Deep South is the fascinating state of Tamil Nadu. It is also known as the home of Tamils. This place was founded by the Dravidians some 5000 years ago .The capital of the state, Madras is the most "Indian" of the Indian cities where you can still see glimpses of the traditional way of life, that has disappeared in Northern cities.

The early Muslims invaders and later Mughals seldom made it to deep south. Even the British influence was only marginal, although the early Europeans set foot first on the soil of Tamil Nadu. This place has got its own early Dravidian Kingdoms, which patronized and encouraged fine arts. One can find Tamils in all parts of the world. The Tamil diaspora is in Singapore, Malayasia, SriLanka and now in the Middle east.

The people of Tamil Nadu speak Tamil, one of the oldest and most developed languages of India. Religion is second nature to Tamilians, intricately mixed with colourful blends of secular practices and religious observance. Tamilians attach great importance to the wearing of the sacred thread by the Brahmins and Mangalsutra (a special necklace) by women after marriage. Many men wear the religious mark over their forehead- known as the Tilak (vermilion). Another common practice is bathing everyday in nearby river, stream or tank.

The Bharatnatyam is the traditional dance of Tamil Nadu. The dancers seem to express their infatuation with the lord who has been described in one of the Prayers as Lord Krishna, with eyes like lustrous pearls, heads bedecked with Peacock feathers and body the hue of Heaven.

Hinduism prevades each Tamil's life, beliefs, philosophy and behavior. A rich oral tradition, with 2000-year-old religious texts and literature, and Jain and Buddhist influences has made south Indian Hinduism a distinct, vibrant growing religion.

The Tamils have survived incursions from North India and from foreigners, but neither the Portuguese nor the French, who ruled Madras for 300 years, made than a superficial dent in the soul of Tamil culture. About one third population of Tamil is urban. Many cities have more than 50,000 people. There is a 65% of literacy rate. Almost every village has a small temple.

Some of the important festivals of Tamil Nadu are Pongal, which is a harvest festival. It is a colourful festival which is celebrated for three days .It occurs in the mid of January, close to the harvest season. The festival is celebrated in order to give thanks to the Sun God, Rain God and the cow with garland, games and dances .A Tourist fair is also held in the city. It is a time of great rejoicing. Another main festival of Tamil Nadu is the chitra festival. This festival celebrates the marriage of goddess Meenakshi to Lord Shiva at Madurai’s Meenakshi Temple. This festival is celebrated for 10 days.

Other festivals of Tamil Nadu are FLOAT festivals which occur in Jan./ Feb., when the deities of the Kapaleeswara Temple are taken out at night in colorfully lit floats around the temple tank. Festival of the  63- saints is a 11-day temple festival. On the 8^th day images of the saints are taken in a procession around the mylapore temple.

In Tamil Nadu almost every temple has its own festival. There are festivals particularly through out the year.

Annual music and dance festival held between Dec.15 to Jan 15 is also very famous .It attracts visitors and artists from all parts of the world.

Tamil Nadu is a good place for shopping .In fact, it is a shoppers paradise. One can find every thing, from tribal silver jewelry to jute place mats. Copies of chola bronzee, sandalwood paperknives, Kanchipuram silks, Khadi shirts, carved wooden temple friezes, inlaid boxes and Tanjore paintings are available at expensive boutiques, hotel shops and temple stalls. Bargaining is not much entertained over here. Madras and Madurai have many excellent hotels and nearly all the big hotels have boutiques, most of which have set prices and take credit cards. Some of these hotel, shops are excellent, many are highly priced. Government emporiums, which are run by the state governments, also have excellent collections.

In the past, bazaars were the only place to shop for groceries, household goods, jewelry, fruits, electronics and paper products. Soapstone images of Hindu gods, wood carvings, jewelry and hammocks are all available here. There is a cottage craft shop on the bazar road in Kodaikanal.