Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Sangam period lasted until about AD 300, with three main Tamil dynasties arising
in different parts of Tamil Nadu ('Tamil Country'): the early Cholas in the centre, the
Cheras in the west and the Pandyas in the south.
By the 7th century the Pallavas, also Tamil, established an empire based at Kan-
chipuram extending from Tamil Nadu and north into Andhra Pradesh. They take credit for
the great stone carvings of Mamallapuram and also constructed the region's first free-
standing temples.
Next up were the medieval Cholas (whose connection with the early Cholas is hazy).
Based in the Cauvery valley of central Tamil Nadu, at their peak the Cholas ruled Sri
Lanka and the Maldives as well as much of South India, and extended their influence to
Southeast Asia, spreading Tamil ideas of reincarnation, karma and yogic practice. This
cross-pollination spawned architectural wonders such as Angkor Wat, the intellectual
gestation of Balinese Hinduism and much of the philosophy of classical Buddhism.
The Cholas raised Dravidian architecture to new levels with the magnificent towered
temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram, and carried the art of bronze image
casting to its peak, especially in their images of Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer.
Gopurams,
the tall temple gate towers characteristic of Tamil Nadu today, make their ap-
pearance in late Chola times.
By the late 14th century much of the Tamil Nadu was under the sway of the Vijay-
anagar empire based at Hampi in Karnataka. As the Vijayanagar state weakened in the
16th century, some of their local governors, the Nayaks, set up strong independent king-
doms, notably at Madurai and Thanjavur. Vijayanagar and Nayak sculptors carved won-
derfully detailed statues and reliefs at many Tamil temples.
Europeans first came sniffing around Tamil shores in the 16th century, when the Por-
tuguese settled at San Thome. The Dutch, British, French and Danes followed in the 17th
century, striking deals with local rulers to set up coastal trading colonies. Eventually it
came down to a contest between the British, based at Madras (now Chennai), and the
French, based at Pondicherry (Puducherry), for supremacy among the colonial rivals. The
British won out in the three Carnatic Wars, fought between the two European powers in
alliances with various Indian princes, between 1744 and 1763. By the end of the 18th cen-
tury British dominance over the majority of Tamil lands was assured.
The area governed by the British from Madras, the Madras Presidency, included parts
of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka, an arrangement that continued after Indian in-
