History of Tamil Nadu

Tamil̤s have a long history starting from the pre-historic period. Retracing their history is facilitated by various sources. One-third of India's epigraphical sources pertain to Tamil̤ Nāḍu and one of the dynasties of Tamil̤ Nāḍu - Pāņḍyas - had the privilege of continuous rule from third century B.C. to sixteenth century A.D. It is a unique accomplishment in the annals of history, since very few dynasties in the world have reigned for such a long time. A remarkable feature of the Tamils is that they are the founders of the Dravidian architecture. Founded by the Pallavas, the Dravidian architecture got developed under the Chōl̤as and the Pāņḍyas. Five of their monuments are declared as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The expansion of the Chōl̤a Empire through a powerful navy and the maritime trade carried on with the South East Asian countries led to the spread of the Tamil culture in these regions.In this book, the author has updated the Tamil̤ Nāḍu history with recent findings. As books dealing with Tamil̤ Nāḍu history comprehensively, including all its aspects and new historical evidences, are not available, this endeavour to present all the details in a single book was undertaken. It can be a helpful and illuminative aid to students of UG and PG courses in History and those who prepare for competitive examinations. General readers will be interested in the information given here and they can gain knowledge of the rich tradition and different facets of people and life in Tamil̤ Nāḍu in many ages.Besides political history, the social, economic and religious aspects are dealt with in detail, thereby giving a complete view of the life and growth of people in Tamil̤ Nāḍu. For the better and thorough understanding of details, maps and pictures are given at appropriate places.


About the Author
With a rich experience of thirty-two years of teaching History to Under graduate and post graduate at V.V.Vanniaperumal College for women in Virudhunagar and guiding M.Phil and Ph.D research scholars. She has been teaching Epigraphy and Indian Architecture and has taken her students to various historical places on study tours. She did her Ph.D on War and Diplomacy During the Second Pandyan Empire. She has successfully carried out a UGC Minor Research Project and presented her findings titled An Inscriptive Study of Village Tanks in Virudhunagar District. At present she is engaged in UGC Major Research Project titled The Irrigation System of the Pandyas in the Pandya Country (Sixth to Sixteenth Country A.D). She has presented many research articles at regional, national and international conference.