Everything You Must Know About Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 29 states in India. The capital of Tamil Nadu is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of India. The state is bordered by Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra and the union territory Pondicherry. The state is covered by the Eastern Ghats on the North, Nilgiris, Anamalai hills and Kerala on the west, the Bay of Bengal on the east, and the Indian Ocean in the south.

Tamil Nadu is the 11th largest state in India and 6th largest in accordance to the population. The official language of TN is Tamil and the Tamil language is one of the classical languages in the world. For more Facts about Tamil Language click here.

• Languages Spoken in Tamil Nadu
• Map of Tamil Nadu
• Districts of Tamil Nadu
• Capital of Tamil Nadu
• Government of Tamil Nadu
• Festivals in Tamil Nadu
• Foods of Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nadu Cuisine)
• Famous People of Tamil Nadu
• Education in Tamil Nadu
• Tamil Nadu is Famous For!
• Facts about Tamil Nadu
• Hill Stations in Tamil Nadu
• Famous Temples in Tamil Nadu
• Places to Visit in Tamil Nadu
• Things to do in Tamil Nadu

Languages Spoken in Tamil Nadu

Tamil is the official language spoken in Tamil Nadu. Tamil is the oldest language in the World which is still being used. In the year 2004, Tamil was the first language to clear all the criteria set by UNESCO to be called as a classical language. Tamil is the widely spoken language in TN. Apart from Tamil, there are people who are speaking Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, English and more.

Even the language Tamil is spoken with various slangs all over Tamilnadu. Here are few popular slangs:

• People in and around Chennai speak Madras Bashai
• People in and around Coimbatore speak Kongu Tamil (Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Nilgiris, Namakkal, and more)
• People in and around Tirunelveli speak Nellai Tamil (Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai, Tuticorin, Melapalayam, Tenkasi, Papanasam, Sengottai and more)
• People in and around Madurai speak Madurai Tamil (Madurai, Aruppukottai, Virudhunagar, Melur, Theni, Usulampatti, Parambikudi and more)
• People in and around Trichy speaks Central Tamil (Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Tiruchirapalli and some places of Cuddalore and Pudukkottai)
• People in and around Kanniyakumari speaks Kumari Tamil (Tamil mixed with Malayalam)

Map of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu covers a total land area of 130,060 square km and is divided into 32 districts. The Tamilnadu state is bordered on North and West by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Tamil Nadu is covered on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the south by the Indian Ocean. The state is bordered on the South East by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Here is the map of Tamil Nadu:

Districts of Tamil Nadu

There are 32 districts in Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of Tamilnadu. Each district is unique from the other. Chennai is the highest populated district in the state followed by Coimbatore. Each district is famous for its heritage, culture and the work they do. Villupuram is the largest district by area and Chennai is the smallest by area. The smallest district is Chennai, however, the densely populated district of the state.

The districts are as follows:

Capital of Tamil Nadu

The capital of Tamil Nadu is Chennai (Formerly called as Madras). Chennai is one of the biggest economic, cultural and educational centres of India. It is the sixth largest city in India and fourth largest in accordance with the population. It is one of the Metropolitan cities of India. The Quality of Living Survey named Chennai as the safest city to live in India. Chennai is also called as “The Detroit of India” as one-third of the countries Automobile industry is based in the city.

In accordance with the Tourism, Chennai attracts many people. It has the World’s second largest beach “Marina” which attracts a huge crowd during weekends. Apart from this, there are plenty of tourist attractions which makes Chennai as one among the top city which has a large number of visitors.

Government of Tamil Nadu

The government of TN is the governing authority of the state. The state governor is the constitutional head of the state while the Cheif Minister heads the council of ministers. The state administrative units constitute  32 districts, 76 revenue divisions, 220 taluks, 148 municipalities, 12 municipal corporations, 561 town panchayats, 385 panchayat unions (blocks),  and 12,524 village panchayats.

Governor of Tamil Nadu: Banwarilal Purohit

Ministry	Name
Cheif Minister of Tamil Nadu	Edapadi K Palaniswami
Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu	O Paneerselvam
Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu	Girija Vaidyanathan
Minister for Forests	Dindigul C. Sreenivasan
Minister for School Education	Sengottaiyan K.A
Minister for Co-operation	Sellur K. Raju
Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise	S.P. Velumani
Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development and Implementation of Special Programme	S.P. Velumani
Minister for Fisheries and Personnel and Administrative Reforms	D. Jayakumar
Minister for Law, Courts and Prisons	C.Ve. Shanmugam
Minister for Higher Education	K.P. Anbalagan
Minister for Social Welfare and Nutritious Noon Meal Programme	V. Saroja
Minister for Industries	M. C. Sampath
Minister for Environment	K. C. Karuppannan
Minister for Food and Civil Supplies	R. Kamaraj
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles	O. S. Manian
Minister for Animal Husbandry	Udumalai K Radhakrishnan
Minister for Health and Family Welfare	C. Vijaya Baskar
Minister for Agriculture	R. Doraikkannu
Minister for Information and Publicity	Kadambur Raju
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management	R.B. Udhayakumar
Minister for Tourism	Vellamandi N.Natarajan
Minister for Commercial Taxes	K.C. Veeramani
Minister for Milk and Dairy Development	K.T.Rajenthra Bhalaji
Minister for Rural Industries	P.Benjamin
Minister for Transport	M.R.Vijayabhaskar
Minister for Labour	Dr Nilofer Kafeel
Minister for Information Technology	Dr M.Manikandan, M.B.B.S., M.S., FIAGES.,
Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare	V. M. Rajalakshmi
Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture	K. Pandiarajan
Minister for Khadi and Village Industries Board	G. Baskaran
Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments	Sevvoor S.Ramachandran
Minister for Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare	S.Valarmathi
Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development	P. Balakrishna Reddy

Festivals in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state of celebration. It is rich in cultural festivals and fair. You can find many religious and cultural festivals in the state. These festivals provide a perfect opportunity to witness the ancient heritage of Tamilnadu and its glory as well. Here are important festivals that are celebrated in the state:

• Pongal: One of the important festival which is celebrated for farmers and farming. Pongal festival is also called “Thai Thirunal”. Pongal is celebrated on the 1st day Tamil month “Thai”. Pongal is followed by “Maatu Pongal” and “Kaanum Pongal”. It is a week full of celebration in TN.
• Thaipusam: Thaipusam is festival celebrated in the month of “Thai”. It is a Hindu festival celebrated by Tamil people. Thaipusam is also celebrated by Tamil people across the world who are settled in USA, Canada, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Other countries
• Tamil New Year: The people of Tamilnadu follow a calendar which also has 12 months. The first month is “Chithirai” and Chithirai 1 is celebrated as Tamil New Year. It is also called as “Chithirai Kani”.
• Aadi Peruku: Aadi Peruku is celebrated on the 18th day of Tamil month Aadi. The day is a tribute to water’s life-sustaining properties. It is also called as “Aadi 18“.
• Karthigai Deepam: Karthigai Deepam is the festival of light. It is celebrated in the Tamil month Karthigai. Houses are decorated with clay lamps. Tamil people celebrate this festival to throw away the bad things from their house and glow the positive light.
• MahaMagam Festival: It is celebrated once in 12 years in the district of Kumbakonam. There is a belief that the river Ganga and the Yamuna meet every 12 years in the Mahamagam tank making it a holy water. A huge number of people gather at this place to bath in this tank.

Apart from these important festivals like Deepavali, Vijayadasami, Ayudha Poojai, Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayagar Chathurthi), Ramzan, Christmas and many more festivals are celebrated each and every year in Tamilnadu.

Foods of Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nadu Cuisine)

Tamil Nadu is famous for its foods and the way they serve it. People of TN always believe that serving healthy food keeps them prosper. There is a term called “Virunthu” which is hosting a food party in their home or a hall. During Virunthu, a variety of foods are served in a Banana leaf. Here are some foods which are famous in Tamilnadu:

Breakfast

• Main dishes: Idli, Dosai, Vadai, Pongal, Paniyaram, Appam, Uthappam, Upma, Kozhukattai, Sevai, Adai
• Side Dishes: Sambar, Vada Curry, Thogaiyal, Kootu, Aviyal
• Drinks: Coffee, Koozh, Sharbat

Lunch & Dinner

• Main dishes: White Rice, Arisi Paruppu, Thakkali Satham, Karuveppilai Satham, Manga Satham, Thayir Satham, Kothamalli Puthina Satham, Lemon Satham, Puliyodarai, Biryani
• Side Dishes: Sambar, Varieties of Kozhambu (Puli Kuzhambu, Meen Kozhambu, Kari Kozhambu and more), Rasam, Kootu, Poriyal, Chettinad type gravies
• Desserts: Paruppu Payasam, Pazham Paniyaram, Paal Kozhukattai

Sweets & Savouries

• Sweets: Paal Kozhukattai, Seedai, Payasam
• Savouries: Murukku, Bhajji, Mixture, Thattu Vadai

These are the main dishes and apart from these, there are many types in each dish. For example, Dosai has many types (Onion Dosa, Rava Dosa, Masala Dosa and more).

Famous People of Tamil Nadu

There are plenty of Tamil People who are world famous and are heading many top tech companies. Here are few famous Tamil people across the world:

1. Abdul Kalam (1931 – 2015) – Scientist/Former President of India
2. Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google
3. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi – Former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
4. Palani G. Periasamy – Chairman of PGP Group of Companies
5. Natarajan Chandrasekaran – Chairman of Tata & sons
6. M. Karunanidhi – Politician
7. Sivaji Ganesan (1928 – 2001) – Actor
8. Kamal Haasan – Actor/Politician
9. Viswanathan Anand – Chess
10. AR Rahman -Musician
11. Prabhu Deva – Dance Choreographer
12. Chidambaram – Former central minister
13. Kalanithi Maran – Founder and Head of Sun Network
14. Santhosh Sivan – Cinematographer
15. Manirathnam – Director

There are plenty of famous people from Tamil Nadu and these are just a few among them.

Education in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu is one among the top states in India with many educational institutions. TN is also one of the most literate states in the country. According to the 2011 census, the state’s literacy rate is 80.33% which is higher than the national average. The government of TN is still working on to increase the literacy rate. Government schools are providing lunch every day for the students and this system was launched by Kamarajar.

The Noon meal system encouraged many people to send their children to the schools. The major mediums of education are Tamil and English. The different boards of education are State Board, Matriculation, CBSE, ICSE and Tamilnadu Anglo-Indian board. The state follows the national level pattern of 12 years of schoolings. The schoolings are divided into following categories:

• 8 years of elementary
  • 5 years of primary (1st to 5th standard)
  • 3 years of middle schooling (6th to 8th standard)
• 2 years of secondary (9th and 10th) After 10th, you will get SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate)
• 2 Years of Higher Secondary (11th and 12th). After 12th, you will get HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate)

After your HSC, you can join any course to complete your graduation. These are the education system being followed in the state Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu is Famous For!

The State Tamil Nadu is first famous for the language Tamil. Tamil is one of the classical languages and there are researches which say that the age of Tamil is more than 20,000 years. Here are few things which TN is famous for:

• Jallikattu
• Meenakshi Amman Temple
• Kanchipuram silks
• Ambur Briyani
• Kumbakonam Filter coffee
• Sivakasi Cracker
• Thanjavur Periya Kovil
• Chettinad Cuisine
• Sunrise and sunset in Kanyakumari
• World’s second largest beach Marina
• Pamban Bridge
• Ooty flower show and toy train

Facts about Tamil Nadu

Here are some interesting facts about Tamilnadu:

• The Thanjavur Periya Kovil was built in just 6 years during Raja Raja Cholan period.
• Jallikattu Protest witnessed a huge gathering at Marina. When the government turned off the power, People in the protest switched ON their torchlight which made the beach glow like stars.
• Thiruvalluvar statue is 133 feet tall and it is built as a memorial of the 133 chapters written by Thiruvalluvar.
• The southern tip of TN is Kanyakumari where you can see all the three seas merging together. The place is called as “Thiruveni Sangamam”.
• Kanyakumari is one of the places where you can see both sunrise and sunset.
• Chennai is named as the safest city to live in India.
• The structure of Tamil University in Thanjavur was built with the letters in Tamil.

Hill Stations in Tamil Nadu

There are many hill stations in Tamilnadu where you can visit and spend quality times. Here is the list of Hill Stations:

• Ooty
• Kodaikanal
• Kothagiri
• Yercaud
• Vellingiri Hills
• Javadi Hills
• Yelagiri
• Kolli Hills
• Anamalai Hills
• Meghamalai
• Coonoor
• Sirumalai

Read also: Facts about India

Famous Temples in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is also famous for its heritage centres. Here are some famous Temples in Tamil Nadu:

• Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai
• Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
• Ranganathaswamy Temple, Trichy
• Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram
• Aaru Padai Temples (Palani, Thiruthani, Thiruparankunram, Palamuthircholai, Swamy Malai, Thiruchendur)
• Kabaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai
• Kumari Amman Temple, Kanyakumari
• Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
• Annamalaiyer Temple, Thiruvannamalai
• Sripuram Golden Temple, Vellore

This list is little while comparing to the Temples available in Tamil Nadu.

Places to Visit in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a place with a lot of Tourism. Here are some best places to visit:

• Chennai – The capital of Tamil Nadu. A place with a lot of Tourist attraction.
• Hogenakkal – It is one of the places with the best waterfalls.
• Kanchipuram – A historical and heritage place with a lot of pilgrimage centres.
• Kodaikanal – A famous hill station which is referred to as the Princess of Hill Station.
• Mahabalipuram – It is famous for its beach and historical & heritage centres.
• Ooty – Queen of Hills which is famous for its temperature.
• Kanyakumari – The land of oceans. You can witness three oceans colliding with each other.
• Kumbakonam – A famous pilgrimage centre.
• Rameswaram – Rameswaram have witnessed many historical happenings. It is famous for its temples.

Things to do in Tamil Nadu

Here is a small list of things which you can do in Tamil Nadu:

• Cultural tours
• Summer picnics to a hill station
• Visiting the second largest beach Marina
• Witnessing the World famous “Jallikattu“
• Seeing Sunrise and Sunset on the same day in Kanyakumari
• Cruise to Andaman
• Eating a Tamil meal in Banana Leaf

Read also: Facts about India