Editing Tamil Nadu (section)

===Arts===
{{Further|Dance forms of Tamil Nadu}}
[[File:Bharata_Natyam_Performance_DS.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|The [[Indian classical dance|classical dance]] [[Bharatanatyam]] is one of the oldest dance forms of India]]

Tamil Nadu is a major centre for music, art and dance in India.<ref>{{cite book|title=Global Soundtracks: Worlds of Film Music|first=Mark|last=Slobin|isbn=978-0-819-56882-3|year=2008|page=140|publisher=Wesleyan University Press}}</ref> Chennai is called the cultural capital of South India.<ref>{{cite book|first=Rina|last=Kamath|title=Chennai|year=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1378-5|page=66|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bw2vDg2fTrMC&pg=PA66|access-date=24 December 2023|archive-date=3 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603082657/https://books.google.com/books?id=bw2vDg2fTrMC&pg=PA66#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In the Sangam era, art forms were classified into: ''iyal'' (poetry), ''isai'' (music) and ''nadakam'' (drama).<ref>{{cite book|title=Delights and Disquiets of Leisure in Premodern India|year=2023|isbn=978-9-394-70128-1|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|first=Seema|last=Bahwa}}</ref> [[Bharata Natyam|Bharatanatyam]] is a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu and is one of the oldest dances of India.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2vDlcIyVjUC&pg=PA262|title=World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|first=Peter|last=Fletcher|isbn=978-0-19-816636-8|date=29 April 2004|access-date=24 December 2023|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703055734/https://books.google.com/books?id=i2vDlcIyVjUC&pg=PA262|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=|title=India's Dances Their History, Technique, and Repertoire|last=Massey|first=Reginald|year=2004|isbn=978-8-170-17434-9|publisher=Abhinav|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Samson|first=Leela|title=Rhythm in Joy: Classical Indian Dance Traditions|year=1987|publisher=Lustre Press|location=New Delhi|page=29|isbn=978-9-9919-4155-4}}</ref> Other regional folk dances include [[Karakattam]], [[Kavadi]], [[Koodiyattam]], [[Oyilattam]], [[Parai Attam|Paraiattam]] and [[Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam|Puravaiattam]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Handbook of Tamil Culture and Heritage|year=2000|publisher=International Tamil Language Foundation|location=Chicago|page=1201}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Banerjee|first=Projesh|title=Indian Ballet Dancing|date=1 February 1989|publisher=Abhinav Publications|location=New Jersey|page=43|isbn=978-8-170-17175-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Bowers|first=Faubion|title=The Dance in India|date=June 1953|publisher=AMS Press|location=New York|pages=13–15|isbn=978-0-4040-0963-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Fairs and Festivals of India|volume=2|first1=Madan Prasad|last1=Bezbaruah|first2=Krishna|last2=Gopal|year=2003|isbn=978-8-1212-0809-3|page=286|publisher=Gyan Publishing House}}</ref> The dance, clothing, and sculptures of Tamil Nadu exemplify the beauty of the body and motherhood.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Beck|first=Brenda|year=1976|title=The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu|journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology|volume=10|issue=2|pages=213–243|doi=10.1177/006996677601000202|s2cid=143220583}}</ref> [[Koothu]] is an ancient folk art, where artists tell stories from the epics accompanied by dance and music.<ref>{{cite book|title=Masks and Performance with Everyday Materials|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c4XWU6kr1_UC|author1=Gita Wolf|author2=Va Kītā|author3=V. Geetha|author4=Anushka Ravishankar|year=2003|isbn=978-8-186-21147-2|publisher=Tara Publishing|page=37|access-date=3 June 2024|archive-date=3 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603082652/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Masks_and_Performance_with_Everyday_Mate/c4XWU6kr1_UC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Land and people of Indian states and union territories|last1=Bhargava|first1=Gopal K.|last2=Shankarlal|first2=Bhatt|year=2006|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|location=Delhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyCoMKZmRBoC&q=thevaram&pg=PA467|isbn=978-8-178-35381-4|access-date=6 February 2024|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173140/https://books.google.com/books?id=wyCoMKZmRBoC&q=thevaram&pg=PA467#v=snippet&q=thevaram&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ancient Tamil country had its own [[Ancient Tamil music|system of music]] called Tamil Pannisai described by Sangam literature such as the ''Silappatikaram''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nijenhuis|first=Emmie te|title=Indian Music: History and Structure|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|place=Leiden|year=1974|isbn=978-9-004-03978-0|pages=4–5}}</ref> A [[Pallavas|Pallava]] inscription dated to the 7th century CE has one of the earliest surviving examples of Indian music in notation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Widdess|first=D. R.|contribution=The Kudumiyamalai inscription: a source of early Indian music in notation|editor-last=Picken|editor-first=Laurence|title=Musica Asiatica|volume=2|place=London|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1979|pages=115–150}}</ref> There are many traditional instruments from the region dating back to the Sangam period such as [[parai]], [[tharai]], [[yazh]] and [[murasu]].<ref>{{cite book|title=When the Kurinji Blooms|first=Rājam|last=Kiruṣṇan̲|year=2002|page=124|isbn=978-8-125-01619-9|publisher=[[Orient BlackSwan]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Applied Ethnomusicology|year=2015|isbn=978-0-199-35171-8|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=370|editor1=Jeff Todd Titon|editor2=Svanibor Pettan}}</ref> [[Nadaswaram]], a [[reed instrument]] that is often accompanied by the [[thavil]], a type of [[drum instrument]], are the major musical instruments used in temples and weddings.<ref>{{cite book|last=Venkatasubramanian|first=T. K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzurjfF3AE4C&dq=nadasvaram+music&pg=PA50|title=Music as History in Tamilnadu|date=2010|publisher=Primus Books|isbn=978-9-38060-706-1|page=50}}</ref> [[Melam]] is a group of [[madhalam]]s and other similar percussion instruments from the ancient Tamilakam which are played during events.<ref name="AA"/> The traditional music of Tamil Nadu is known as [[Carnatic music]], which includes rhythmic and structured music by composers such as [[Muthuswami Dikshitar]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Karnatak-music|title=Karnatak music|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 March 2023|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307064333/https://www.britannica.com/art/Karnatak-music|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gaana]], a combination of various folk musics, is sung mainly in the working-class area of North Chennai.<ref>{{cite news|title=Torching prejudice through gumption and Gaana|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/music/101019/torching-prejudice-through-gumption-and-gaana.html|last=G|first=Ezekiel Majello|date=10 October 2019|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en|access-date=12 May 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206015436/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/music/101019/torching-prejudice-through-gumption-and-gaana.html|archive-date=6 December 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Madras_museum_theatre_in_October_2007.jpg|thumb|left|[[Government Museum, Chennai|Government Museum]] in Chennai, the second oldest museum in India]]

The state is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which engage in arts research and are major tourist attractions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/jaya-moots-a-global-arts-fest/articleshow/17633409.cms|title=CM moots a global arts fest in Chennai|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=16 December 2012|access-date=29 December 2022|archive-date=8 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208140112/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/jaya-moots-a-global-arts-fest/articleshow/17633409.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> Established in the early 18th century, the [[Government Museum, Chennai|Government Museum]] and the [[National Art Gallery, Chennai|National Art Gallery]] are amongst the oldest in the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/education/college-and-university/for-a-solid-grounding-in-arts/article2042038.ece|title=For a solid grounding in arts|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=3 April 2009|access-date=29 December 2022}}</ref> The museum inside the premises of Fort St. George maintains a collection of objects of the British era.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asi.nic.in/museum-fort-st-geroge-chennai/|title=Fort St. George museum|publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]]|access-date=12 October 2023|archive-date=1 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201063923/https://asi.nic.in/museum-fort-st-geroge-chennai/|url-status=live}}</ref> The museum is managed by the [[Archaeological Survey of India]], and has in its possession the first [[Flag of India]] hoisted at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St George]] after the declaration of India's Independence on [[Independence Day (India)|15 August 1947]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian tri-colour hoisted at Chennai in 1947 to be on display|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/Indian-tricolour-hoisted-at-Chennai-in-1947-to-be-on-display/article20567638.ece|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=4 July 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407182137/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/Indian-tricolour-hoisted-at-Chennai-in-1947-to-be-on-display/article20567638.ece|archive-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>

Tamil Nadu is also home to the Tamil film industry nicknamed as "Kollywood" and is one of the largest industries of film production in India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Tamil-leads-as-India-tops-film-production/articleshow/21967065.cms|title=Tamil Nadu leads in film production|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=22 August 2013|access-date=25 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116192759/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Tamil-leads-as-India-tops-film-production/articleshow/21967065.cms|archive-date=16 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=[[Business Standard]]|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tamil-telugu-film-industries-outshine-bollywood/238821/|title=Tamil, Telugu film industries outshine Bollywood|date=25 January 2006|access-date=19 February 2012|archive-date=25 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325024848/https://www.business-standard.com/article/Companies/Tamil-Telugu-film-industries-outshine-Bollywood-106012501034_1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The term ''Kollywood'' is a blend of [[Kodambakkam]] and Hollywood.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hiro|first=Dilip|title=After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World|year=2010|isbn=978-1-56858-427-0|page=248|publisher=PublicAffairs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlivv_pQWnAC&q=Kollywood&pg=PA248|access-date=20 October 2020|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822035814/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlivv_pQWnAC&q=Kollywood&pg=PA248|url-status=live }}</ref> The first silent film in South India was produced in Tamil in 1916 and the first talkie was a multilingual film, ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'', which was released on 31 October 1931, barely seven months after India's first talking picture ''[[Alam Ara]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Velayutham|first=Selvaraj|title=Tamil cinema: the cultural politics of India's other film industry|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema+industry|isbn=978-0-415-39680-6|year=2008|publisher=[[Routledge]]|access-date=20 October 2020|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822035817/https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema+industry|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/from-silent-films-to-the-digital-era-madras-tryst-with-cinema/article32476615.ece|title=From silent films to the digital era — Madras' tryst with cinema|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=30 August 2020|access-date=29 June 2021|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108035615/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/from-silent-films-to-the-digital-era-madras-tryst-with-cinema/article32476615.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Samikannu Vincent]], who had built the first cinema of South India in Coimbatore, introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to a town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras, called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/Cinema-and-the-city/article15513259.ece|title=Cinema and the city|date=9 January 2009|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=1 March 2023|archive-date=23 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023234933/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/Cinema-and-the-city/article15513259.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/farewell-to-old-cinema-halls/articleshow/8202426.cms|title=Farewell to old cinema halls|date=9 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-date=5 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005001958/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Farewell-to-old-cinema-halls/articleshow/8202426.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=18 October 2013|title=A way of life|work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|url=https://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/cinema/a-way-of-life/article5189219.ece|access-date=19 June 2018|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140206150806/https://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/cinema/a-way-of-life/article5189219.ece|archive-date=6 February 2014}}</ref>