Tamil Nadu
History:
Tamil Nadu has 4 major eras. The Ancient Era(1th-9th centuries), The Medieval Era(9th-14th centuries), The Modern Times (17th century), and Tamil Nadu after it's independence. The history of Tamil Nadu dates back to about 6000 years ago. I will only talk about the first two eras because each era is very complex and is very long.
The Ancient Era:
Tamil Nadu was ruled by the early Cholas between 1st and 4th
centuries C.E. Karikalan was the first and the most famous king, who built the
Kallanai, which is a dam across the Cauvery River. The Kallanai was considered to be an
engineering wonder of that time. The Cholas ruled the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli districts and were excellent in military. Cholas
comprises the major part of ancient history of Tamil Nadu. Almost all the Chola Kings build magnificent temples. Brahadeswarer's Temple also called as the Big temple in Tanjore (Thanjavur) is a excellent example of the amazing architecture of the Chola kingdom.
During the 4th century, Pallavas the great temple builders emerged and
dominated the south for another 400 years. A large portion of Tamil Nadu was ruled by them.
Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman the first and his son Narasimhavarman. Dravidian
architecture reached its highest during Pallava rule. The last Pallava King was
Aparajitha. He was defeated by Aditya Chola towards the end of the 9th
century.
The Ancient Era:
Tamil Nadu was ruled by the early Cholas between 1st and 4th
centuries C.E. Karikalan was the first and the most famous king, who built the
Kallanai, which is a dam across the Cauvery River. The Kallanai was considered to be an
engineering wonder of that time. The Cholas ruled the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli districts and were excellent in military. Cholas
comprises the major part of ancient history of Tamil Nadu. Almost all the Chola Kings build magnificent temples. Brahadeswarer's Temple also called as the Big temple in Tanjore (Thanjavur) is a excellent example of the amazing architecture of the Chola kingdom.
During the 4th century, Pallavas the great temple builders emerged and
dominated the south for another 400 years. A large portion of Tamil Nadu was ruled by them.
Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman the first and his son Narasimhavarman. Dravidian
architecture reached its highest during Pallava rule. The last Pallava King was
Aparajitha. He was defeated by Aditya Chola towards the end of the 9th
century.
Click on the pictures to enlarge!! Also there is a short description for each picture!
Medieval Era:
When Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola ruled, the Cholas
again rose as a strong power in 9th century in South India. The Chola empire
extended to the central Indian states like, Orissa and parts of West Bengal.
Rajaraja Chola conquered the eastern Chalukya kingdom by defeating the Cheras,
and also occupied parts of Ceylon by defeating the Pandyas. Rajendra Chola went
beyond and conquered a lot of islands of with his fleet of ships. He defeated
Mahipala, the king of Bihar and Bengal, and to mark his victory he built a new
capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. However the Cholas started losing their
power around the 13th century.
The city of Madurai was completely destroyed. An invasion destroyed
the Chola and Pandya dynasties and led to the establishment of Bahmani Kingdom
in the northern Deccan. Due to the 14th century invasion, the Hindus avenged in reaction
and attacked and build a strong new kingdom, called the Vijayanagara empire.
This empire included all the strongholds of Cholas and other local Hindu rulers
to check the Muslims. Governors called Nayaks were employed to run different
territories of the empire. Vijayanagar Empire was the most prosperous dynasty in
the south, with Hampi as the Capital. But by 1564 the empire came to an end at
the hands of Deccan sultans in the battle of Talikota. The empire, dismantled
into many parts and was given to the Nayaks to rule.
again rose as a strong power in 9th century in South India. The Chola empire
extended to the central Indian states like, Orissa and parts of West Bengal.
Rajaraja Chola conquered the eastern Chalukya kingdom by defeating the Cheras,
and also occupied parts of Ceylon by defeating the Pandyas. Rajendra Chola went
beyond and conquered a lot of islands of with his fleet of ships. He defeated
Mahipala, the king of Bihar and Bengal, and to mark his victory he built a new
capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. However the Cholas started losing their
power around the 13th century.
The city of Madurai was completely destroyed. An invasion destroyed
the Chola and Pandya dynasties and led to the establishment of Bahmani Kingdom
in the northern Deccan. Due to the 14th century invasion, the Hindus avenged in reaction
and attacked and build a strong new kingdom, called the Vijayanagara empire.
This empire included all the strongholds of Cholas and other local Hindu rulers
to check the Muslims. Governors called Nayaks were employed to run different
territories of the empire. Vijayanagar Empire was the most prosperous dynasty in
the south, with Hampi as the Capital. But by 1564 the empire came to an end at
the hands of Deccan sultans in the battle of Talikota. The empire, dismantled
into many parts and was given to the Nayaks to rule.
TRAVELER'S DESCRIPTION
Tamil Nadu is an excellent place to visit. There are temples,forests, and tigers. It is great for tourists and you will have an amazing journey if you go there. Most of the people that live in Tamil Nadu are Hindus. When you visit Tamil Nadu be sure to stay safe. Even though Tamil Nadu is one of the safest place in India there still are pick-pockets and thieves. Tamil Nadu is quite a hot place to go to. So be sure to pack a short sleeves, short pants, and lots of sunscreen. If you do not want to draw attention to yourself, it would be wise not to talk about the Sir Lankan War. It is basically like talking to a Taiwanese person about the civil war and how the Nationalist ran off to Taiwan. It isn't a wise idea.
Section 4: MAP
Moving On
Tamil Nadu connects to Hinduism because most of the people in Tamil Nadu are Hindus and most of Tamil Nadu's temples are dedicated to Hindu Gods and Goddess. Many areas like Nepal and Sri Lanka also have a lot of Hindus. Hinduism is a very "popular" religion in these regions. Hinduism is very important to these people therefore they dedicate a lot of amazingly built temples for them. One of the temples in Tamil Nadu is dedicated to the Hindu Goddes Shiva. Hinduism dates back from about 1500-500 BCE. During some time in history Hinduism wasn't very strong because they had to convert into Islamic. Later on though, a ruler allowed them to believe whatever they want. Since before they didn't allow Hinduism, some Muslims also destroyed some Hindu temple. Tamil Nadu is famous for its anicent history and culture. Therefore I think that Hinduism is connected to Tamil Nadu because religion is a very important aspect of Tamil Nadu's culture.
References
Wikitravel.Tamil Nadu. 12/07/11.5/06/12. <http://wikitravel.org/en/Tamil_Nadu>
India Tourism.History of Tamil Nadu.5/04/12. <http://www.indiasite.com/tamilnadu/history.html>
Citizendia.Tamil Nadu. 5/03/12. <http://citizendia.org/Tamil_Nadu#Geography_and_climate>
India Tourism.History of Tamil Nadu.5/04/12. <http://www.indiasite.com/tamilnadu/history.html>
Citizendia.Tamil Nadu. 5/03/12. <http://citizendia.org/Tamil_Nadu#Geography_and_climate>