Carnatic SultanateThe Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Their rule is an important period in the history of the Carnatic and Coromandel Coast regions, in which the Mughal Empire gave way to the rising influence of the Maratha Empire, and later the emergence of the British Raj.
ManikkavacakarManikkavacakar, or Maanikkavaasagar (Tamil: மாணிக்கவாசகர், "One whose words are like gems"), was a 9th-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote Tiruvasakam, a book of Shaiva hymns. Speculated to have been a minister to the Pandya king Varagunavarman II (c. 862 CE–885 CE) (also called Arimarthana Pandiyan), he lived in Madurai. He is revered as one of the Nalvar ("group of four" in Tamil), a set of four prominent Tamil saints alongside Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar.
KaraikudiKaraikudi is a Greater municipality in Sivagangai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 21st largest urban agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has been declared a Municipality by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of the palatial houses built with limestone called karai veedu.
Vimana (architectural feature)Vimana is the structure over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum in the Hindu temples of South India and Odisha in East India. In typical temples of Odisha using the Kalinga style of architecture, the vimana is the tallest structure of the temple, as it is in the shikhara towers of temples in West and North India. By contrast, in large South Indian temples, it is typically smaller than the great gatehouses or gopuram, which are the most immediately striking architectural elements in a temple complex.
Pongal (festival)Pongal (பொங்கல், 'θaɪ'poʊŋʌl), also referred to as Thai Pongal (தைப்பொங்கல்), is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka. It is observed at the start of the month Thai according to Tamil solar calendar, and this festival is celebrated usually on January 14 or January 15 depending on the sun's orbit around earth that particular year. It is dedicated to the sun god, Surya, and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India.
MangulamMangulam or Mankulam is a village in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located from Madurai. The inscriptions discovered in the region are the earliest Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions. A hill in the region which is known as Mangulam hill or Kalugumalai (eagle hill) or Ovamalai, is where Tamil Jain monks lived in the caves during when their religion flourished in the ancient Tamil country. They converted the caves into their Palli (monastery) and lived here from 3 BCE to the 9th century CE.
MuthurajaMuthuraja (also known as Mutharaiyar) is a [ people|] and Telugu speaking community found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The etymology of the community name is unclear. The names Muthuraja and Muthuraiyar may be derived from two words, the Tamil name muthu meaning "pearl" and raja or raiyar both meaning "king". Muttaraiyar may also be derived from mundru meaning "three" and tharai meaning "earth". Their title Ambalakkarar is derived from the Tamil word ambalam meaning panchayat or "village council", as they served as the heads of these councils.
