THE STATE OF TAMILNADU

The State of Tamil Nadu is bounded by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in the north and Kerala on the west. It has got a long sea coastal belt with Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian Ocean in the south.

The history of the Tamils who belong to the Dravidian race in Tamil Nadu dates back even before the arrival of the Indo-Aryans in the North of India. Tamil Nadu was ruled by four main Dravidian dynasties namely the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and the Chalukyas.

The Pallavas ruled between 6th and 8th AD over large portion of present Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. Thus the temples of Kanchipuram built by the Pallavas represent the then culture.

Kanchipuram has been described by the famous Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang who visited the city in the middle of 6th century AD, as a major center of Learning.

There was Muslim invasion in the 14th century and in 18th and 19th century British dominance was there in the state which led to creation of Madras Presidency and was divided in 1947 on the basis of language as per the State Reorganisation Act. It was then Tamil Nadu state was formed.