Tamil Nadu is a state in India that is known throughout the world for its unique culture. Tamil emigrants have settled throughout the globe and look to Tamil Nadu and its capital city, Chennai, for art, crafts, and film that celebrate the region’s language and culture. Visitors to Chennai (formerly known as Madras) will find a number of five star Chennai hotels to choose from as well as numerous beach resorts and budget hotels. Any will provide a good base for exploring the culture and heritage of Tamil Nadu.

Chennai is home to India’s second largest film industry. Commonly called “Kollywood” this collection of studios and production companies creates Tamil language films and television programming for distribution throughout India and other parts of the world with large Tamil populations. In recent years Kollywood has begun producing films in several languages or with subtitles to share the Tamil culture with non-Tamil speakers.

Chennai is proud to be the center for Tamil literature, dance, music, and other arts. Kalakshetra is a center for the revival and preservation of Indian arts and crafts and is famous for its productions of Bharatanatyam, a traditional Tamil dance form. The poet Thiruvalluvar is memorialized in the Valluvar Kottam auditorium which features a temple chariot that reaches 101 feet high. Dakshinachitra recreates life in South India and features performances of traditional arts as well as workshops.

There are numerous art galleries and museums featuring Tamil art as well as art from around India. The National Art Gallery in particular exhibits artifacts ranging from the 10th century through modern times. Visitors can also watch contemporary Tamil artists at work at the Cholamandal Artists’ Village.

One cultural event not to be missed is the annual Madras Music Season. For five weeks every December Chennai hosts this celebration of traditional music, theater, and dance. It is believed to be the largest cultural festival in the world.

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