Pre-historic period

• c. 30,000 BCE-Paleolithic industries in north Tamil Nadu
• c. 8000-3000 BCE-Pre-pottery microlithic industries
• c. 3000-1000 BCE-Neolithic and fine microlithic industries
• c. 1000-100 BCE-Megalithic age

The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the Old Stone Age) was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. ... A microlith is a small stone tool, typically knapped of flint or chert, usually about three centimetres long or less. ... An array of Neolithic artefacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae Scotland, Europes most complete Neolithic village. ... Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. ...

Protohistoric period

• c. 250 BCE-Asoka's inscription recording the four tribes (Chera, Cholas, Pandya and Satyaputra) of the Tamil country
• c. 200 BCE-Elara, a Tamil prince and contemporary of Dutte Gamini, rules Lanka
• c. 150 BCE-Kharavela of Kalinga records his conquest of a federation of Tamil kings in his Hathigumpha inscription
• c. 100 BCE-Tamil Brahmi prevalent as the Tamil script

This article is about Ashoka, the emperor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chera dynasty. ... The Cholas were a South Indian Tamil dynasty, antedating the early Sangam literature (c. ... The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... Elara( c. ... Gamini Abhaya or Dutte Gamini(c. ... Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. ... Kharavela (209- after 170 BC) was a powerful king of Kalinga in India during the 2nd century BC, and the third king of the Chedi dynasty. ... Kalinga in 265 B.C. Kalinga was an ancient Indo-Aryan kingdom of central-eastern India, in the province of Orissa. ... Hathigumpha inscription. ... Brāhmī refers to the pre-modern members of the Brahmic family of scripts, attested from the 3rd century BC. The best known and earliest dated inscriptions in Brahmi are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka. ...

Sangam age

• c. 100 BCE-200 CE-Sangam age during which the books of Sangam Literature were created
• c. 130-Chera king Udayanjeral rules in the Chera country
• c. 175-195-Gajabahu I of Lanka a contemporary of Chera Senguttuvan and Karikala Chola
• c. 190-Chera Kadukko Ilanjeral Irumporai rules in the Chera country
• c. 200-Writing becomes widespread and vattezuttu evolved from the Tamil Brahmi becomes a mature script for writing Tamil
• c. 210-Pandya Neduncheliyan rules in Madurai and defeats his enemies at the battle of Talaiyalanganam

The Sangam is a collection of Tamil literature composed between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. ... Sangam Literature is the collective name for the Tamil literature created over 1800 years ago. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chera dynasty. ... Gajabahu I (c. ... Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chera dynasty. ... Senguttuvan was a Chera king who probably lived during the early centuries of the Common Era. ... Karikala Chola was the greatest among the Chola kings of the Sangam age in South India. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chera dynasty. ... The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... Madurai (மதுரை in Tamil) is a city and a municipal corporation situated on the banks of River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...

Post-Sangam period

• c. 300-590-Kalabhras invade the Tamil country and displace the traditional rulers
• c. 300-500-Post Sangam period, Tamil epics such as Cilappatikaram written

Kalabhras were the South Indian dynasty who between the 3rd and the 6th century C.E. ruled over entire Tamil country, displacing the ancient Chola, Pandya and Chera dynasties. ... The Sangam is a collection of Tamil literature composed between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. ... Cilappatikaram (Tamil: சிலப்பதிகாரம் IPA tʃɪlʌppʌθɪkɑːɹʌm),[1] is one of the five great epics of ancient Tamil Literature. ...

Pallava and Pandya

• c. 560-580-Pallava Simhavishnu overthrows the Kalabhras in Tondaimandalam
• c. 560-590-Pandya Kadungon rules from Madurai and displaces the Kalabhras from the south
• c. 590-630-Pallava Mahendravarman I rules in Kanchipuram
• c. 610-Saiva saint Tirunavukkarasar (Appar) converts Mahendravarman from Jainism
• c. 628-Chalukya Pulakesi II invades the Pallava kingdom and lays siege on Kanchipuram
• c. 630-668 Pallava Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) rules in Tondaimandalam
• c. 642-Pallava Narasimhavarman I launches a counter invasion into the Chalukya country and sacks Vatapi. Pulakesi is killed in battle
• c. 670-700 CE-Pandya Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman rules in Madurai
• c. 700-728-Pallava Rajasimha builds the Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram and many of the shore temples in Mamallapuram
• c. 700-730-Pandya Ranadhira (Koccadayan) expands the Pandya kingdom into the Kongu country
• c. 731-Succession crisis in the Pallava kingdom. Council of ministers select Nandivarman II (Pallavamalla) (731-796) as the Pallava king
• c. 731-765-Pandya Maravarman Rajasimha aligns with the Chalukya Vikramaditya II and attacks the Pallava king Nandivarmam
• c. 735-Chaluka Vikramaditya II invades the Pallava country and occupies the capital Kanchipuram
• c. 760-Pallava Nandivarman II invades and defeats the Ganga kingdom at the battle of Villande
• c. 765-815-Pandya Parantaka Nedunjadaiyan (Varaguna Pandyan) rules in Madurai
• c. 767-Pandya forces defeat the Pallavas on the south banks of the Kaveri
• c. 800-830-Varagunan I becomes Pandya king and extends his empire up to Tiruchirapalli by defeating the Pallava king Dandivarman
• c. 830-862-Pandya Sirmara Srivallabha rules in Madurai
• c. 840-Srimara invades Lanka and captures the northern provices of the Lanka king Sena I
• c. 850 -Rise of Vijayalaya Chola in Tanjavur
• c. 846-869-Pallava Nadivarman III leads an invasion against the Pandya kingdom and defeats the Pandyas at the battle of Tellaru. Pallava kingdom extnds up to the river Vaigai
• c. 859-Pandya Srivallaba defeats the Pallavas at a battle at Kumbakonam
• c. 862-Sinhala forces under Sena II invade the Pandya coutry and sack Madurai. Srimara is killed in battle

Pallava, were a South Indian dynasty who established their capital at Kanchipuram in the 4th cent. ... Simhavishnu portait along with his queens found in Adivaraha mandapam in Mahabalipuram. ... The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... The rock-cut temples at Mamallapuram. ... Kanchipuram temple, engraved in 1811. ... This article is about the Hindu God Åšiva. ... Jaina redirects here. ... The Chalukya Dynasty was a powerful Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th century C.E. They began to assert their independence at the decline of the Satavahana empire and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakesi... PULAKESI II (C.610-642 A.D.): Pulakesi II ascended the throne in C.610 A. D., and he has been rightly regarded as the ablest monarch in the Chalukyan line. ... Narasimhavarman I was one of the most famous Pallava kings who ruled from A.D. 630 - 668. ... Narasimhavarman I was one of the most famous Pallava kings who ruled from A.D. 630 - 668. ... Badami is a city in Karnataka in modern India. ... Shore Temple, rescued from the sea Mahabalipuram (after the demon king Mahabali) or Mamallapuram (after the Pallava king Mamalla) is a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. ... The Chalukya Dynasty was a powerful Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th century C.E. They began to assert their independence at the decline of the Satavahana empire and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakesi... Vikaramaditya II was a son of Vijayaditya. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The Cauvery (sometimes written as Kaveri) is one of the major rivers of southern India. ... Tiruchirapalli (also spelt Tiruchchirapalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy, formerly known as Trichinopoly under British rule) is a city situated on the banks of the Kaveri River, centrally located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ... Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. ... Vijayalaya was the Chola king of South India who captured Thanjavur during c. ... Thanjavur, formerly known as Tanjore, is a city in Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... The Vaigai is a river in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ... Kumbeswara temple at Kumbakonam Kumbakonam is a town in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. ...

Chola period

• c. 903 -Aditya Chola defeats the Pallava king Aparajita
• c. 949 -Battle of Takkolam. Rashtrakuta Krishna III defeats the Chola army
• c. 985 -Accession of Rajaraja Chola I
• c. 1010 -Rajaraja completes the Brihadisvara Temple
• c. 1012 -Accession of Rajendra Chola I
• c. 1023 -Rajendra's expedition to the Ganges
• c. 1025 -Chola navies defeat the king of Srivijaya
• c. 1041 -Rajendra invades Lanka
• c. 1054 -Rajadhiraja Chola dies in the battle of Koppam against Western Chalukyas
• c. 1070 -Accession of Kulothunga Chola I
• c. 1080 -Kamban writes hisRamavatharam in Kulothunga Chola II's court

Aditya I (870-906) was an Indian ruler. ... Jain cave in Ellora The Rastrakutas were a dynasty which ruled the southern and the central parts or the deccan India during the 8th - 10th century. ... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... Rajaraja Chola I ascended the Chola throne in July 985 C.E. Raja Raja the Great, as he is known in history reigned for 29 years, and conquered the whole of southern India and the Chola empire expanded as far as Sri Lanka in the south, and Kalinga (Orissa) in... The Brihadisvara temple (also spelled Brahadeeswarar temple) is an ancient Hindu temple located at Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. ... Rajendra Chola I was the son of Rajaraja Chola I, the great Chola king of South India. ... Early morning on the Ganges The River Ganges (Ganga in Indian languages) (Devanagiri गंगा) is a major river in northern India. ... Srivijaya empire at its peak. ... Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. ... The Western Chalukyas ruled the western Deccan in South India between the tenth and the thirteenth centuries CE. They were related to the Chalukya dynasty of Badami who were a powerful dynasty who reigned over most of the Deccan between the seventh and the eight centuries. ... Kulothunga Chola was the offspring of two rival dynasties - the Cholas of Thanjavoor and the Chalukyas of Vengi when he came to the throne in 1070 A.D. The Cholas and the Chalukyas had always existed in constant warfare, spaced by periods of uneasy peace, for decades, due to differences... Kambar is one of the greatest Tamil poets. ... Kulothunga Chola II succeeded his father Vikrama Chola to the Chola throne in 1135 C.E. Vikrama Chola made his heir apparent and coregent in 1133 C.E and so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count his reign from 1133 C.E. Kulothunga II reigned over a period of general...

Pandya revival and Muslim rule

• 1251 -Accession of Jatavarman Sundara Pandya
• 1279 -End of the Chola dynasty with the death of Rajendra Chola III
• 1268-1310 - Maravarman Kulasekhara Pandya rules in Madurai
• 1308 -Malik Kafur a general of Allaudin Khilji invades Devagiri en route to Tamil Nadu
• 1310 -Sundara Pandya, son of Kulasekara Pandya kills his father and becomes king. In the ensuing civil war he is defeated by his brother Vira Pandya.
• 1311 -Malik Kafur, invades Pandya country and attacks Madurai
• 1327-1370 Madurai under the rule of Madurai Sultanate

Rajendra Chola III was the son of Rajaraja Chola III who came to the Chola throne in 1246 CE. Although his father Rajaraja III was still alive, Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration. ... Malik Kafur ( - 1318 C.E.) was a eunuch general who conquered Tamil Nadu around 1310 C.E. Malik Kafur was a slave, who was purchased by Nusrat Khan. ... Malik Kafur ( - 1318 C.E.) was a eunuch general who conquered Tamil Nadu around 1310 C.E. Malik Kafur was a slave, who was purchased by Nusrat Khan. ...

Vijayanagar and Nayak period

• 1370 - Bukka, the Vijayanagara ruler and his son Kumara Kamapna capture the entire Tamil country
• 1522 -Portuguese land on the Coromandal coast
• 1535 -Achyuta Raya of Vijayanagara appoints Sevappa Nayak, who established the Nayak dynasty at Tanjavur
• 1535-1590 -Sevappa Nayak rules as the first independent Nayak ruler in Tanjavur
• 1600-1645 -Ragunatha Nayak, the greatest of the Tanjavur Nayaks
• 1609 -the Dutch establish a settlement in Pulicat
• 1623-1659 -Tirumalai Nayak rules in Madurai
• 1639 British East India Company purchases Chennapatinam and establishes Fort St. George
• c. 1652 -Tanjavur and Jingi fall to the Bijapur Sultan
• 1656 -Mysore army invades Selam against the Madurai Nayak Tirumala
• 1675 -Maratha army from Bijapur marches into Tanjavur, Ekoji declares himself king
• 1692 Nawab of Arcot established by Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan, a viceroys of the Moghul Emperor
• 1746 La Bourdonnais of the French East India company attacks and takes Fort St. George

Background Bukka (also known as Bukka Raya) as well as his brother Hakka (also known as Harihara) would found the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire from the year 1336 and onwards. ... The Vijayanagara empire was based in the Deccan, in peninsular and southern India, from 1336 onwards. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company which was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais (comte de La Bourdonnais) (Saint-Malo, 11 February 1699 – Paris, 10 November 1753) was a French naval officer and administrator, in the service of the French East India Company. ...

East India Company

• 1749 British regain Fort St. George through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle arising out of the War of the Austrian Succession
• 1751 Robert Clive attacks Arcot and takes it with only 500 men
• 1756 The British and the French sign the first Carnatic treaty. Mahommed Ali Walajah, was recognized as Nawab of Carnatic
• 1759 French under Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally, attack Madras
• 1760 Battle of Vandavasi between the British and the French. Birth of Veerapandya Kattabomman
• 1767 Hyder Ali, Sultan of Mysore attacks Madras, but defeated by the British at the Battle of Chengam
• 1773 -British Government passes the Regulating Act. The administration of Madras comes under British Government review
• 1777-1832 - Serfoji II rules in Tanjavur
• 1799 -Serfoji cedes the Tanjavur kingdom to the British. Kattabomman executed by British
• 1803 -Bentinck appointed governor of Madras
• 1806 -East India Company's Indian soldiers in Vellore mutiny against governor Bentinck. 114 British officers killed and 19 mutineers executed.

The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) became inevitable after Maria Theresa of Austria had succeeded her father Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in his Habsburg dominions in 1740, namely becoming Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, and Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. ... Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally, baron de Tollendal (January, 1702 - 1766), French general, was born at Romans, Dauphin, being the son of Sir Gerard OLally, an Irish Jacobite who married a French lady of noble family, from whom the son inherited his titles. ... Paanchalankurichi is a hamlet 18 kms from Thoothukkudi. ... Hyder Ali or Haidar Ali (c. ... Mysore (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. ... Champion Of Arts, Skills & Healthcare - Serfoji II Rajah Serfoji II (1777–1832) was the Maratha ruler of the Kingdom Of Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur). He was a descendant of Shivaji. ... A historical town in the state of Tamil Nadu, in southernmost India, Vellore (வேலூர் in Tamil) is now the headquarters of Vellore district. ...

British Rule

• 1892 -British Government passes the Indian Councils Act
• 1909 -'Minto-Morley Reforms'. Madras Legistlative Council formed
• 1921 -First regional elections held in Madras. Justice party forms government
• 1927 -Madras Congress passes a resolution for 'Full Independence'
• 1928 -Simon Commission visits Madras. mass protests results in several deaths
• 1937 -Congress party under C. Rajagopalachari wins provincial elections and forms government in Madras
• 1938 -E.V. Ramasamy Naicker organises a separatist agitation demanding Dravidanadu consisting of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala
• 1941 -Indian Muslim League holds its congress in Madras. Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivers keynote speech
• 1944 -E.V. Ramasamy Naicker and C. N. Annadurai organises Dravidar Kazhagam

The Indian Statutory Commission was a group of seven British Members of Parliament that had been dispatched to India in 1927 to study constitutional reform in that colony. ... Rajaji Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (Tamil: சக்ரவர்தி ராஜகோபாலாச்சாரி) (December 1878 - December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. ... Office: 1st Governor-General of Pakistan Term of office: August 14, 1947 – September 11, 1948 Succeeded by: Khawaja Nazimuddin Date of birth: December 25, 1876 Place of birth: Wazir Mansion, Karachi Wives: Emibai (1892–1893), Rattanbai Petit (1918–1929) Children: daughter Dina Wadia Date of Death: September 11, 1948 Place... Periyar Ramasami (September 17, 1879–December 24, 1973), also known as E.V. Ramaswami Naicker, EVR, Thanthai Periyar, or just Periyar, was a social reformer, an activist, and the founder of Dravidar Kazhagam and the Self-respect Movement in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ... C.N.Annadurai (1909 to 1969), popularly called Anna (which means elder brother in Tamil language) was the first non Congress Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, India. ... Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam (Dravidian Organization) was the first fully Dravidian party in India. ...

Post independence period

• 1947 -Madras Presidency, comprising of Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka established
• 1953 -Madras state comes into being along linguistic lines
• 1968 -Widespread agitations in response to the Federal Government's directive of Hindi being the National Language
• 1968 -Madras state becomes Tamil Nadu (Land of the Tamils)

Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Andhra Pradesh : (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, Hindi: आंध्र प्रदेश; Ä€ndhra Prādesh), is a state in South India but is also debated as Central India as well. ... Karnātakā (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ, Hindi: कर्नाटक) (IPA: //) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in DevanāgarÄ«), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in Northern and Central India is an official language of the central government of India. ...

References

• Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. A History of South India, OUP, Reprinted 2000
• Historical Atlas of South India-Timeline-http://www.ifpindia.org/Historical-Atlas-of-South-India-Timeline.html (French Institute of Pondicherry)
• Codrington, Humphry William, A Short History of Lanka (http://lakdiva.org)
• Veluppillai, Prof. A., Religious Traditions of the Tamils http://tamilelibrary.org/
• Nilakanta Sastri, K.A., Srinivasachari, Advanced History of India, Allied Publishers Ltd, New Delhi, Reprinted 2000
• Read, Anthony, The Proudest Day - India's Long Ride to Independence, Jonathan Cape, London, 1997