth century CE with hymns composed by theAlvarsand theNayanars.In the following years, Tamil literature again flourished with notable works includingRamavataram, written in the 12th century CE byKambar.After a lull in the intermediate years due to various invasions and instability, the Tamil literature recovered in the 14th century CE, with the notable work beingTiruppukalbyArunagirinathar.In 1578, the Portuguese published a Tamil book in old Tamil script namedThambiraan Vanakkam, thus making Tamil the first Indian language to be printed and published.Tamil Lexicon, published by theUniversity of Madras, is the first among thedictionariespublished in any Indian language.The 19th century gave rise to theTamil Renaissanceand writings and poems by authors such asMeenakshi Sundaram Pillai,U.V. Swaminatha Iyer,Ramalinga Swamigal,Maraimalai Adigal, andBharathidasan.During theIndian Independence Movement, many Tamil poets and writers sought to provoke national spirit, social equity and secularist thoughts, notablySubramania Bharatiand Bharathidasan.
Dravidian architectureis the distinct style of rock architecture in Tamil Nadu.In Dravidian architecture, the temples consisted of porches ormantapaspreceding the door leading to the sanctum, gate-pyramids orgopuramsin quadrangular enclosures that surround the temple, andpillared hallsused for many purposes.  These features are the invariable accompaniments of these temples. Besides these, a South Indian temple usually has atankcalled thekalyaniorpushkarni.The gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature ofkoilsandHindu templesof the Dravidian style.They are topped by thekalasam, a bulbous stonefinialand function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex.The gopuram's origins can be traced back to thePallavaswho built the group of monuments inMahabalipuramandKanchipuram.TheCholaslater expanded the same and by thePandyarule in twelfth century, these gateways became a dominant feature of a temple's outer appearance.Thestate emblemalso features theLion Capital of Ashokawith an image of a Gopuram on the background.Vimanamare similar structures built over thegarbhagrihaor inner sanctum of the temple but are usually smaller than the gopurams in the Dravidian architecture with a few exceptions including theBrihadisvara TempleinThanjavur.
TheMugalinfluence in medieval times and theBritishinfluence later gave rise to a blend ofHindu,IslamicandGothic revivalstyles, resulting in the distinctIndo-Saracenicarchitecture. Several buildings and institutions built during the British era followed the style.By the early 20th century,art decomade its entry in the urban landscape.After Indian Independence, Tamil architecture witnessed a rise inModernismwith the transition from lime-and-brick construction toconcretecolumns.
Tamil Nadu is a major centre for music, art and dance in India.Chennai is called the cultural capital of South India.In the Sangam era, art forms were classified into:iyal(poetry),isai(music) andnadakam(drama).Bharatanatyamis a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and is one of the oldest dances of India.Other regional folk dances includeKarakattam,Kavadi,Koodiyattam,Oyilattam,ParaiattamandPuravaiattam.The dance, clothing, and sculptures of Tamil Nadu exemplify the beauty of the body and motherhood.Koothuis an ancient folk art, where artists tell stories from the epics accompanied by dance and music.
The ancient Tamil country had its ownsystem of musiccalled Tamil Pannisai described by Sangam literature such as theSilappatikaram.APallavainscription dated to the 7th century CE has one of the earliest surviving examples of Indian music in notation.There are many traditional instruments from the region dating back to the Sangam period such asparai,tharai,yazhandmurasu.Nadaswaram, areed instrumentthat is often accompanied by thethavil, a type ofdrum instrument, are the major musical instruments used in temples and weddings.Melamis a group ofMaddalamsand other similar percussion instruments from the ancient Tamilakam which are played during events.The traditional music of Tamil Nadu is known asCarnatic music, which includes rhythmic and structured music by composers such asMuthuswami Dikshitar.Gaana, a combination of various folk musics, is sung mainly in the working-class area of North Chennai.
The state is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which engage in arts research and are major tourist attractions.Established in the early 18th century, theGovernment Museumand theNational Art Galleryare amongst the oldest in the country.The museum inside the premises of Fort St. George maintains a collection of objects of the British era.The museum is managed by theArchaeological Survey of India, and has in its possession the firstFlag of Indiahoisted atFort St Georgeafter the declaration of India's Independence on15 August 1947.
Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry nicknamed as "Kollywood" and is one of the largest industries of film production in India.The termKollywoodis a blend ofKodambakkamand Hollywood.The first silent film in South India was produced in Tamil in 1916 and the first talkie was a multilingual film,Kalidas, which was released on 31 October 1931, barely seven months after India's first talking pictureAlam Ara.Samikannu Vincent, who had built the first cinema of South India in Coimbatore, introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to a town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras, called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone".
Pongalis a major and multi-dayharvest festivalcelebrated byTamils.It is observed in the month of Thai according to theTamil solar calendarand usually falls on 14 or 15 January.It is dedicated to theSurya, the Sun God and the festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow" and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk withjaggeryoffered to Surya.Mattu Pongal is meant for celebration ofcattlewhen the cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, garlands of flowers placed around their necks and processions.Jallikattuis a traditional event held during the period attracting huge crowds in which a bull is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape.
Puthanduis known as Tamil New Year which marks the first day of year on theTamil calendar. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the solarHindu calendar, as the first day of the Tamil monthChithiraiand falls on or about 14 April every year on theGregorian calendar.Karthikai Deepamis a festival of lights that is observed on thefull moon dayof theKartikamonth, called theKartika Pournami, falling on theGregorianmonths of November or December.Thaipusamis a Tamil festival celebrated on the first full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai coinciding withPusamstar and dedicated to lordMurugan.Kavadi Aattamis a ceremonial act of sacrifice and offering practiced by devotees which is a central part of Thaipusam and emphasizes debt bondage.Aadi Perukkuis a Tamil cultural festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month ofAdiwhich pays tribute towater's life-sustaining properties. The worship ofAmmanandAyyanardeities are organized during the month in temples across Tamil Nadu with much fanfare.Panguni Uthiramis marked on thepurnima(full moon) of the month ofPanguniand celebrates the wedding of various Hindu gods.
Tyagaraja Aradhanais an annual music festival devoted to composerTyagaraja. InTiruvaiyaruinThanjavur district, thousands of music artists congregate every year.Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaruis a music festival which has been conducted from 18 to 25 December every year in Chennai.Chennai Sangamamis a large annual openTamilcultural festival held in Chennai with the intention of rejuvenating the old village festivals, art and artists.Madras Music Season, initiated byMadras Music Academyin 1927, is celebrated every year during the month of December and features performances of traditionalCarnatic musicby artists from the city.
The economy of the state consistently exceeded national average growth rates, due toreform-orientedeconomic policies in the 1970s.As of December 2023, Tamil Nadu'sGSDPwas₹27.22 trillion(US$310 billion),secondhighest amongst Indian states, which had grown significantly from₹2.19 trillion(US$25 billion) in 2004.The per-capitaNDSPis₹315,220(US$3,600).Tamil Nadu is the most urbanized state in India.Though the state had the lowest percentage of people under the poverty line, rural unemployment rate is considerably higher at 47 per thousand compared to the national average of 28.As of 2020, the state had the most number of factories at 38,837 units with an engaged work-force of 2.6 million.
The state has a diversified industrial base anchored by different sectors includingautomobiles,software services,hardware,textiles,healthcareandfinancial services.As of 2022, services contributed to 55% of the GSDP followed by manufacturing at 32% and agriculture at 13%.There are 42Special Economic Zones(SEZ) in the state.As per a report by Government of India, Tamil Nadu is the most export competitive state of India in 2023.
As of 2022, the state is amongst the majorInformation technology(IT) exporters of India with a value of₹576.87 billion(US$6.7 billion).Established in 2000,Tidel Parkin Chennai was amongst the first and largest IT parks in Asia.The presence ofSEZsand government policies have contributed to the growth of the sector which has attracted foreign investments and job seekers from other parts of the country.In the 2020s, Chennai has become a major provider ofSaaSand has been dubbed the "SaaS Capital of India".
The state has twostock exchanges,Coimbatore Stock Exchange, established in 2013, andMadras Stock Exchange, established in 2015 and India's third-largest by trading volume.TheMadras Bank, the first European-style banking system in India, was established on 21 June 1683, followed by the first commercial banks such as Bank of Hindustan (1770) and General Bank of India (1786).TheBank of Madrasmerged with two other presidency banks to form theImperial Bank of Indiain 1921 which in 1955 became theState Bank of India, the largest bank in India.More than 400 financial industry businesses including threebanksare headquartered in the state.The state hosts thesouth zonal officeof theReserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, along with its zonal training centre and staff college at Chennai.There is apermanent back officeof theWorld Bankin the state.
Manufacturing in various sectors is governed by the state owned industrial corporationTamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation(TIDCO) apart from central government owned companies. Electronics hardware is a major manufacturing industry with an output of $5.37 billion in 2023, largest amongst Indian states.A large number of automotive companies have their manufacturing bases in the state with theautomotive industry in Chennaiaccounting for more than 35% of India's overall automotive components and automobile output, earning the nickname "Detroit of India".TheIntegral Coach Factoryin Chennai manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock forIndian Railways.
Another major industry is textiles with the state being home to more than half of the operating fiber textile mills in India.Coimbatore is often referred to as theManchesterofSouth Indiadue to its cotton production and textile industries.As of 2022, Tiruppur exported garments worth US$480 billion, contributing to nearly 54% of the all the textile exports from India and the city is known as theknitwear capitaldue to its cotton knitwear export.As of 2015, the textile industry in Tamil Nadu accounts for 17% of the total invested capital in all the industries.As of 2021, 40% of leather goods exported from India worth₹92.52 billion(US$1.1 billion) are being manufactured in the state.The state supplies two-thirds of India's requirements of motors and pumps, and is one of the largest exporters ofwet grinderswith "Coimbatore Wet Grinder", a recognizedGeographical indication.
There are two ordnance factories in Aruvankadu andTiruchirappalli.AVANI, headquartered in Chennai, manufacturesarmoured fighting vehicles,main battle tanks, tank engines and armored clothing for the use of theIndian Armed Forces.ISRO, the Indian space agency, operates a propulsion facility atMahendragiri.
Agriculture contributes 13% to the GSDP and is a major employment generator in rural areas.As of 2022, the state had 6.34 million hectares under cultivation.Riceis the staple food grain with the state being one of the largest producers in India with an output of 7.9 million tonnes in 2021–22.The Kaveri delta region is known as theRice Bowl of Tamil Nadu.Among non-food grains,sugarcaneis the major crop with an annual output of 16.1 million tonnes in 2021–22.The state is a producer ofspicesand is the top producer ofoil seeds,tapioca,clovesandflowersin India.The state accounts for 6.5% of fruit and 4.2% of vegetables production in the country.The state is a leading producer ofbananaandmangowith more than 78% of the area under fruit cultivation.As of 2019, the state was the second largest producer in India ofnatural rubberandcoconuts.Teais a popular crop in hill-stations with the state being a major producer of a unique flavoredNilgiri tea.
As of 2022, the state is the largest producer in India ofpoultryandeggswith an annual production of 20.8 billion units, contributing to more than 16% of the national output.The state has a fishermen population of 1.05 million and the coast consists of 3 major fishing harbors, 3 medium fishing harbors and 363 fish landing centres.As of 2022, the fishing output was 0.8 million tonnes with a contribution of 5% to the total fish production in India.Aquaculture includesshrimp,sea weed,mussel,clamandoysterfarming across more than 6000 hectares.M. S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the IndianGreen Revolution" was from Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 4% of the land area and 6% of the population of India, but has only 3% of the water resources of the country. The per capita water availability is 800 m(28,000 cu ft) which is lower than the national average of 2,300 m(81,000 cu ft).The state is dependent on the monsoons for replenishing the water resources. There are 17 major river basins with 61 reservoirs and about 41,948 tanks with a total surface water potential of 24,864 million cubic metres (MCM), 90% of which is used forirrigation. The utilizable groundwater recharge is 22,423 MCM.The major rivers includeKaveri,Bhavani,VaigaiandThamirabarani. With most of the rivers originating from other states, Tamil Nadu depends on neighboring states for considerable quantum of water which has often led todisputes.The state has 116large dams.Apart from the rivers, the majority of the water comes from rainwater stored in more than 41,000tanksand 1.68 millionwellsacross the state.
Water supply and sewage treatment are managed by the respective local administrative bodies such as theChennai MetroWater Supply and Sewage Boardin Chennai.Desalinationplants including the country's largest atMinjurprovide alternative means of drinking water.As per the 2011 census, only 83.4% of the households have access to safe drinking water, less than the national average of 85.5%.Water sources are also threatened byenvironmental pollutionand effluent discharge from industries.
The state is one of theleading statesin terms of sanitation facilities with more than 99.96% of people having access to toilets.The state has robust health facilities and ranks higher in all health related parameters such as high life expectancy of 74 years (sixth) and 98.4%institutional delivery(second).Of the three demographically related targets of theMillennium Development Goalsset by theUnited Nationsand expected to be achieved by 2015, Tamil Nadu achieved the goals related to improvement of maternal health and of reducing infant mortality and child mortality by 2009.
The health infrastructure in the state includes both government-run and private hospitals. As of 2023, the state had 404 public hospitals, 1,776 public dispensaries, 11,030 health centres and 481 mobile units run by the government with a capacity of more than 94,700 beds.TheGeneral Hospitalin Chennai was established on 16 November 1664 and was the first major hospital in India.The state government administers freepolio vaccinefor eligible age groups.Tamil Nadu is a major centre for medical tourism and Chennai is termed as "India's health capital".Medical tourismforms an important part of the economy with more than 40% of total medical tourists visiting India making it to Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu is one of four Indian states connected byundersea fibre-optic cables.As of 2023, four mobile phone service companies operateGSMnetworks includingBharti Airtel,BSNL,Vodafone IdeaandReliance Jiooffering4Gand5Gmobile services.Wireline and broadband services are offered by five major operators and other smaller local operators.Tamil Nadu is amongst the states with a high internet usage and penetration.In 2018, the state government unveiled a plan to lay 55,000 km (34,000 mi) ofoptical fiberacross the state to provide high-speed internet.
Electricity distribution in the state is done by theTamil Nadu Electricity Boardheadquartered at Chennai.As of 2023, the average daily consumption is 15,000 MW. Only 40% of the power is generated locally, with the remaining 60% met through purchases.As of 2022, the state was the fourth largest power consumer with a per capita availability of 1588.7 Kwh.As of 2023, the state has thethird highestinstalled power capacity of 38,248 MW with 54.6% from renewable resources.Thermal poweris the largest contributor with more than 10,000 MW.Tamil Nadu is the only state with two operationalnuclear power plants. The plant atKalpakkamis the first fully indigenous nuclear power station in India.  TheKudankulam Nuclear Power Plantis the largest nuclear power station in India.  It generates nearly one-third of the total nuclear power generated in the country.Tamil Nadu has the largest established wind power capacity in India with over 8,000 MW, mostly based out of two regions,Palghat GapandMuppandal.  The latter is one of thelargestoperational onshore wind farms in the world.
Newspaper publishing started in the state started with the launch of the weeklyThe Madras Courierin 1785.It was followed by the weekliesMadras GazetteandGovernment Gazettein 1795.The Spectator, founded in 1836 was the first English newspaper to be owned by an Indian and became the first daily newspaper in 1853.The first Tamil newspaper,Swadesamitranwas launched in 1899.The state has a number of newspapers and magazines published in various languages including Tamil, English and Telugu.The major dailies with more than 100,000 circulation per day includeThe Hindu,Dina Thanthi,Dinakaran,The Times of India,Dina Malar, andThe Deccan Chronicle.Several periodicals and local newspapers prevalent in select localities also bring out editions from multiple cities.
Government-runDoordarshanbroadcasts terrestrial andsatellite televisionchannels from its Chennai centre set up in 1974.DD Podhigai, Doordarshan's Tamil language regional channel was launched on 14 April 1993.There are more than 30 private satellite television networks includingSun Network, one of India's largest broadcasting companies is the state, established in 1993.The cable TV service is entirely controlled by the state government whileDTHandIPTVis available via various private operators.Radio broadcastingbegan in 1924 by the Madras Presidency Radio Club.All India Radiowas established in 1938.There are manyAMandFMradio stations operated byAll India Radio,Hello FM,Suryan FM,Radio Mirchi,Radio CityandBIG FMamong others.In 2006, the government of Tamil Nadu distributed free televisions to all families, which has led to high penetration of television services.From the early 2010s,Direct to Homehas become increasingly popular replacing cable television services.Tamil televisionserials form a major prime time source of entertainment.
Fire services are handled by theTamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Serviceswhich operates 356 operating fire stations.Postal service is handled byIndia Post, which operates more than 11,800 post offices in the state.The first post office was established at Fort St. George on 1 June 1786.
Tamil Nadu has an extensive road network covering about 271,000 km as of 2023 with a road density of 2,084.71 kilometres (1,295.38 mi) per 1000 kmwhich is higher than the national average of 1,926.02 kilometres (1,196.77 mi) per 1000 km.TheHighways Department(HD) of the state was established in April 1946 and is responsible for construction and maintenance ofnational highways, state highways, major district roads and other roads in the state.It operates through eleven wings with 120 divisions and maintains 73,187 kilometres (45,476 mi) of highways in the state.
There are 48 National Highways in Tamil Nadu, totaling 6,805 kilometres (4,228 mi) in length. The National Highways Wing of the state highways department, established in 1971, is responsible for the maintenance of National Highways, as laid down byNational Highways Authority of India(NHAI).There are alsostate highways, totalling 6,805 kilometres (4,228 mi) long, which connectdistrictheadquarters, important towns and national highways in the state.As of 2020, 32,598 buses are operated with the state transport units operating 20,946 buses along with 7,596 private buses and 4,056 mini buses.Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation(TNSTC), established in 1947 when private buses operating inMadras presidencywere nationalized, is the primarypublic transportbus operator in the state.It operates buses along intra and inter state bus routes, as well as city routes with eight divisions including theState Express Transport Corporation Limited(SETC) which runs long-distance express services. Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai and State Express Transport Corporation.As of 2020, Tamil Nadu had 32.1 million registered vehicles.
The rail network in Tamil Nadu forms a part ofSouthern RailwayofIndian Railways, which is headquartered in Chennai with four divisions in the state namelyChennai,Tiruchirappalli,MaduraiandSalem.As of 2023, the state had a total railway track length of 5,601 km (3,480 mi) covering a route length of 3,858 km (2,397 mi).There are 532 railway stations in the state withChennai Central,Chennai Egmore,Coimbatore JunctionandMadurai Junctionbeing the top revenue earning stations.Indian railways also has a coach manufacturing unit atChennai,electric locomotivesheds atArakkonam,ErodeandRoyapuram,diesel locomotivesheds atErode,TiruchirappalliandTondiarpet,Steam locomotiveshed atCoonooralong with various maintenance depots.
Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network operated by Southern railway, covering 212 km (132 mi) which was established in 1928.TheMass Rapid Transit System(MRTS) is an elevated urban mass transit system established in 1995 operating on a single line fromChennai BeachtoVelachery.Chennai Metrois arapid transitrail system in Chennai which was opened in 2015 and consists of two operational lines operating across 54.1 km (33.6 mi) in 2023.Nilgiri Mountain Railwayis a1,000 mm(3 ft3+3⁄8in)metre gaugerailway inNilgiris districtwhich was built by theBritishin 1908 and is the onlyrack railwayin India.
The aviation history of the state began in 1910, whenGiacomo D'Angelisbuilt the first powered flight in Asia and tested it inIsland Grounds.In 1915,Tata Air Mailstarted an airmail service between Karachi and Madras, marking the beginning of civil aviation in India.On 15 October 1932,J. R. D. Tataflew aPuss Mothaircraft carrying air mail from Karachi toBombay'sJuhu Airstripand the flight was continued to Madras piloted by aviatorNevill Vintcentmarking the first scheduled commercial flight.There are threeinternational, onelimited internationaland six domestic or private airports in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai airport, which is the fourth busiest airport by passenger traffic in India, is a major international airport and the main gateway to the state.Other international airports in the state includeCoimbatoreandTiruchirapalliwhileMaduraiis a customs airport with limited international flights.Domestic flights are operational to certain airports likeTuticorinandSalemwhile flights are planned to be introduced to more domestic airports by theUDANscheme ofGovernment of India.The region comes under the purview of theSouthern Air Commandof theIndian Air Force. The Air Force operates three air bases in the stateSulur,TambaramandThanjavur.TheIndian Navyoperates airbases atArakkonam,Uchipuliand Chennai.In 2019,Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) announced the setting up a new rocket launch pad nearKulasekharapatnaminThoothukudi district.
There are three major ports,Chennai,EnnoreandThoothukudi, which are managed by theMinistry of Ports, Shipping and Waterwaysof the Government of India.There is an intermediate sea port atNagapattinamand sixteen other minor ports, which are managed by the department of highways and minor ports of the Government of Tamil Nadu.Tamil Nadu forms part of both theEastern Naval CommandandSouthern Naval Commandof the Indian Navy, which has a major base at Chennai and logistics support base atThoothukudi.
Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India, with a literacy rate estimated to be 82.9% as per the 2017 National Statistical Commission survey, higher than the national average of 77.7%.The state had seen one of the highest literacy growth since the 1960s due to themidday meal schemeintroduced on a large scale by K. Kamaraj to increase school enrollment.The scheme was further upgraded in 1982 to "Nutritious noon-meal scheme" to combatmalnutrition.As of 2022, the state has one of the highest enrollment to secondary education at 95.6%, far above the national average of 79.6%.An analysis of primary school education byPrathamshowed a low drop-off rate but poor quality of education compared to certain other states.
As of 2022, the state had over 37,211 government schools, 8,403 government-aided schools and 12,631 private schools which educate 5.47 million, 2.84 million, and 5.69 million students respectively.There are 3,12,683 teachers with 80,217 teachers in government-aided schools with an average teacher-pupil ratio of 1:26.6.Public schools are all affiliated with theTamil Nadu State Board, while private schools may be affiliated with either of Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education,Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE),Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations(ICSE) orNational Institute of Open Schooling(NIOS).School education starts with two years of kindergarten from age three onwards and then follows the Indian10+2 plan, ten years of school and two years of higher secondary education.
As of 2023, there are 56 universities in the state including 24public universities, fourprivate universitiesand 28deemed-to-be universities.TheUniversity of Madraswas founded in 1857 and is one of India's first modern universities.There are 510 engineering colleges including 34 government colleges in the state.Indian Institute of Technology Madrasis a premier institute of engineering andCollege of Engineering, Guindy,Anna Universityfounded in 1794 is the oldest engineering college in India.TheOfficers Training Academyof theIndian Armyis headquartered at Chennai.There are also 496polytechnicinstitutions with 92 government colleges and 935 arts and science colleges in the state including 302 government run colleges.Madras Christian College(1837),Presidency College(1840) andPachaiyappa's College(1842) are amongst the oldest arts and science colleges in the country.
There are over 870 medical, nursing and dental colleges in the state including 21 for traditional medicine and four for modern medicine.TheMadras Medical Collegewas established in 1835 and is one of the oldest medical colleges in India.As per theNational Institutional Ranking Framework(NIRF) rankings in 2023, 26 universities, 15 engineering, 35 arts science, 8 management and 8 medical colleges from the state are ranked amongst the top 100 in the country.As of 2023, the state has a 69% reservation in educational institutions for sociallybackward sectionsof society, the highest among all Indian states.There are teninstitutes of national importancein the state.Research institutes includingTamil Nadu Agricultural University,Central Institute for Cotton Research,Sugarcane Breeding Research Institute,Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB)andIndian Council of Forestry Research and Educationare involved in agricultural research.
As of 2023, the state has 4,622 public libraries.Established in 1896,Connemara Public Libraryis one of the oldest and is amongst the fourNational Depository Centresin India that receive a copy of all newspapers and books published in the country. TheAnna Centenary Libraryis the largest library in Asia.There are many research institutions spread across the state.Chennai book fair is an annual book fair organized by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) and is typically held in December–January.
With its diverse culture and architecture and varied geographies, Tamil Nadu has a robust tourism industry. In 1971, theGovernment of Tamil Naduestablished theTamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, which is the nodal agency responsible for the promotion oftourismand development of tourist related infrastructure in the state.It is managed by theTourism,Culture and Religious Endowments Department.The tag line "Enchanting Tamil Nadu" was adopted in the tourism promotions.In the 21st century, the state has been amongst the top destinations for domestic and international tourists.As of 2020, Tamil Nadu recorded the most tourist foot-falls with more than 140.7 million tourists visiting the state.
Tamil Nadu's coastline is 1,076 kilometres (669 mi) long, with many beaches dotting the coast.Marina Beachspanning 13 km (8.1 mi) is the second-longest urban beach in the world.As the state is straddled by the Western and Eastern ghats, it is home to many hill stations, popular amongst them areUdagamandalam(Ooty) situated in theNilgiri HillsandKodaikanalin the Palani hills.There are a number ofrock-cutcave-temples and more than 34,000 temples in Tamil Nadu built across various periods some of which are several centuries old.With many rivers and streams, there are a number of waterfalls in the state including theCourtallamandHogenakkal Falls.There are fourWorld Heritage Sitesdeclared byUNESCOin the state:Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram,Great Living Chola Temples,Nilgiri Mountain Railway,andNilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Kabaddiis acontact sportwhich is the state game of Tamil Nadu.Pro Kabaddi Leagueis the most popular region based franchise tournament withTamil Thalaivasrepresenting the state.Chessis a popularboard gamewhich originated asSathurangamin the 7th century CE.Chennai is often dubbed "India's chess capital" as the city is home to multiple chessgrandmasters, including former world championViswanathan Anand. The state played host to theWorld Chess Championship 2013and44th Chess Olympiadin 2022.Traditional gameslikePallanguzhi,Uriyadi,Gillidanda,Dhaayamare played across the region.JallikattuandReklaare traditional sporting events involvingbulls.Traditional martial arts includeSilambattam,Gatta gusthi,andAdimurai.
Cricket is the most popular sport in the state.TheM.A. Chidambaram Stadiumestablished in 1916 is among the oldest cricket stadiums in India and has hosted matches during multipleICC Cricket World Cups.Established in 1987,MRF Pace Foundationis abowlingacademy based in Chennai.Chennai is home to the most successfulIndian Premier League(IPL) cricket team,Chennai Super Kings, and hosted the finals during the2011,2012,and2024seasons.Footballis also popular with theIndian Super Leaguebeing the major club competition andChennaiyin FCrepresenting the state.
There are multi-purpose venues in major cities includingChennaiandCoimbatore, which hostfootballandathletics. Chennai also houses a multi–purpose indoor complex forvolleyball,basketball,kabaddiandtable tennis.Chennai hosted the1995 South Asian Games.Tamil Nadu Hockey Association is the governing body ofhockeyin the state andMayor Radhakrishnan Stadiumin Chennai was the venue for the international hockey tournaments, the2005 Men's Champions Trophyand the2007 Men's Asia Cup.Madras Boat Club(founded in 1846) andRoyal Madras Yacht Club(founded in 1911) promotesailing,rowingandcanoeingsports in Chennai.Inaugurated in 1990,Madras Motor Race Trackwas the first permanent racing circuit in India and hosts formula racing events.Coimbatore is often referred to as "India's Motorsports Hub" and the "Backyard of Indian Motorsports" and hosts theKari Motor Speedway, a Formula 3 Category circuit.Horse racingis held at theGuindy Race Courseand the state has three 18-hole golf courses, theCosmopolitan Club, theGymkhana Cluband theCoimbatore Golf Club.