webThe culture is the combination principles, aims, ambitions, lifestyles, customs, social laws, religions, cultures, worship methods, traditions, discipline, agathinnai, purathinnai, literary heredity, political structure, dress and ornaments, festivals, entertainment, and sports of a group of people. The English word culture is derived from the Latin term cult or cultus, meaning tilling, cultivating, refining, and worship. Culture is a way of life. The food we eat, the language we speak, and the god we worship are all aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and o things. It is also the things that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture. Art, music, literature, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, religion, and science can be seen as aspects of culture. However, culture also includes customs, traditions, festivals, ways of living, and one’s outlook on various issues of life.
Background of the Study
Culture refers to the patterns of thought and behavior people. It includes values, beliefs, rules of conduct, and patterns of social, political and economic organization. These are passed on from one generation to the next by formal as well as informal processes. Culture consists of the ways in which we think and act as members of a society. Thus, all the achievements of group and way of life are collectively called culture.
It also expresses itself thought social habits, customs, economic organisations and political institutions. Culture has two types: material, and no material. The first includes technologies, instruments, materials goods, consumer goods, household design and architecture, modes of production, trade, commerce, welfare and other social activities.
The latter includes norms, values, beliefs, myths, legends, literature, ritual, art forms and others intellectual-literary activities. The material and non-material aspects of any culture are usually interdependent on each other. Sometimes, however, material culture may change quickly but the non-material may take longer time to change. According to Indologists, Indian culture stands not only for a traditional social code but also for a spiritual foundation of life.
Physical features of Tamil Nadu
The land can be divided into five major physical divisions- the Kurinji or mountainous region, the Mullai or forest region, the palai or arid region, the Marudham or the fertile plains and the Neidhal or coastal region. The Eastern and Western Ghats meet in Tamil Nadu and run along its eastern and western boundaries. The Cauvery River, originating in the Coorg district of the neighboring state of Karnataka, is the lifeline of the state. The lush coromandal plains are irrigated by the Cauvery and its Thanjavur-Nagapattinam delta is called the granary of Tamil Nadu.Palar, Pennar, Vaigai, and Tamiraparani are the other rivers of the state.
Culture and Traditions of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is a southern state o India which is supremely rich in culture and heritage. Known to be one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the people of Tamil Nadu belong to the prestigious Dravidian Family. Tamilians also, like other South Indians, take much pride in their rooted culture and make great efforts to protect their 2000years old history. The state has been ruled by the Cholas, Pandyas and the Pallavas and has been flourishing since. The art and architecture have been their creations which are used and maintained even today.
People of Tamil Nadu
Source of 74 million Tamil people in the world, around 62 million live in Tamil Nadu. Rest of the Tamilians are scattered in different part of Indian and the world, mostly in the northeast of Sri Lanka.
People who live in the state understand the ethnicity of their culture and how it marks their identity in the world. They are very adherent towards their rituals and traditions like following the caste system, religion and community traits, etc.
Tamil is the official language of the state. It is a derivative of Brahmiscript, and the letters represent sounds, much like th Mandarin language. Not only most of the people in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil, But it is also spoken by many in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Religion
A great amount of relevance is given to a person’s religion when it comes to personal identity. Although four-fifths of the population of the state are Hindus, rest of them area divided in Islam, Christianity, and Jainism. Their rituals include deity worship and animisms like tree worship, animal worship and astats and planets worship. many Hindus are followers of different religious institutions called Matha which are centres of Monastic studies.
Traditional Dress
Source Men can be seen wearing a Lungi with a shirt and Angavastra. Lungi is aarectangular cotton cloth tied across the waist, and Angavastra is a clothe draped around the shoulders. It can be worn over or without a shirt. Some people may also wear dhoti which is a long form of Lungi, the bottom of which is mostly stuck at the waist. Men also wear Vibhuti on their forehead.
Tamil Nadu women mainly wear Saree which is a five to six yards rectangular cloth made of cotton, silk or any other fabric. The prints, design and style depend on the fabric and community rituals.
Kanchipuram Saree is often worn at the time of festivals. Young girls wear half- saree which includes a blouse, long skirt and a dupatta from the waist to the shoulders. Nowdays, salwarkameez and even western wear are preferred.
Tamil Cuisine
If we imagine ‘South India Food’ first things which pop in mind Idli, Dosa, Sambar, Vada, Upma and what not. It’s typical Madrasi Food for North Indians. Tamil Food is popular in both Vegetarian and non-vegetarian contexts.
Otherwise, rice, lentils, grains and vegetables from the main ingredients in Tamil Cuisine. Rice is a temple food here. Sambhar and Coconut Chutney are served with almost everything and guess what, it makes a fine belend with most of them. For non-Vegetarians, fish, turtle, mutton and venison are preferred. Some Tamilians follow the tradition of eating on Banana Leaf even today.
Tamilian Music & Dance
Tamil Music has evolved over the years. The most important form of music was the Carnatic music which considered only for the elite who could understand the intricacy of music. For others, Telugu songs and a mix of traditional numbers from a source of entertainment. Bharatanatyam is the official dance form of Tamil Nadu, recognized all over India and the world. It’s a complicated dance form with subtle moves of body parts and expressions. Some other folk dances like Parai, Villuputtu Karakaatam, and Kuthu are also performed by local people including tribal people.
Art & Architecture
Kolam (also known as Rangoli) is drawn at the doors of ever house in Tamil Nadu. It is drawn before the sunrise and is said to welcome Goddess Laxmi. This has become hugely popular among North Indians too. Tamilians have perfected the, weaving and chiseling over the years and their brilliance is reflected in different art subjects like bronzes, sculptor works, carvings, etc.
Magnificent temples represent Tamil architecture with lofty’ gopurams’ and statures of goddesses engraved all over the edifice. Many well known temples such as meenakshi Amman temple and Breehadeeshwara Temple are located here which displays a grand vista of ancient Hindu mytholocgical diversity and Tamil heritage. Our Tamil culture have originated thousands of years ago. The proof of this is the Sangam literature. The Tamil people of the Sangam have lived in harmony with environmental norms. This study discusses the characteristics of Tamil culture, its characteristics, the literature on Tamil culture, principles of Tamil culture, nature worship, devotion in Tamil culture, ecology in everyday life, food in medicine.
The Caucasian Sparrow Our Caste – The Sea and the Mountain are our group.”
The Tamil poet Bharathi’s words are the incarnation of Tamil’s culture and environment.
The purpose of this article is to learn about the mountains, the river, the sea, the sun, the sky, the air and the animals, and the role of man in them. In order to live a life like this, to be human and to give birth to a variety of births. No matter how you want to live, this is how you want to live. Life without sickness is the limitless wealth. But in today’s world, mania cannot live as healthy as human wants. But, under each of the following headings, we will see how our culture places importance on the environment. But, under each of the following headings, we will see how our culture places importance on the environment. Bharati is the epicenter of the culture of the earth.

By swanthan1@gmail.com

Dr. S. Swaminathan is right now working as an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College, Rasipuram, Namakkal District. In advance, he has joined the Department of History at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, for his postgraduate degree in history. Subsequently, he joined a full-time Ph.D. research program under the supervision and guidance of Professor N. Rajendran, Dean of Arts and Head, Department of History, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, in 1999. His research topic is “Science in Colonial Tamil Nadu, A.D. 1900–A.D. 1947”. He has applied for and obtained the Indian Council of Historical Research-New Delhi Junior Research Fellowship, and as such, he has been an I.C.H.R. junior research fellow. He was awarded his Ph.D. thesis in 2007. He has exhibited research acumen and administrative skills during the period of his research. He has published many articles during his period of research. He got his current position from the Tamil Nadu Government Directorate of Collegiate Education, Chennai, through the selection of the Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board, Chennai, in 2008. He has organized a Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education-sponsored two-day state-level seminar on “Social Changes in Tamil Nadu Past and Present” held from April 5 and 6, 2010, and a two-day ICHR-sponsored national seminar on “History of Science and Technology in Tamil Nadu: Colonial Initiatives and Indian Response” held from August 26 and 27, 2010, in the auspicious Department of History, Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College, Rasipuram (637 401).

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