h ighlights
Tamil Nadu, a state in southern
India, is rich in ancient heritage, ruled
by different dynasties over centuries.
There are about 74 million Tamil people
today. An ethnic group with a history
dating back to the Sangam era (400 BC
to 300 AD), Tamils belong to either the
Saivites or Vaishnavites group of Hindu
pantheists. Tamils all over the world are
deeply invested in safeguarding their
cultural traditions, which include a
wide array of rituals and ceremonies.
Temple architecture showcases the
Dravidian style: towering gopurams
(temple towers) in which statues of
gods and goddesses are engraved,
with various filigree designs carved
into towering edifices. Particularly
notable architectural gems include
the Meenakshi Amman Temple in
Madurai and the Brihadeeswarar
Temple in Thanjavur, but there are
countless others scattered throughout
the state, serving the beliefs of the
predominantly Hindu population.
While temples are replete with
sculptural marvels, there are several
monuments and buildings that also
offer a glimpse of the architectural
finesse of the seafaring Pallava rulers
(275 BC to 897 AD), who were also
known patrons of the fine arts.
Tamil is recognised as a classical
language by the Indian government.
Like the other languages of South
India, Tamil is a Dravidian language,
unrelated to the Indo-European
languages of northern India, although
it has some influences from Sanskrit.
However, unlike Sanskrit, the languagehas continued to expand, adopting
new words and phrases from other
languages in the region.
Classic Tamil literature ranges from
lyric poetry to works of philosophy, and
represents the oldest body of secular
literature in South Asia. One of the
earliest texts is Tolkaapiyam, written
around 500 BC, which established
a grammatical system for Tamil. Other
notable works include Thirukkural
by the Tamil savant Thiruvalluvar,
Silapathikaaram, Manimegalai and
Tamilannai, or “the Tamil mother”,
all of which have been central to the
Tamil identity.
Fly to Chennai and explore the rich
traditions of Tamil Nadu – India’s centre
of language, dance, poetry and Hindu
religion in the deep south.A Cultural Legacy
THE TRADITIONS OF TAMIL NADU Courtesy of the India Tourism Board