Culture of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Civilization is one of the oldest in the World. Unique cultural features, like Tanjore paintings, Bharatanatyam and Tamil architecture, give Tamil Nadu a heritage to be proud of. Tamil Chola kings conquered lands as far North as the Himalayas, and as far East as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The world’s oldest dam was built across the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu by King Karikala Chola. Today, the rapidly increasing IT boom in Tamil Nadu cities like Chennai and Coimbatore makes Tamil Nadu the economic hotspot of India. Today, the Tamil Indians preserve their Tamil culture, while being proud Indians and active global citizens.

Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today. It is one of the most progressive and industrialized states in India. Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu (as well as one of the official languages of India).

Tamil Nadu is also home to the large Tamil film industry, producing a huge number of Tamil films each year. Chennai has often been referred to as Kollywood, a conflation of Hollywood and Kodambakkam (the section of Chennai that houses the cinema related facilities).