History

The ‘original’ people of South India are small, dark skinned and predominantly Hindu. They are known as Dravidian.

Prior to the British rule of India, the present state of Tamil Nadu was ruled by the Chola kings and Pandya kings. The present city of Chennai and its neighbouring towns like Mahabalipuram (also known as Mamallapuram) and Kanchipuram were ruled by Pallava kings.

The Shore Temple at Mahabilipuram.

Rock carvings at Mahabilipuram.

Mahabalipuram, a sea resort about 25 miles from Madras, is famous for its shore temple and caves full of Pallava style of stone architecture.
Tanjore, which was the capital of the Chola kings, is famous for the Brahadeeswarel temple depicting the Chola type architecture which is perhaps the ultimate sophisticated stone architecture, the most ornamental type of architecture. In fact the stone statues of women even depict the intricate ornaments worn by women of those days. The Brahadeeswarar Temple is so large that its shadow falls on it and never on the ground. It has a stone ‘Nandi’ (the bull) at the entrance which is the biggest in India.

Unlike the north Indian style of architecture, in the South Indian style the gateway of the temple (called ‘Gopuram’) is the highest point. The town of Madurai was the capital of the Pandya kings and it is famous for its Menakshi temple depicting the Pandya style of life and architecture. The temple is full of sets of seven stone pillars. Each pillar, when struck by an object, gives one of the seven swaras of Indian music called the ‘sapta swaras’ (seven swaras-meaning the octave leaving the last note).

The Menakshi temple dominates the town of Madurai.

One of the Gopura entrance towers at Menakshi Temple,Madurai.

Tamil Nadu was also the seat of Carnatic music and Bharata Natyam which is one of the oldest dance forms of India. In those days the temple was the focus of attention and cities were built around the temple. Kanchipuram, which has an important Hindu Temple, is still a centre for handloom silk weaving although competition from China is having an affect on the industry.

Traditional Carnatic music is still performed today.

The traditional silk industry continues in Kanchipuram.