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Tamil Nadu, the heart of the Dravidian culture and tradition, has for time immemorial, been a pioneer of peace and knowledge, and the visual legacy of the culture of the state, is among the most satisfying spectacles in India. Sharing boundaries with the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala, Tamil Nadu has an unbroken coast line, edging the Bay of Bengal. Densely forested uplands which abound in wildlife, intensively cultivated farmlands interspersed with rocky wastes, mountain chains of the Western Ghats, which give way to fertile coastal plains and plateaus form the geographical features of Tamil Nadu.

The places of tourist interest in the state are Chennai, the beautiful capital city; Mamallapuram, the beach resort; Kanchipuram, the land of 1000 temples; Madurai, famous for the Meenakshi temple; Rameswaram, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur, the temple trio; the charming hill resorts of Yercaud, Ootacamund and Kodaikanal and Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, renowned for its sunrise and sunset.

The history of the Tamils presents an exciting pageant of a powerful civilization whose origin dates back to ancient times. It is clear that the Tamils, who belong to the Dravidian race, 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.

As is the case with most of the early history of the state, it is impossible to pin-point the exact period, when the great Tamil Sangam (Academy) 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, which marks the Golden Age of Tamil literature is the one major source of knowledge about the administration, art, architecture and economic conditions that existed then.

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.

The Cheras ruled over the south-west coast and their empire included the modern state of Kerala and parts of Western Tamil Nadu.The downfall of the Pandyas brought into Tamil Nadu a new powerful force in the form of the Vijayanagara empire which had its headquarters at Hampi in Karnataka.

They overthrew the Muslims who had invaded Madurai and established supremacy, though it was their governors or Nayaks who actually brought back the lost glory to this city. The contributions of the Nayak dynasty to art and architecture of Madurai, Thanjavur and Tiruchi made Tamil Nadu a favourite destination with many tourists and pilgrims.

Among the best examples are the Meenakshi temple at Madurai which was in a state of ruin before it was rebuilt by Thirumalai Nayakar. The Nayak's rule continued long after the collapse of the Vijayanagara empire and following them some parts of Tamil Nadu saw a period, of Maratha rule, Muslim rule under the Nawabs of Arcot and later, the advent of the Europeans and the struggle for supremacy resulted in the ultimate victory of the Europeans and symbols of their authority stands still at Fort St. George in Chennai