Indian Century - Tour Tamil Nadu

TAMIL NADU: PLACES TO VISIT

Tamil Nadu is the Southern most state in India, to the East of Kerala state. It is peppered with numerous Hindu temples, the most renowned of these being the Madurai Meenakshi in Madurai and the Brihadeeswara Temple (or "Periya Kovil") in …… Tamil Nadu is also the land of the exquisite classical Indian dance form called Bharatanatyam.

TAMIL NADU STATS:

TOTAL AREA: 130,058 Sq.Km (50,216 Sq. Mi)	Rank: 11th
POPULATION (2011): 72,147,030	Rank: 6th
CAPITAL CITY: Chennai
LARGEST CITY: Chennai
LITERACY RATE: 90.3%
HDI: 0.570	Rank: 6th
Official Language(s): Tamil
GOVT. WEBSITE: www.tn.gov.in

map 2
NORTH: KANCHIPURAM

Ekambareswara Temple

WEST: OOTY (Udgagamandalam), Capital of Nilgris

Pykara Falls: Ooty

Botanical Gardens: Ooty

KODAIKANAL:

Berijam Lake

WEST CENTRAL: PALANI

Palani Murugan Temple

SOUTH CENTRAL: COIMBATORE

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

SOUTH: KANYAKUMARI

map

Vivekananda Memorial

Tiruvalluvar Statue

Gandhi Mandapam

SOUTHEAST: RAMESHWARAM

Ramanatha Swamy Temple

THANJAVOOR:

Brihadeswara Temple

SOUTH CENTRAL: MADURAI

Meenakshi Temple, Tower 1

NORTH CENTRAL: THIRUVANNAMALAI

Shiva-Parvati Temple

EAST: CHIDAMBARAM

Kali Temple

CHENNAI: Capital City

Rippon Building

Tidel Park, in Taramani

NORTHEAST Cont: CHENNAI

Chennai Central Station

Govt. Museum, Egmore

CHENNAI Cont.

Kapaleeswarar Temple

NORTHEAST: Cont. MAMALLAPURAM (Mahabalipuram)

Mamallapuram: Rock Art

Mamallapuram: Rock art at Shore Temple

Shore Temple

Bharata Natyam

BHARATA NATYAM

Tamil Nadu is also the land of Carnatic Music

FESTIVALS

Pongal:

(Mid-January)

Coinciding with Makara Sankranti elsewhere, this is a four-day harvest festival, in mid-January. The event starts with cleaning up, destroying old clothes, followed by the main day of Surya Pongal on the second day, and Mattu Pongal on the third, offering gratitude to the cattle. The following day is Jallikattu, a bull-taming contest, and the final day, Kaanum Pongal, meaning ‘to view’.

Tamils celebrate several other festivals (described earlier) like Deepavali, Ayudha Pooja, Saraswathi Pooja (Dasara), Sri Krishna Jayanthi, Vinayaka Chathurthi, along with the other religious festivals like Christmas and Muharram.

Thyagaraja Aradhana:

This is an annual music festival observed in the states of Tamil Nadu, primarily in Tiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu, and Andhra Pradesh, the place where Thyagaraja attained Samadhi (day of demise). The Aradhana (praising, revering) is observed on Pushya Bahula Panchami day, where the musicians render the saint's Pancharatna Kritis (five-star compositions).

The event is celebrated in several places all over the world organizing classical music events where hundreds of professionals to students in music performance, reciting the saint’s compositions.

STATE SYMBOLS: (COURTESY WIKIPEDIA)

State animal	Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)
State bird	Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
State flower	Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba)
State tree	Palm Tree (Borassus flabellifer)
Song	தமிழ் தாய் வாழ்த்து
Sport	Kabaddi
Dance	Bharata Natyam
State Seal