Monuments of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India, is the oldest bearer of Dravidian culture and customs. Every region of the state has numerous evidence of Dravidian culture that still very well exists. Tamil Nadu is famed for the longest recorded history and langugae. Tamil, the main and official language of the state is also an ancient language of India.

For several eras, Tamil Nadu has been ruled by aristocratic and powerful rulers of various dynasties. Most of these rulers had a great interest in art and architecture. They gave generous patronage to various artisans like sculptors, architects and artists. Due to this Tamil Nadu has an endless array of exquisitely carved monuments that plays an integral part in state's tourism industry.

Many cities and towns of Tamil Nadu are well known in the entire world are famous for these architectural wonders of yesteryears. Some of the famous monuments of Tamil Nadu are

Padmanabhapuram Palace: Built in 1601 A.D, Padmanabhapuram palace is located at Thuckalay in Kanya Kumari district, Tamil Nadu. It was the palace of rulers of Travancore and remained as the seat of power till 1790. It is wonderful palace which is famed for its planning and military architecture. Murals, innovative designs and wooden carvings are the main attractions of these palace. There is vast courtyard present at the front of the palace, served as a parade ground for recruiting soldiers for the army.

Fort St. George: Regarded as the first British Fortress in India, Fort St. George is located at Chennai. It is the oldest English fort at the East coast of India. Constructed in between 1640 A.D to 1653 A.D and again reconstructed during 1783 A.D, Fort St. George was once a complete town. It has several streets, alleys and roads having particular name. In the yesteryears, it was hub of merchant activity. Inside this huge fort, there is a church named St. Marys's Church and a house named after Lord Robert Clive. It also possess some British artifacts and French antiques.

Vivekananda Rock: As the name suggests, it is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, an Indian philosopher and social reformer. It is an isolated rock, located at the convergence of Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, near Kanya Kumari. In the year 1892, Swami has swam across the sea and meditated on this rock. A memorial dedicated to Swami is available on the rock, which houses Vivekananda Mandapan and Sripada Mandapam on two rocks facing each other. Vivekananda Mandapan has a meditation hall named Dhyan Mandapan, a Assembly hall or Sabha Mandapan which has a statue of Swami Vivekananda. Ferry services are there from Kanyakumari, to reach the rock.

Thanjavur Palace: Thanjuvur palace is another famous monument of Tamil Nadu. It was partly constructed by Nayaks in 1550 A.D and partly by Marthas. Two huge halls, spacious corridors and courtyard, observation and arsenal towers, a library, a museum and a art-gallery are available inside this palace. The royal museum of this palace has royal clothes, hunting weapons, head gears and other artifacts or antiques belonging to Chola dynasty.

Valluvar Kottam: It is a memorial dedicated to poet-saint Tiruvalluvar. Shaped like temple chariot of Thiruvarur, this memorial has a 33m tall statue of saint Tiruvalluvar. It has the largest auditorium in Asia and can accommodate about 4000 people. This 101 ft high temple chariot structure is made up of 3, 000 blocks of stone.

Beside them Tamil Nadu has several other beautiful monuments such as Mahabalipuram Rathas, Arjuna's penance, Rock Fort Temple, Tanjore Maratha Marvels, Shivganga palace and Caves.