The ancietn history of Tamil Nadu dates back about 6000 years and the origin of its people is topic debate related to the Aryan invasion theory. Those who believe in this theory support the view that the Tamils belong to the Dravidian race and were part of the early Indus Valley settlers. Later with the advent of the Aryan invasion, the Dravidians were forced to remain back into the deep south, where they ultimately settled. The present day states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh constitute the Dravidian culture.
Cities
Chennai (Madras) -the capital of Tamil Nadu. One of India's four metropolitan cities.
Coimbatore - on the banks of the river Noyyal, and the textile capital of South India or the Manchester of the South
Erode The Kongu region is famous for Agriculture, Textiles Milk (Erode
Aavin), Edible Oils (Erode), Turmeric (Erode has the largest market in
India)
Kanchipuram -75 km from Chennai, one of the seven holy cities in the country, and
a visit is believed to bestow salvation; renowned for its silk sarees
Kanniyakumari -The southern most tip of the Indian mainland, it is famous for its
conjunction of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal into the Indian
Ocean. Also well known for its beaches, the Tiruvalluvar Statue and the
man made island Vivekananda Rock. Very nearby is the Padmanabhapuram
palace which was the erstwhile palace of the King of Travancore (Kerala).
Madurai - on the banks of the River Vaigai, known as Athens of the East, a
place of great historical and cultural importance, and the oldest city
in Tamil Nadu
Mamallapuram - though no longer a port, Mamallapuram has retained its fame in stone,
thanks to the great contribution of Pallava artisans, and is amongst
the most outstanding examples of Dravidian art and architecture and a
jewel in the crown of Tamil Nadu
Thanjavur - also called the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu, is well-known throughout the
world for being the home of the Brihadeeswara temple, the magnificent
palace, Rajah Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library, Art Gallery and also
for its exquisite handicrafts like the Art Plate, pithwork, bronze
icons, Thanjavur paintings and the classical South Indian musical
instruments
Tranquebar(also called Tharangambadi)
Tiruchirappalli
Velankanni
chennai Airport The distance from Chennai Airport to City is 20 kilometres. It is advisable to take pre-paid taxi from the airport as the fare is fixed. If you want to take taxi or auto outside the airport, there will be lot of bargaining.
Chennai Port
Chennai Port is the second largest port of India, behind the Mumbai Port. It is over 125 years old. This was a major travel port before becoming a major container port. It is a substantial reason for the economic growth of Tamil Nadu, especially for the manufacturing boom in South India.
Chennai Central Chennai Central, formerly known as Madras Central is the main railway terminus in Chennai. It is home to the Southern Railways and the most important rail hub in South India. Trains from here connect the city to other states of India, while trains to other parts of Tamil Nadu (excluding Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Tirunelveli) are catered to by the Chennai Egmore station. Chennai Central is the main hub for the Chennai suburban railway.
Hill-stations
The Nilgiri mountain range on the east coast is home to many hill-stations that are good for weekend trips.
Kodaikanal - prettier than Ooty, and less crowded
Ooty - famous botanical garden, popularised by movies, a tad crowded
Palani - A popular Hill Temple for Murugan
Yelagiri - not very well-known, but worth a trip
Yercaud - hidden away and unsung
Masingagudi - Part of the Nilgiri Bio-sphere reserve.
National Parks
Mudumalai National Park- abundant wildlife located in Nilgiris
Silent Valley National Park - Tropical and subtropical forest rich in flora and fauna in Western Ghats near to Coimbatore
Both the parks are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Waterfalls
Hogenakkal - Twenty Waterfalls
Kutralam Falls also known as Courtallam
Talk
Tamils are fiercely proud of the Tamil language,
one of the few still living classical languages, with two millennia of
written tradition. Unlike many other Indian languages, it belongs to
the Dravidian language family that includes the other major South
Indian languages - Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. For historical
reasons, there is some residual hostility to Hindi, so try to pick up some instant Tamil here.
However, if you don't speak Tamil, most educated Tamils also
have a decent command of English so you shouldn't have a problem
getting by with English in the major cities.
