Tamilnadu
Tamil Nadu has rich culture and a rich tapestry of history.It presents an exciting
pageant of a powerful civilization whose origin dates back to ancient times.Tamils
belong to the Dravidian race and were the first major occupants of the country
and settled in the north-western part of India long before the coming of the
Indo-Aryans. Excavations have revealed that the features of the people of the
Indus Valley Civilization bore a strong resemblance to this race. Later with
the advent of the Aryans, the Dravidians were pushed back into the deep south
where they ultimately settled.
It is not possible to say the exact period, when the great Tamil Sangam flourished,
though it can be said with some certainty that two Sangams were held well before
the Christian era and the third between 100 and 250 AD. The Tamil Sangam is
the one major source of knowledge about the administration, art, architecture
and economic conditions that existed then.They mark the Golden Age of Tamil
literature.
Among some of the greatest compositions of the four centuries of Sangam age
are Tiruvalluvar's Thirukkural which consists of 1330 couplets about morality
in private and public life combined with some of life's greatest truths, compositions
of the saint-poetess Avviayar, Pathupatu or ten Idylls which is a compilation
of the work of several authors on philosophy, intermingled with descriptions
of the natural world and Ettuthogai or the eight anthologies. Of these, the
last is historically the most important as it contains a description of the
daily life of the people.
This collection of poems is the earliest record of its kind as far as the history
of the Tamils is concerned. Even after the end of the Sangam age, Tamil writers,
under the patronage of Royal Dynasties, continued to produce excellent literature
like the two Tamil epics Silapathikaram written between 200 - 300 AD by Ilango
Adigal, the son of a Chera King, and Manimekalai by Sattanar also written between
the 2nd and 3rd century AD. Both contain vivid descriptions of life during their
times. Over the ages, the south was to see other great poets like the Nayanmars
and the Alwars and, later, the poet Kamban who composed the Tamil version of
Ramayana.
The Pallavas ruled between the 6th and 8th century AD over a large portion of
Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. Their reign was marked by battles
with the Chalukyas of the north and the Pandyas of the south. Among the greatest
Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman-l and his son Narasimhavarman.Among the famous
temples built by the Pallavas are the temples of Kanchipuram, the Kapaliswarar
and Parthasarathy temples at Chennai, and last but not the least, the magnificent
poetry in rock and stone at Mamallapuram. Kanchi has been described extensively
by the Chinese traveller Huan Tsu Ang Huan Tsu Ang who visited the city in the
middle of the 6th century AD, and according to him it was a major centre of
learning. Among its more famous citizens was Dharmapala, the Vice-Chancellor
of the Nalanda University. Quite probably the most ancient of the dynasties
of the south, the Cholas had their headquarters first at Uraiyur and later at
Thanjavur and ruled over most of modern Tamil Nadu (as well as Karnataka.)
The early Cholas reigned between the 1st and 4th century AD and the first and
most famous king of this period was Karikalan. What remains of his reign today
is the magnificent civil engineering achievement of the Grand Anicut which was
constructed during the 2nd century and is used even to this day. The later Cholas,
who went on to become a force to reckon with by defeating both the Pallavas
and Pandyas, made their appearance in the 9th century under the leadership of
Vijayalaya Chola and continued to dominate the South until the 13th century.The
greatest of the later Cholas was Rajaraja Chola (985-1014 AD) under whose reign
several islands in the Indian Ocean including (Lakshadweep, Maldives) and Sri
Lanka were conquered.
It was during the reign of Rajaraja that Chola architecture attained its peak
with the building of the Brahadeeshwarar (Big) Temple at Thanjavur . Rajendra
Chola-I, the son and successor of Rajaraja, consolidated and expanded the empire
that was left to him by his father. The Chola empire stretched as far as central
India, Orissa and parts of West Bengal. In commemoration of his victory over
the latter, Rajendra-I constructed a new capital which he named Gangaikondancholapuram.
Here, he built another temple to Brahadeeshwarar which is similar to the one
built by his father at Thanjavur. Brahadeeswarar Temple Meanwhile, the Pandyas
remained subservient to the Cholas and their opportunity to strike back came
over two centuries after the death of Rajendra-I, when they overthrew a weakened
Chola empire in 1267.
The Cholas were great administrators and builders, not just of temples but of
other public structures too. In the field of art, metal casting and making of
bronze figures developed to a speciality, an outstanding example of which is
the beautiful sculpture of the Cosmic Dancer at Chidambaram. Even today, Thanjavur
is known for its bronze and other metal carvings - a remnant of the legacy that
was left behind by the greatest dynasty that ruled the South. Madurai Meenakshi
Temple To the people of Madurai, the Pandyan name is synonymous with the city
itself.
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