Those who have knowledge of dharma say that Truth is the highest dharma
2. दुर्लभं हि सदा सुखं /2.18.13
Durlabham hi sadaa sukham
To be happy always is something which is difficult to achieve. That is to say, happiness and sorrow alternate in one’s life and there cannot be uninterrupted happiness alone.
3. विक्लवो वीर्यहीनो यः स दैवमनुवर्तते ।
वीराः सम्भावितात्मानो न दैवं पर्युपासते॥ 2.23.16
Viklavo veeryaheeno yah sa daivamanuvartate
Veeraah sambhaavitaatmaano na daivam paryupaasate
Only the timid and the weak leave things to destiny (daivam) but the strong and the self-confident never bank on destiny or luck (bhagya)
Only a person’s conduct and character proclaim whether he is born in a good family or whether he is boasting about himself or whether he is unblemished (shuchih) or blemished (ashuchih.)
Wealth springs from dharma, from dharma comes happiness and one gets everything from dharma. Dharma is the essence of this world.
7. स भारः सौम्य भर्तव्यो यो नरं नावसादयेत् ।
तदन्नमपि भोक्तव्यं जीर्यते यदनामयम् ॥ 3.50.18
Sa bhaarah saumya bhartavyo yo naram naavasaadayet
Tadannamapi bhoktavyam jeeryate yadanaamayam
One should lift only such weight as will not exhaust one beyond a limit. One should eat only such food as will easily digest.
8. उत्साहो बलवानार्य नस्त्युत्साहात् परं बलं।
सोत्साहस्यहि लोकेषु न किञ्चिदपि दुर्लभं ॥ 4.1.121
Utsaaho balavaanaarya naastyutsaahaat param balam
Sotsaahasya hi lokeshu na kinchidapi durlabham.
Enthusiasm has great strength. There is no greater strength than enthusiasm. There is nothing which is not attainable in this world for the enthusiastic.
There is atonement, laid down by men of character, for one who kills a cow, consumes intoxicating drinks, steals or breaks one’s promise but there is no atonement for one who is ungrateful.
10. न कश्चिन्नापराध्यति/ 4.36.11
Na kashchinnaaparaadhyati
To err is human, there is none who has not erred some time or other.
11. न विषादे मनः कार्यं विषादो दोषवत्तरः।
विषादो हन्ति पुरुषं बालं क्रुद्ध इवोरगः॥ 4.64.9
Na vishaade manah kaaryam vishaado doshavattarah
Vishaado hanti purusham baalam kruddhah ivoragah
One should not let one’s mind to be overcome by melancholy. Melancholy or moroseness is a very bad thing. It kills (destroys) a man just as an angered serpent kills a child.
Dharma is so called because it sustains or supports society (from the root dhri meaning to support). The people of a country are held together and sustained by Dharma.
This day is deemed highly auspicious to invest in gold and silver, and buy utensils for ones home, too. According to mythology, King Hima’s 16-year-old son was to die on the fourth night of his marriage as a result of snake bite. To save his life, his wife collected all her gold ornaments and gold coins in a heap. She then sang songs and narrated stories to her husband so he doesn’t fall asleep. When Yamaraj, the god of death, came in the form of a serpent to take the prince’s life, he was blinded by the shine of the gold and sat enchanted listening to the melodious music and stories.
Since then, in a tradition called Yamadeepdan, people light diyas on this day throughout the night to worship Yamaraj and ward off evil.
Today is the first day of 5 day Diwali Celebration.
We worship New addition or recently bought Dhan of the season. Could be anything from New vehicle, precious metals, cattle etc .Since it’s the end of monsoon months in North . Money use to come after 2nd season of crop sales.
Main Lakshmi Pooja is on Amavasya ( Diwali) night.
Knowledge to descend. Awareness to realization.
Dhanvantri Mantra:
Aum Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya Dhanvantraye Amruta Kalasa Hasthaya Sarvaamaya Vinaashanaaya Thrailokhya Naathaaya Sri Mahavishnave Namaha
Obeisances unto the supreme Bhagawan known as Sudarshana Vasudev Dhanvantari, The holder of the kalasha full of nectar of immortality, who removes all fears,who removes all diseases, The well wisher of the Three worlds, and sustainer of the three worlds, He is Vishnu Swarup, By the name Dhanvantari Empowered to Heal the Jiva souls.
About Dhanvantri :
Lord Dhanvantari is an outstanding personality in the history of Ayurveda. He was the physician of the Gods (in both the Vedas and Puranas) and an excellent surgeon. In Hinduism, worshipers pray to Dhanvantari seeking his blessings for sound healing. In his incarnation as king of Kashi, Divodasa, he was approached by a group of sages (including Susruta, the great Indian surgeon) with the request to teach them the science of Ayurveda. Dhanvantari stated that Brahma composed the Ayurveda even before he created mankind, forming one of the upangas of the Atharvaveda in 100,000 verses arranged in 1,000 chapters, which was not easy for the restricted intelligence of men to learn within their short life spans. So Dhanvantari complied with the sages’ request, recast Brahma’s Ayurveda into 8 divisions (shalya, shalakya, kayachikitsa, bhutavidya, kaumarabhrtya, agadatantra, rasayanatantra, vajikaranatantra) and began teaching within the framework of pratyaksa (perception), agama (authoritative scripture), anumana (inference) and upamana (analogy).
In other versions of the origins of Ayurveda, it has been said that Dhanvantari was deputed by Lord Indra to take the science of Ayurveda to the mortals. Also to be noted, Dhanvantari is seen as an avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. The most frequently told story about Dhanvantari is that when the ocean was churned by the gods and demons in search of the elixir of life, Dhanvantari came out of it holding a bowl of nectar in his hands.
“Physicians of the School of Atreya referred the surgical cases to surgeons belonging to the School of Dhanvantari, but there is not evidence of referring the medical cases by the above surgeons to the physicians of the School of Atreya” C.S. Introduction
“The word dhanus is only indicative (upalakshna). It denotes the science of surgery. The one who has seen the end (anta) of it is Dhanvantari.
The word dhanvan means desert. (Compare RigVeda [V.36.1] dhanvachara meaning, he who moves in a desert). There is a mantra in the Veda: dhanvan iva prapaasi (O Lord! You are like the place where water is distributed to travellers in a desert.) Thus Dhanvantari, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, with a pot of nectar in his hand is like prapaa (oasis) in the desert of worldly existence.”
Dhanvantari History:
Bhagavata Purana states that Dhanvantari emerged from the Ocean of Milk and appeared with the pot of amrita (nectar) during the story of the Samudra (or) Sagara Mathana whilst the ocean was being churned by the Devas and Asuras, using the Mandara mountain and the serpent Vasuki. The pot of Amrita was snatched by the Asuras, and after this event another avatar, Mohini, appears and takes the nectar back from the Asuras.
It is also believed that Dhanvantari promulgated the practise of Ayurveda. According to the Charaka Samhita, the knowledge of Ayurveda is eternal and is revealed in each of the cycles of creation of the universe. When needed, Lord Vishnu himself incarnates as Lord Dhanvantari and reestablishes the tradition of Ayurveda in the world to help relieve some of humanity’s suffering.
Lord Dhanvantari is known as the father of Ayurveda, since he was the first divine incarnation to impart its wisdom amongst humans. He first appeared during the great churning of the cosmic ocean of milk to deliver amrit (ambrosia, or Divine nectar) to the demigods. The churning of the ocean of milk is a famous episode in the Puranas that represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve Self-realization through concentration of mind, withdrawal of the senses, control of all desires, austerities and asceticism. It is celebrated in India every twelve years in the holy festival known as Kumbha Mela. The following story is from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Indra, the great leader of the demigods, was riding on his elephant when he came across the sage Durvasa Muni. Seeing the great demigod, Durvasa offered him a special garland that had been blessed by Sri, another manifestation of Laxmi, the Goddess of Abundance. Indra accepted the garland nonchalantly and put it on the trunk of his elephant, who tossed it on the floor. Durvasa Muni was very upset by this display of disrespect, and in anger cursed Indra and all the demigods to be bereft of all strength, energy and fortune right then and there.
Taking advantage of this situation, the Asuras (demons) attacked the demigods, killing many of them and slowly gaining control of the universe. Indra and the other demigods rushed to Brahma for help. Brahma suggested to bring their predicament to Lord Vishnu, who in turn advised them to seek alliance with the Asuras to churn the ocean of milk together for the nectar of immortality. The demigods agreed only because Lord Vishnu told them that he would make sure they alone would obtain the nectar and recover their strength and power to defeat the demons.
Using the mountain Mandara as the rod and Vasuki the serpent as the cord, both demigods and demons proceeded to churn the ocean of milk. All kinds of herbs were cast into it. The churning was so arduous that Lord Vishnu had to appear in many forms to help them with this process and prevent it from going nowhere. He even appeared as Lord Vishnu himself sitting on top of the mountain to infuse Indra and his companions with energy.
The churning of the ocean of milk first produced a deadly poison (halahala) that only Lord Shiva could swallow without being affected by it. And so he did, except that his consort Parvati pressed his neck as he was swallowing, so that the poison would not reach his stomach, and the halahala stayed in Lord Shiva’s throat, changing the color of his neck to blue due to its potency. This is why Lord Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or the blue-necked one.
As the churning continued, Lord Dhanvantari appeared. He was young and strongly built, his chest was very broad and his complexion bluish black. He had strong arms, reddish eyes, and moved like a lion. He was clad in bright yellow, his curly hair was anointed with oil and he wore shining earrings made of pearl. As he emerged, he was holding a conch, leeches, healing herbs, a chakra (one of the divine weapons of Lord Vishnu’s), and the long sought pot of ambrosia. The asuras, greedy after all things, realized right away that the container was full of nectar and snatched it from him.
Again filled with greed and pride, the demons started quarreling about which of them would drink the nectar first, grabbing the pot from one another and behaving like thieves. Seeing how busy they were fighting with each other, Lord Vishnu didn’t miss the opportunity to trick them. He appeared as Mohini, a beautiful woman who fascinated the demons, recovered the nectar from them, and distributed it only amongst the demigods. As soon as the demigods drank it, they were invigorated with energy and defeated the demons. After worshipping Lord Vishnu and Shri Laxmi, they resumed their position in the heavens.
At the time of the churning, Lord Vishnu foretold that Lord Dhanvantari would appear again in the world to teach the science of Ayurveda. And so he did, after Lord Indra, seeing humanity so afflicted by pain and disease, pleaded with Lord Dhanvantari to descend into the material world and teach Ayurveda to the human race.
It is written in the scriptures that, “One who remembers the name of Dhanvantari can be released from all disease.” Lord Dhanvantari is worshipped all over India as the God of Medicine.
Lord Indra, after seeing humanity so afflicted by pain and disease, pleaded with Lord Dhanvantari to descend into the material world and teach Ayurveda to the human race. Dhanvantari, one of the many avatars (divine incarnations) of Lord Vishnu’s, is known as Adi-Dhanvantari.
King Dirghatamas of Kashi (Benares) was performing severe austerities and offering them to Lord Dhanvantari in the hopes that he would be pleased with them and grant him a son. And happy with the devotion of the King was born in the in the royal household of Kashi. He taught Ayurveda orally to the sages and rishis (seers) who became his disciples. His teachings are recorded in the Agni Purana, as well as through the teachings of his disciples Susruta, Pauskalavata, Aurabha, Vaitarana, and others.
Dhanvantari Jayanti Birthday:
On the day of Dhanteras, birthday celebrations of Dhanvantari, the God of health, take place in an enthusiastic and delightful atmosphere. Dhanvatari Jayanti is celebrated throughout India by the practitioners of Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine.
In South India, mainly in Tamilnadu and Kerala some temples are dedicated to Lord Dhanvantari. In these temples, Dhanvantari Jayanthi is celebrated with utmost devotion. In Ayurveda Maha Sammelan office, Dhanwantari Bhavan in Delhi, the Ayurvedic practitioners worship the big statue of Lord Dhanvantari.
An architectural feature seemingly unique to South Indian temples, mellifluous pillars that create music for the gods are found in a handful of temples in ‘Draviḍadeśa’. We explore these euphonious maṇḍapas, analysing the sui generis nature of this style of architecture that begs a more detailed scholarship (In pic: The musical pillars of the Vijaya Vittala Temple in Hampi; Photo courtesy: Naveeenkr/Wikimedia Commons)
What are Musical Pillars? They are a group of stone shafts that produce musical notes of varying frequencies when tapped with a finger or wooden mallet.[1] These pillars are of two kinds: 1) Beating/Tapping pillars and 2) Blowing pillars. While the first kind produces sound when tapped, the second kind, which is most likely hollow, works like a wind instrument.[2] The tapping pillars are further classified into three categories: Shruti, Gana and Laya. It is suggested that shruti produces swaras, gana produces classical ragas, and laya produces taal when tapped.[3]
If you are wondering how to identify these pillars, it is not all that onerous. Musical pillars are narrow yet firm in form, clamped at the ends, drawn out of a single block of stone,[4] bereft of carving[5]. According to scholars, they are usually arranged in groups (between 3 and 56)[6] around a central pillar which supports the roof of the structure. The central pillar could vary in height, but the cluster pillars are of the same height with varying girth and shape.[7]
It is said that these pillars were tapped or blown like musical instruments to accompany chants and devotional performances in the temples.[10] The possible reason for their prevalence in the ‘medieval’ temples of the South could be the multiple halls (maṇḍapa)—sculpture gallery, musical pillar hall, performance hall, etc.—which became an intrinsic part of massive temple complexes, a layout which out-shadowed the concept of single maṇḍapa.
What influenced the peculiar acoustics was either the rock type or the clustered arrangement of the columns. According to the Śhilpa Śhāstras, rocks are masculine, feminine and neuter based on their sound and colour.[11] The male rock produces the tinkle of bronze bells, the female of bass and the neuter produces a dull sound. It is possible that the pillars are musical because they are carved out of rocks with acoustic properties—diabase rocks (black granite)[12] or rocks rich in silica and metallic ore.[13] Such rocks are called singing[14] or lithophonic rocks.
However, in an experiment carried out at various temples with musical pillars, Modak realised that the arrangement of the clustered pillars in the wall-less maṇḍapas also played a role in lending sound to the pillars.[15]In a cluster, when a pillar is tapped, other pillars with same frequency vibrate with resonance making the group a musical instrument, fit to accompany hymns and performances composed in three–five notes. It is interesting to note that all the shafts from the cluster do not emit musical notes, only the ones on the outside were tailored to produce music.
Temples with musical pillars are spread across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, with Tamil Nadu topping the chart. Look out for the popular Hampi, Vijaya Vitthala temple in Karnataka; Madhurai Meenakshi Amman temple, Tirunelveli Nellaiyappar temple, Suchindram Thanumalayam temple, Kanchipuram Varadharaja Perumal temple in Tamil Nadu; Tirupati Venkateshvara Swamy temple, Lepakshi Veerabhadra temple in Andhra Pradesh; Thiruvananthapuram Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala, to list a few.
Tamil Nadu also known as My Home State. Tamil Nadu has lot of unique things in the nation, sometime the whole world. Tamil Nadu is state of contradiction both physically and mentally. I will start with geography then will go towards education, politics, economics..etc. curtesy Vijay.https://www.quora.com/profile/Vijay-2779
1. Tamil Nadu is considered one of the flattest state in South India (Telangana fall in Deccan plateau) but Tamil Nadu has largest number of people living above 2000m elevation in south India or non Himalayan states in India.
2. Tamil Nadu is the only state with coast in Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian ocean.
3. When most of the country receives rain during south west monsoon (Jun-Oct). Tamil Nadu receives its main rainfall during North East Monsoon (Mostly Nov-Dec)
4. Tamil Nadu is the only state with Hill station that can be visited during June to Sep without getting drenched in rain. Tamil Nadu Hill stations like Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Manjolai,. Megamalai, Yercaud, Jamunamarthur, Yelagiri and Kodaikanal receives their main rain during winter - Oct-Dec. So, it is considered the best suited hill stations during Summer. Ooty and Kodaikanal has lowest avg. temperature during winter in south India.
5. Manjolai in Tamil Nadu is the highest rainfall place(>2500mm) in the country during winter (Nov-Dec). One of the highest rainfall places during winter in the northern hemisphere.
6. Due to eight month rainfall in its northern coast (Pulicat to Vedaranyam)(thunderstorm during SWM. Monsoon during NEM). Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country and one of the very few places in the world to have dry evergreen forest.
7. The Lowest annual rainfall district in Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram dt (1828 mm) has more rainfall than the highest rainfall dt in Tamil Nadu The Nilgiris (1567mm). Average annual rainfall in TN is ~898-958 mm. Top 5 Annual Rainfall Districts are 1. Nilgiris(1522-1567mm) 2. Kanyakumari (1302-1408mm) 3. Chennai(1324-1358mm), 4. Nagapattinam(1293-1393mm) 5. Kanchipuram(1215-1227mm)
8. Even though Tamil Nadu is a dry state but it has places which see highest rainfall in a day. E.g. Avalanche in Nilgiri district recorded 911mm rain in 24hrs, 1731mm in 48hrs. Upper Bhavani, Avalanche, Mukurthi, Devala rain stations register one of the highest single day rainfalls in the country.
9. Tamil Nadu has 34 distinct river basin, Considering all the west flowing rivers as one(i.e. BharataPuzha, Chalakudi, Idamalayar, Chaliyar as one). Tamil Nadu rivers are classified into 17 hydro-logical river basin. Tamil Nadu do not have any continuous large highland river basin. It is simply do not have place to build any large dams.
9. Tamil Nadu has highest population in the South India but if you add all the locally generated surface water flow in the whole state, it is less than water inflow seen in SriSailam dam built across river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh.
10. Suruliyar Hydro power plant across Suruliyar River (Vaigai ) in Theni district has the highest head of any hydropower plant in India with 979m hydro head.
11. Tamil Nadu has lowest surface water in in the south also one of the lowest per-capita surface water in the country.
12. Tamil Nadu has highest installed wind power (9200MW) plant in the country. It competes with Karnataka for top slot for overall installed renewable energy (16300 MW).
13. Tamil Nadu is the only state/province in the world to tap 110% (!!!) economically available hydro power sources. As of Now, Tamil Nadu has 2200MW installed hydro power stations. Extra 10% due to, TN generating power from water diverted from Kerala in PAP project and Mullaperiyar. Compare this with Srisailam dam, just one dam has 1670MW power capacity.
14. Tamil Nadu is the only state with all kind of Hydro Power stations and turbines.
* Tamil Nadu has high head traditional hydro power station (Both tunnel and penstock)
* Tamil Nadu also has low and medium head hydro power stations
* Tamil Nadu also has seven run off the river hydro power stations across Cauvery (7*30MW = 210MW). 1. Chekkanur Barrage 2. Nerinjipettai Barrage 3. Koneripatti Barrage 4. Uratchikottai Barrage 5. Samayasangili Barrage 6. Vendipalayam Barrage 7. Solasiramani Barrage.
* Tamil Nadu also has pumped hydro project Kadambarai pumped hydro station( 4*100MW), Kundah project is in construction.
15. Bhavani river is one of the high gradient river in the country with highest fall in few km. It is also Source of more than 40% of TN hydro power (>850MW).
16. Tamil Nadu has highest number of large lakes/dams above 2000m height in a single region. Nilgiri District (Avalanche-Emerald - 5.5 TMC, Upper Bhavani - 3.57 TMC, Porthimund - 2.12 TMC, Pykara - 2 TMC, Mukurthy - 1.79 TMC, Sandyanallah - 0.94 TMC, Parsons Valley - 0.68 TMC ..etc).
17. Tamil Nadu is the only state whose map looks like a human head
18. Tamil Nadu has highest installed nuclear power capacity in the country (~2400MW). In few years Tamil Nadu will be the only state in the world with Thorium based Nuclear power plant.
19. Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country with 1000 MW rating single Transformer and generator unit located in Kudankulam power plant (I am an Electrical Engineer. can’t help).
20. Tamil Nadu has largest sea water desalination capacity in the country.
21. Cauvery river basin occupy 1/3rd of Tamil Nadu area. Cauvery is a medium sized river, it is 11th largest (individual river) in India.
22. Even though cauvery is small river, but it created large natural delta in Tamil nadu, it is comparable to other delta created by larger rivers. Cauvery delta is one of the flattest delta. After Trichy, Cauvery river split into 120 dis-tributary (sub-river) forms natural nerve system of Cauvery delta region (> 6700sq.km). From Kallanai, till the tail end of Pumpuhar and Karaikal is just 120km but cauvery streams and sub-streams in the delta have the total length of 42500km.
23. Tamil Nadu has shallow sea in its southern tip near palk strait. One can walk more than 3–5 km into the sea without drowning. Tamil Nadu and Srilanka is connected by land. After 15th century shallow sea sunk those landmass.
24. Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere reserve is the only marine biosphere reserve in the country. Tamil Nadu has three UNESCO listed biosphere reserve (Nilgiri, Agastya Mala, Gulf of Mannar).
25. Tamil Nadu has both Western and Eastern Ghats. In Western Ghats, it has Nilgiri Range, Anaikatti Range (Noyyal/Maruthamalai), Anaimalai range, Palani Hills range, Cardamom hill range and Agastiya Malai Range. In Eastern ghats - Jawadu hills, Servarayan hills, Kalvarayan hills, Yelagiri hills, Kolli hills, Jarugumala, Sirumalai, Alagar hills, Hasanur/Talavadi/Bargur range and TN Koundinya range.
26. Tamil Nadu also has its own sand dune desert called Therikadu in Thoothukudi dt. It is one of the redsand dune desert in India.
27. Almost 100% of India’s anti-venom for snake bites is supplied from Tamil Nadu by Irula co-operatives. King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research in Chennai is one of the few centers in the world to produce anti-venom for King Cobra the most venomous snake species.
28. Tamil Nadu has most number of island surrounded by salt water sea in peninsular India. Rameswaram is the largest island by area in Tamil Nadu surrounded by salt water sea.
29. Tamil Nadu has healthiest coral reefs in Mannar Marine park in gulf of Mannar and Palk strait. It is the best place for snorkling in penninsular India
30. Mumbai is city of Mangroves. Andhra Pradesh and West bengal are state of Mangroves. Tamil Nadu has fraction of national mangroves but it has its own mangrove forest which are easily sailable.
31. Agasthyamalai forest range shared between Tamil Nadu and Kerala has one of the largest number of endemic flora in India. Tamil Nadu comes in top-3 states with highest flora (plant) diversity in India (Highest in some estimate).
32. Nilgiris biosphere reserve is one of the UNESCO listed biosphere reserve in the world, it contains largest number of Bengal Tigers, Asian Elephant, Gaur/Indian Bison..etc in the single contiguous location in the world. Lies in TN(2537.6 sqkm), KA(1527.4 sqkm) & KL(1455.4 sqkm). Nilgiri has one of the largest number of flora and fauna diversity in the entire world. But unfortunately struggling with fragmentation of forest, invasive plants and dams. It comes in top-3 in India in men-animal conflict. Just in 2020 more than 20 elephant died just in coimbatore forest division. Lots of plants only found in Nilgiris are disappearing every day.
33. TN has around 22000+ sq.km forest land (17% of state area, less than global average) divided into 15 forest circle. Each circle divided into many forest division (45), each division divided into many forest range(203), each range divided into forest section(471). 91 IFS officers manages Tamil Nadu forest.
34. Gudalur forest division in Nilgiri district considered top-3 places in India with highest man-animal conflict in the country. Eco-sensitive zone splits the nilgiri forest into two.
35. Tamil Nadu has 5 tiger reserve(MH-6, MP-6 &KA-5), has fifth highest tiger population. One of the top 5 state for Tiger, Leopard, Gaur and Elephants
36. Kottamalai peak at 2019m elevation situated near Rajapalayam, Virudhunagar district is the southern most peak of India with elevation greater than 2000m
37. Tamil Nadu has more than 20 mountain peak with elevation more than 2300m (donot compare with Himalayan states), highest in Non-Himalayan state in the country.
38. Siruvani forest range in Coimbatore forest division is identified as butterfly super-hotspot. It contains 74% (~240) of all butter fly species(~325) in Tamil Nadu. One of the highest in the country
39. Tamil Nadu is Third largest producer(15+%) of Tea, after Assam(50+%) and West Bengal(25+%), much higher than Kerala. Tea estates are situated in Nilgiris district, Megamalai(Theni dt), Valparai(Cimbatore dt) and Manjolai(Tirunelveli dt).
40. Tamil Nadu has highest number of education institutions that topped in the national ranking.
41. Tamil Nadu has most visible indigenous dog breed in the country, most famous dog breeds are Rajapalayam, Kombai, Kanni/Chippiparai and Mandai. Kanni dog is known for its athletic ability, they can run faster and jump easily without an effort. Kanni also donot bark much.
Rajapalayam known for their milky white and pink eye and intelligence
Kombai dog is known for its high temper, it is considered one men dog, can hunt and eat whole animal.
42. Tamil Nadu is known for its squirrel diversity, it has many giant and normal squirrel varieties. Srivilliputhur Giant Squirrel sanctuary dedicated for grey giant squirrels.
43. The only major river gorge/canyon in Tamil Nadu is Moyar river gorge (act as border between TN and KA). This rocky river gorge dissect the eastern Ghats with western Ghats. Moyar a beautiful river starts in Glenmorgen dam, Pykara is its main tributary.
44. Kollukkumalai in Theni district has the highest tea organic tea estate in India. It offers the most beautiful sunrise in south india. Even though, it is part of Tamil Nadu, it can be accessed only through Kerala (TN side requires trekking). It is most famous destination in Munnar Tourism.
(Photo is from Internet, just for educational purpose only)
45. Chennai has well built transport system (may not be best maintained). It host the record of having 7 railway stations in single locality, those are 1. Chennai central station. 2. Moore market suburban railway station, 3. Park suburban station, 4. Park town MRTS, 5. Chennai Metro station (also 6. Chennai fort MRTS and 7. Suburban stations are very nearby).
46. Western side of Tamil Nadu is encircled by western ghats. When western ghats enters Wayanad area of Kerala its height also increases. In Karnataka western ghats goes till ~1950m high peak, but when it enters Tamil Nadu, many places it goes beyond 2500m mainly in Nilgiri Hills(Ooty), Palani hills(Kodaikanal), parts of Anaimalai hills(near Valparai). Also western ghats heights rapidly deceases towards (west-east) Tamil Nadu, so it creates sudden drop in altitude. That make so many tall water falls created by small rivers.
47. Tamil Nadu home to many tall waterfalls these are taller than Jog falls, only northeastern and northern Himalayas have falls taller than Tamil Nadu. Most of the tall waters falls located in Palani hill ranges of Dindigul district (Home to Kodaikanal). Many water falls are unnamed.
Thalaiyar falls created by Manjalaru river(tributary of Vaigai), it has a height of 972ft, it could be reached by trek (not too easy & also not too difficult trek), surrounded by dense forest. Since, Manjalaru is so small river, it have less flow for half of a year.
47. Palar-Porundhalar river basin, a small river basin form part of Shanmugha nadhi river basin, that is part of Amaravathi sub basin of Cauvery river. Palar-Porundhalar has numerous tall water falls some of them are taller than 1000ft. Many are unnamed. The famous silver cascade falls of Kodaikanal also formed by Palar river
The above one shows the steep waterfall (>1200ft) downstream of smaller Pallangi waterfall near Kodaikanal, peart of streams belong to Porunthalar river. It is difficult view them due to dense forest and there is no road to these falls.
it is difficult to count these waterfalls. During south west and north east monsoon, these falls will be full of water but difficult to view them due to their closed mountain geography. These waters are fully utilized for irrigation in Palani taluk.
