Surrounded by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in the north and Kerala in the west, Tamil Nadu is a picturesque land known for its beauty, spread so lavishly here and there. The eastern and western tips of the state are defined by the Point Calimere and Mududmalai wildlife sanctuaries while northern extreme is Pulicat Lake and the southernmost tip ends in Kanyakumari.

Travel to Tamil Nadu – Eden of tourism delight. The beautiful beaches, the magnificent temples, picturesque wildlife sanctuaries, colourful festivals and a plethora of panoramic sites make Tamil Nadu tourism an enthralling experience. Tamil Nadu is the magnificent land of temples and a paradise for all art-lovers. A blend of ancient and modern world, Tamil Nadu offers you myriad of breathtaking sights. Tour Tamil Nadu and relish its natural beauty.

Tamil Nadu is a state at the southern tip of India. The bordering states/territories are Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The island nation of Sri Lanka, which has a significant Tamil minority, lies off the southeast coast.

Tamil Nadu's history dates back pre-historic times and archeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. From early pre-history Tamil Nadu was the home of the three famous kingdoms of the Chera, the Chola and the Pandya. The ancient Tamil literature points to an ancient civilisation lasting since the dawn of time.

The Sangam literature has numerous mentions of the kings and princes who ruled this region. Scholars now generally agree that this literature belongs to the first few centuries CE. The Sangam literature is full of names of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between 1st and 4th centuries CE. The first and the most famous king of this period was Karikala Chola, who expanded the Chola territories up to Kanchipuram. The Cholas occupied the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali districts and excelled in military exploits. In the height of their glory, the Chola kings had spread their influence as far as Ceylon (SriLanka) in the south and hundreds of kilometers across the northern region. The early Cholas went into decline around the third century CE, when the Tamil country was invaded by Kalabhras who defeated the Tamil kingdoms and ruled for almost three centuries. They were defeated and the expelled in the sixth century CE by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south.

Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far as the Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture reached its epitome during Pallava rule.

The Cholas again rose to power by the 9th century. Under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable power in Asia. The Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, and annexed parts of Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went beyond, occupying coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of the Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and Cambodia.

The Cholas revelled in building magnificent temples. Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. The power of the Cholas declined around the 13th century. With the decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again in the early 14th century. This was short lived; they were soon subdued by Muslim Khilji invaders from the north in 1316. Madurai was sacked. The invasion led to the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. These Muslim invasions caused the establishment of Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country (c. 1370 CE). As the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, the Nayak governors, who were appointed by the Vijayanagar kingdom to administer various territories of the empire, declared their independence. The Nayaks of Madurai and Thanjavur were most prominent of them all. They reconstructed some of the oldest temples in the country.

Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat. In 1639, the British, under the British East India Company, established a settlement further south, in present day Chennai. The British used petty quarrels among the provincial rulers (divide and rule) to expand their sphere of influence. The British fought and reduced the French dominions in India to Pondicherry. They consolidated southern India into the Madras Presidency. Some notable chieftains or Poligars who fought the British East India Company as it was expanding were Veerapandya Kattabomman, Maruthu Pandiyar, Pulithevan and Dheeran Chinnamalai. Pudukkottai remained as a princely state under British suzerainty.

When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising of present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northern Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1968, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu. (means Tamil Country).

Tamil civilization is one of the oldest in the world. Unique cultural features, like Tanjore paintings, Bharatanatyam and Tamil architecture, give Tamil Nadu a heritage to be proud of. Chola kings conquered lands as far north as the Himalayas, and as far east as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. The world's oldest dam was built across the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu by King Karikala Chola. Today, the rapidly increasing IT boom in Tamil Nadu cities like Chennai and Coimbatore makes Tamil Nadu one of India's economic hotspots. Even then, the Tamil Indians preserve their Tamil culture, while being proud Indians and active global citizens.

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu and it achieved the classical language status in India (as well as one of the official languages of India). Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today.

See also: Tamil literature

Tamil is a vibrant language with a long and rich literary tradition. Most of the older works are in verse form, and prose gained popularity later. All through history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain. Tamil poetry has universal appeal as evinced by many examples. Tirukural which was written nearly two millennia ago portrays a universal outlook. This is evident by the author, Thiruvalluvar who had not mentioned his religion, land, and the auidence of his work. He is portrayed as holy saint of Tamil nadu today and even for the generations to come. There is an evidential history that the kings of olden days rolled out Tamil Sangam (Tamil organization) to develop literature works in tamil. The Sangam headquartered in Madurai generated lot a notable literary works. In 20th century during the freedom struggle, many tamil poets and writers provoked national spirit, socila equity, secularistic thoughts among the common man. Some of the notable persons are Subramanya Bharathy , Periyar Ramasami, C. N. Annadurai, etc. Even today, Tamil nadu host potential writers like Kalignar M. Karunanidhi, Kavignar Vairamuthu, Kavignar Vaali, etc.

See also: Ancient Tamil music

The Kings of the olden days created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Dance, Music and Drama) to express the spiritual feels and to quench the entertainment. Music plays a major role in sangams. Music in tamil nadu had different forms across the people. In villages where farming was a major work, the ladies who work in the feilds used to sing kulavai songs. Even today, southern Tamil nadu has this tradition. Odhuvars, Sthanikars, or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. Musicians had total reliance on divine grace. They lead the chorus in the temple congregational prayers to the accompaniment of the Sarangi. Sarangi was in use in the temples of Tamil Nadu till the end of the nineteenth century. Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions. Carnatic music abounds in structured compositions in the different ragas. These are songs composed by great artists and handed down through generations of disciples. While the improvised elaboration of a raga varies from musician to musician, the structured portion is set. These compositions are extremely popular, with a strong accent on rhythm and lively melodic patterns. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The Nineteen Forties were a rather turbulent period for Carnatic Music in Tamil Nadu because of the Tamizh Isai controversy. More than a controversy, it was a move by some well meaning people to increase the number of Tamil songs being sung in concerts in Tamil Nadu. Started by Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar and spurred on by individuals like Sir R.K.Shanmugham Chettiar and journalist Kalki Krishnamurthy, it tried to create a lot of awareness among musicians and rasikas that language had a role in music. Today, Tamil nadu is proud to have hundreds of notable carnatic singers who spreads this music all over the world. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a renoved carnatic singer has a uniqueness of singing song in the UN security council. World famous singer D. K. Pattammal contributed a lot to this music.

From the olden days, to mark the youth's adventures activities, Jallikattu, a traditional sports is conducted. In south Tamil Nadu, this game is very famous and still it is conducted with same enthusiasim.

Pongal, a four-day harvest festival, is the most celebrated festival of Tamil Nadu. Pongal is also known as Tamizhar Thirunal or The Festival of Tamils among the Tamil people. 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 the Pongal 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 old and emeregence of new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 or January 15 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 violent taming the wild bull contest, marks the main event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal — the word "kanum", literally meaning 'to view' — youths used to gather at river banks to view and select their future life partners, but that practice has declined.

It is then followed in importance by Thai Poosam Kavady, Tamil New Year which generally falls on the April 14 or 15 of the Gregorian calendar. The major festival that is celebarated in Tamil Nadu is Deepavali (Diwali). It is also known as KedhAra Gowri vradham. The day marks the death of Naragasuran, who did misdeeds to the common people. Crackers and fireworks will be the unique features of this festival. Wearing new dress and sharing sweets with neighbours to mark the unity in destroying the misdeeds. The first month in the tamil calendar is Chittirai. Apart from these, other national festivals like Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara) and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated.

The day of incarnation of Vaikundar, Ayya Vaikunda Avataram was celebrated in a grand scale in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In addition the Velankanni Church and The Nagore mosque stand testimony to the secular and multi-religious nature of the state.

Tamil Nadu is a land of varied beauty. It is mostly famous for its numerous Hindu temples based on the Dravidian architecture. The temples are of a distinct style which is famous for its towering Gopuram. Popular temple towns include Madurai, Trichy, Tanjore, Kanchipuram, Palani, Tiruvallur and Mahabalipuram. The most famous temple is the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur that is about 1000 years old and is on the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. Tamil Nadu also has the Navagraha temples that are a popular pilgrim circuit. Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of peninsular India, is famous for its distinct and beautiful sunrise, Vivekanda Rock Memorial on the mid-sea, Thiruvalluvar statue and has some very green hilly landscape and picture-postcard perfect sceneries around the district and Nagercoil. Hill stations like Kodaikanal and Nilgiris boast some of the stunning landscapes in India. The Nilgiris also has one of the two mountain Railways in India and is being evaluated for the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary located in Gudalur near the border of Karnataka known for its elephants, tigers and deer and the Pitchavaram Mangrove forests located in Chidambaram are two of the many eco-tourism spots of importance.

Chennai, Kanyakumari, Ooty, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Kovalam, Thanjavur, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Coimbatore