The State Of Tamil Nadu Is The Origin Of Dravidian Culture. All The Temples And Monuments In The State Are The Best Examples Of Dravidian Architecture. The State Has Made Priceless Contributions To The Music, Art, And Literature Of India. Bharatnatyam, One Of The Famous Indian Dance Forms, Has Its Origin Here. Tamil Nadu Fairs And Festivals Are Important Events That Happen Round The Year And Lead To Millions Of Footfalls From Different Corners Of The World.

Natyanjali Dance Festival This Festival Takes Place At Chidambaram, Which Is Located Beside The Shoreline Of The Bay Of Bengal At A Distance Of 75 Km From Pondicherry. The Carnival Begins From The Day Of Mahashivaratri And Goes On For Five Days. The Natyanjali Dance Festival Is The Ideal Means To Pay Tribute To Lord Nataraja, Who Is Regarded As The Lord Of Dancers. The Nataraj Temple Is Situated In A Heavenly Ambience. Pongal The Pongal Is Also Known As The Harvest Festival. It Is Observed To Offer Homage To The Nature, Sun And Cattle For Supporting People With A Thriving Harvest And Affluence. The Conventional Cuisine Of Pongal Or Boiled Rice With Milk And Jaggery Is Made At Every House.

The Pongal Is Also Known As The Harvest Festival. It Is Observed To Offer Homage To The Nature, Sun And Cattle For Supporting People With A Thriving Harvest And Affluence. The Conventional Cuisine Of Pongal Or Boiled Rice With Milk And Jaggery Is Made At Every House.

This Fair In Chennai Makes You Familiar With The Cultural Resources, Tourist Attractions, And Economic Situation Of Tamil Nadu. It Is Usually Held In January.

The Renowned Madurai Temple Is The Home To This Event, Which Is Approximately 500 Km From Chennai. This Colorful Event Begins From The Start Of The Tamil Month Of Chithirai And Concludes On The 10th Day Of The Month. The Event Is A Magnificent Rebuilding Of The Wedding Of Princess Meenakshi Of The Pandyas To Lord Sundareswarar.

This Event Starts On December 25th Of Each Year And Is Celebrated On All Saturdays. Outdoor Stages Have Been Constructed Approximately 1,300 Years Back. The Remarkable Monolithic Stony Carvings Of The Pallava Rulers Are Located Beside The Sea In The Prehistoric City Of Mamallapuram. This Occasion Is A True Visual Feast For The Dance Lovers. Dances Performed Include Bharatha Natyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, And Odissi.

This Event Is A Sacred Occasion That Draws One To Kumbakonam Once In Every 12 Years. Kumbakonam Is Known As The City Of Temples.

The Expression "arubathimoovar" Factually Denotes The 63 Saints Of Shiva, Worshipped For Living Admirable Lives Of Dedication And Atonement. Bronze Statues Of The 63 Saints Adorn The Spectacular Kapaliswar Temple At Mylapore, Chennai. Once Every Year, These Statues Are Taken Out In A Vibrant Parade Through The Roads Of Mylapore.

These Carnivals Take Place In The Various Picturesque Hill Stations Of The State. During This Time, The Hills Get A New Look. Adventure Sports, Cultural Events, Flower Shows, And Boat Races Increase The Vigor Of The Event.

The State Of Tamil Nadu Is A Truly Cosmopolitan State With Different Cultures, Religion, Races And Customs. This Exceptional Character Has Given Birth To Many Colorful Festivals And Carnivals. Among These, The Kanthuri Festival Of Tamil Nadu Is A Symbol Of Secularism In The State As Well As In The Country. The Unique Feature Of The Kanthuri Festival Is That It Is Enjoyed And Observed By The Hindus, Muslims And People Of All Other Faiths Alike. Held At The Shrine Of Saint Quadirwali, The Kanthuri Festival Act As The Platform To Choose The Spiritual Leader Of The Celebrations From One Of The Descendants Of The Saint. Amid Elaborate Rituals And Rites, The Devotees Present Their Offerings To The Peer. The Tenth And The Last Day Of The Festival Witnesses The Anointment Of The Tomb Of The Saint Quadirwali With Sandalwood Paste. Then The Paste Is Distributed Among The Followers. It Is Believed That The Paste Has Magical Healing Power.

One Of The Most Exciting Festivals In India, The Kavadi Festival Of Tamil Nadu Is A Blend Of Faith, Sacrifice, Glamor And Custom. The Extreme Pain And Sacrifice, A Devotee Undergoes To Offer His Prayers To Lord Muruga Is Known As The Kavadi. It Is Believed, The Amount Of Virtue One Receives By Performing The Kavadi Is Million Time Greater Than The Pain He Suffers. A Kavadi Is A Generally A Wooden Stick, Which Has Two Baskets Hanging From It. The Kavadi That Is Carried By The Bearers In Their Shoulders May Vary In Shapes And Sizes. The Kavadis Are Adorned With Peacock Feathers And Numerous Brass Bells. The Two Baskets Are Usually Filled With Rice, Milk Or Any Other Things, Which The Devotee Has Promised To Offer The Lord In His Vow. The Kavadi Bearer Has To Observe Different Rules From The Time He Has Picked Up The Kavadi Till The Day Of The Offering. One Of The Most Difficult Kavadi Offerings Is The Agni Kavadi, Where The Devotee Has To Walk Over A Pit Of Burning Coals While Carrying The Kavadi. Egged By The Watching Crowd And Boosted By The Beating Drums And Fragrance Of The Burning Incense Sticks, The Kavadi Bearer Ecstatically Walks Through The Red Hot Coals.

The Velankanni Festival Of Tamil Nadu Is Surrounded By Many Mysterious Legends. The Most Popular Story Is That Some Shipwrecked Portuguese Sailors Were Saved Miraculously From A Terrible Storm In The Sea. After They Had Reached The Shore, The Local Fishermen Took Them To A Dilapidated Chapel To Thanks The God For Saving Their Live. The Sailors Paid Their Tribute By Establishing A Permanent Church. They Worked On The Improvement Of The Church With Their Subsequent Visits. The Church Was Dedicated To Our Lady On The Eighth Day Of The Month Of September. That Was The Beginning Of The Nine Day Long Festival Of Velankanni. Thousands Of Religious Followers And Devotees Wearing Orange Robes Visit The Holy Place Where The Ship Landed. The Divine Church, Which Has Earned The Name - Lourdes Of The East Is Well Known For Virgin Mary's Heavenly Healing Power. The Marian Shrine Is One Of The Most Visited Pilgrimage Sites Of Southern Asia. Serene And Picturesque Landscape Embraces The Chapel, Which Is Bathed By The Sea Green Waters Of The Bay Of Bengal. This Out Of The World Set Up, Makes It A Great Tourists Spot. Pilgrims And Visitors From All Over The Country And Even Different Parts Of The World Come To See The Famed Chapel. If You Are Traveling To Tamil Nadu And Still Have Not Visited The Church, Its High Time You Should.

This Carnatic Music Carnival Is Held At Thiruvariyar. It Takes Place Every Year. The Fiesta Started To Pay Tribute To Saint Thyagaraja And Is A Treat For Music Lovers.

Amil Culture Is The Culture Of The Tamil People. Tamil Culture Is Rooted In The Arts And Ways Of Life Of Tamils In India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore And Across The Globe. Tamil Culture Is Expressed In Language, Literature, Music, Dance, Theatre, Folk Arts, Martial Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Sports, Media, Comedy, Cuisine, Costumes, Celebrations, Philosophy, Religions, Traditions, Rituals, Organizations, Science, And Technology. Tamilnadu Has A Great Tradition Of Heritage And Culture That Developed Over 2,000 Years Ago And Still Continues To Flourish. This Great Cultural Heritage Of The State Of Tamilnadu Evolved Through The Rule Of Dynasties That Ruled The State During Various Phases Of History. Many Of The Ruling Dynasties Gave Patronage To Art And Culture That Resulted Into The Development And Evolution Of A Unique Dravidian Culture That Tamilnadu Today Symbolizes With. Under The Rule Of The Pallavas, Cholas And The Pandya Kings, There Were Tremendous Growth And Development In The Field Of Art, Architecture And Literature, Which Reached Great Heights. The History Of Tamil Language Can Be Traced Back To The Age Of The Tolkapiyam, The Tamil Grammar Text, Ascribed To Around 500 B.c. Similarly, The Sangam Literature Dates Back To 500 B.c.

Tamil Nadu Is One Of The Most Urbanized States Of India But Most Of The People Still Live In Villages. In Tamil Nadu, There Is An Established Caste System With Traditional Differentiations A Lot More Pronounced Than In Many Other Parts Of India. A Large Part Of Population Is Confined To The Chennai (covering Industrial Areas, Townships And The Surrounding Villages) And Those Around Madurai, Tiruchchirappall And Coimbatore. About 80 Percent Of The People In Tamil Nadu Follow Hinduism. A Substantial Percentage Of Population In Tamil Nadu Follows Christianity And Islam.

Tamil Is The Official Language Of Tamil Nadu State And One Of The 18 Languages Mentioned In The Eighth Schedule Of The Indian Constitution. Tamil Is One Of The Classical Languages Of The World, With A Rich Heritage Of Literature. It Is The Most Widely Spoken Language In Tamil Nadu. Besides Tamil Nadu, Tamil Is Also Spoken By A Number Of People In Sri Lanka, Singapore, Mauritius And Malaysia. The Antiquity Of Tamil Is Comparable To Sanskrit. Tamil Is Written In A Derivative Of The Southern 'brahmi' Script. The Alphabet Of Tamil Is Unique (phonetic). That Is, In Tamil Language Letters Represent Sounds, Rather Than Ideas, As Is The Case In The 'mandarin' Language Of China.

The History And Culture Of Tamilnadu Goes Back To Thousands Years Back. For Centuries, People Of Various Religions Have Been Residing In The State. The Main Religions In Tamilnadu Are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity And Jainism. Hinduism, Along With Its Various Sects, Is The Oldest Religion In The State. Hindus Are Followers Of Number Of Sectarian Monastic Institutions (called Mathas).

The State That Flaunts A Rich Heritage And Has Clung To Its History In This Modern Era; Tamil Nadu Is Often Visited For Its Beautiful Monuments. The Monuments Are Evidence Of The Skills And Excellence Of The Artisans Of Former Times. One Fine Characteristic Of Ancient Architecture Here Is That The Temples Have Towering Gopurams And Are Adorned With Rock-cut Inscriptions. Tamil Nadu, As It Possesses Priceless Monuments, Is Also Addressed As The Cradle Of Dravidian Culture. Its Cities/towns Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Tirunelveli And Madurai Are Gemlike When It Comes To Heritage And History. Madurai's Meenakshi Temple Is An Iconic Structure, With Neat Detailing In Its Carving And The Right Scheme Of Color. Mahabalipuram's Shore Temples, Especially Its Rathas Have A Magnetic Pull That Attracts Hundreds Of Travelers. Also, Finest Specimens Of Dravidian Architecture, The Great Living Cholas Temples Hold The Front Seat In Tamilnadu's Heritage And History Scenario. Mystery And Tales Conspire To Make These Monuments Stand Out And Be Admired Institutions (called Mathas).

Tamil Nadu Is Famous For Its Deep Belief That Serving Food To Others Is A Service To Humanity, As It Is Common In Many Regions Of India. The Region Has A Rich Cuisine Involving Both Traditional Vegetarian And Non-vegetarian Dishes. Rice, Legumes And Lentils Are Used Extensively And Flavor Is Achieved By The Blending Of Various Spices. Vegetables And Dairy Products Are Essential Accompaniments And Tamarind Is Used As The Favored Souring Agent.

On Special Occasions, Traditional Tamil Dishes Are Prepared In An Elaborate And Leisurely Way And Served In Traditional Style On A Banana Leaf. The Traditional Way Of Eating A Meal Involves Being Seated On The Floor, Having The Food Served On A Banana Leaf, And Using Clean Fingers Of The Right Hand To Transfer The Food To The Mouth. After The Meal, The Fingers Are Washed, And The Banana Leaf Becomes Food For Cows. Typically Breakfast Includes Idli Or Dosa And Rice Accompanied By Lentil Preparations Sambar, Rasam And Curd For Lunch.

A Typical Meal (called Saapadu) Consists Of Rice With Other Typical Tamilan Dishes Served On A Banana Leaf. Banana Leaf As It Gives Different Flavor And Taste To The Food. A Sweet, Normally Paayasam Is Usually Served As A Dessert To Finish The Meal. Coffee And Tea Are The Staple Drinks.

Veg Meals In Tamil Nadu 'virundhu' Meaning 'feast', When Guests Are Invited During Happy Ceremonial Occasions To Share Food. For Festivals And Special Ceremonies, A More Elaborate Menu With Steamed Rice, Variety Rice (e.g. Tomato Rice), Dal Powder, Sambar (lentil Stew), Kara Kuzhambu (spicy Stew With A Coconut Base Or Dal Base), Rasam (tamarind Stew With Other Herbs And Spices), Thayir (curd) Along With Poriyal (dry Fry Of Vegetables), Varuval (oil Fry Of The Vegetable), Kootu (vegetables Mixture With Green Dal Or Coconut), Keerai Masiyal (ground Greens), Aviyal (a Mixture Of Cooked Vegetables, Finally Added With Buttermilk Or Curd In The Preparation), Pachadi (salad Of Cucumber, Or Onion In Curd), Appalam (fried Papads), Thogaiyal (wet Ground Paste Of Some Item), Oorukai (pickles), Payasam (sweet Liquid Of Many Varieties With Milk Base Or Coconut Milk Base Or Dal Liquid Base). After The Completion Of The Feast, A Banana And Betel Leaves (eaten With Areca Nuts And Limestone Paste With Are Provided To Aid Digestion.

Guests Sit On A Coir Mat Rolled Out On The Floor And A Full Course Meal Was Served On A Banana Leaf. Nowadays, Guests Often Sit On A Dinner Table And Have The Same Type Of Food. Traditionally The Banana Leaf Is Laid So That The Leaf Tip Is Pointed Left. Before The Feast Begins The Leaf Is Sprinkled With Water And Cleaned By The Diner Himself Even Though The Leaves Are Already Clean. The Top Half Of The Banana Leaf Is Reserved For Accessories, The Lower Half For The Rice. The Lower Right Portion Of The Leaf May Have A Scoop Of Warm Sweet Milky Rice Payasam, Kesari, Sweet Pongal Or Any Dessert Items. While The Top Left Includes A Pinch Of Salt, A Dash Of Pickle And A Thimbleful Of Salad, Or A Smidgen Of Chutney. In The Middle Of The Leaf There May Be An Odd Number Of Fried Items Like Small Circles Of Chips Either Banana, Yam Or Potato, Thin Crisp Papads Or Frilly Wafers Aruna Appalams And Vadai. The Top Right Hand Corner Is Reserved For Spicy Foods Including Curry, Hot, Sweet, Or Sour And The Dry Items. Tamil Nadu.

The Graceful Arts And Crafts Of Tamil Nadu Have Found Generous Mention In The Archives Of Kautilya, Pliny And A Number Of Other Scholars Who Were In Awe Of The Soft Muslin, Fine Silk, Elaborate Ivory Work And Precious Gems Like Tortoise Shells, Diamonds, Pearls And Rubies Produced By The State. Lying On The Zenith Of Ancient Culture And Customs Of The Erstwhile Pallava, Pandya And Vijayanagar Dynasties, Tamil Nadu Houses Abundant Remnants That Are A Proof Of Architectural Magnificence And Cultural Blossoming That Belonged To That Period. Popular As The 'cultural Capital' Of India, Tamil Nadu Is Extremely Well-known For Its Marvelous Temples And Other Architectural Gems. The State Rose To Prominence Primarily Because Of Its Well-known And Outstanding Tanjore Paintings That Flourished At The Time Of Chola Dynasty In Ancient Tanjavoor. In This Traditional Art Form, The Paintings Showcase The Embellished Form Of The Sacred Deities Of The Region. The Deities In The Paintings Are Festooned With Glass Pieces, Pearls, Semi-precious Stones, And Gold And Other Vibrant Colors. In The Modern Times, Tanjore Paintings Look Up To Human Figures, Animals, Floral Motifs And Birds As Muses. The Art And Culture Of Tamil Nadu Also Thrives In Its Musical Instruments That Are Played During The Vibrant Festivals Of The State. The Kumbu, The Naadaswaram, Various Lutes And Percussion Instruments, Thamburas And The Silappadikaaram Are Some Of The Popular Instruments Of Tamil Nadu.

Tanjore Paintings Of Tamil Nadu Are A Stamp Of The Rich Cultural Heritage Of India. Done Up In Effervescent Shades And Studded With Vibrant Pearls, Semi-precious Stones, Glass Pieces And Gold, This Art Work Is A Masterwork That Is Done On Bases Like Ivory, Wood, Or Mica. Tanjore Style Of Painting Also Drapes The Canopies, Chandeliers, Garlands Of Ropes, And Pillars. The Unique Style Of These Paintings Is Also A Subject Of Study. In The Starting, A Wooden Board Is Made. The Painting Is Done On A Different Unbleached Piece Of Cloth That Is Later Treated With A Mix Of Chalk Powder And Glue. The Drawing Then Is Traced Down On The Board, Trailed By Decorations, Which Is Then Painted With A Mixture Of Gum And Chalk Powder For Making 3 Dimensional Style Shade Effect. The Result Is Simply Mesmerizing.

The Cultural And Artistic Splendor Of The Tamil Nadu State Can Be Seen In Its Traditional Jewelry Pieces. The State Is Famed For Its Conventional Stone-adorned Jewelry Pieces Including Neckpieces, Earing, Anklets, Nose Drops, Waist Belts And Bracelets. Not Any Woman's Life Is Complete Without Owning Some Lovely Sparkling Jewelry. During The Ancient Times In The State, Diamonds As Well As Other Precious Stones Were Owned By Men As Well As Women. Those People Were Ardent Believers Of The Magical Powers Of The Nine Gems Or The Navaratnas, Which Were Specially Worn To Ward Off The Evil Eye And Pacify The Planetary Position.

The South Indian State Of Tamil Nadu Has Been Celebrated For Its Excellent Stone Carvings Since The Starting Of The Ancient History Of India. This Aboriginal Craft Gained Momentum After The Culturally Advanced Rulers Of The State Became The Patrons Of The Local Craftsmen Who Were Able To Keep Their Art Form Active. The Remnants Of Stone Carvings, Granite Figures And Similar Such Statues That Were Found At The Time Of Excavation From The Archeological Site, All Earn A Special Remark. They Have A Tale To Tell That Artistry Has Been A Part Of Region From Prehistoric Times. Today Chingleput And Mamallapuram Are The Two Places Where Granite Carving Can Be Seen. These Special Talent Is Owned By The Skilled Craftsmen Of Local Communities Kammaalar And Vishwakarma.