Tamil Nadu (TN)

Tam: தமிழ்நாடு tamiḻnāṭu

‘Land of the Tamils’

From Tam: tamiẕ(h)/tamiḻ [Skt: drāviḍa], ‘Tamil people and language’; and Tam: nāṭu (nadu), ‘land’, ‘country’.

Tamil refers to the country, the people and the language, but the origin of tamil itself is unclear with ‘sweet’, ‘cool’, ‘melodious’, and ‘refined’ being commonly suggested. The Tamils have ancient roots with a classical language, literature and civilization dating back more than two thousand years. 

Under British rule Tamil Nadu was part of Madras Presidency which also included parts of five other states: Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and the union territory of Lakshadweep.

The post-Independence state of Madras was reorganized in 1953 on linguistic lines (creating a new Telugu-speaking Andhra Pradesh) and was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969. 

Tamil Nadu is, not surprisingly, known as the ‘Land of Temples’ it has nearly 39,000 ancient temples, many of them more than 800 years old. Most feature the classic gopuram (an ornate pyramid-shaped entrance tower with intricate multicolored sculptures) bathing tanks, courtyards, and pillared halls.

For more on Indian place names and history, see Toponymy on the Ashoka Express

For a journey through tribal India and Sri Lanka, see Headhunting with Marguerite

Districts of Tamil Nadu

TAMIL NADU PLACE NAMES