(Redirected from Southern India)| 'South India' |
 South India - regions, rivers, and water bodies | |
| 'States' | Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| 'Union Territories' | Lakshadweep and Puducherry (including Yanam, Mahe and Karaikal) |
| 'Main languages' | Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu |
| 'Major cities' | Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi |
| 'Other Cities' | Coimbatore, Guntur, Madhurai, Hubli, Kozhikode, Mysore,Vizag,Vijayawada |
| 'Largest metropolitan area' | Chennai |
| 'Main religions' | Hinduism, Islam, Jainism and Christianity (along with Judaism historically) |
| 'Area' | 635,780 km² |
| 'Population' (2001) | 233,000,000 |
| 'Density' | 337/km² |
'Birth rate'["eCensusIndia. Understanding the Vital Rates — Births, Deaths and Infant Mortality Rate at Natural Division Level". 2006. Office of the Registrar General.. 31 Aug. 2002. Government of India](2001) | 20.4 |
| 'Death rate' (2001) | 7.7 |
| 'Infant mortality rate' (2001) | 48.4 |
'South India' is a commonly used term that is used in India to refer to the South-of-India or Southern India. The Southern part of the Indian peninsula is a linguistic-cultural region of
India that comprises the four
states of
Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Kerala and
Tamil Nadu and the two
Union Territories of
Lakshadweep and
Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as ''South Indians'' or more properly Southern Indians. However the geographical south of India includes all Indian territory below the 20th parallel.
This region includes the entire
Indian Peninsula, south of the
Vindhya Range. The
Narmada and
Mahanadi rivers form the northern boundaries of the region, while the
Arabian Sea,
Indian Ocean and the
Bay of Bengal surround the peninsula in the west, south and east respectively.
The southernmost point of the region (and of mainland India), is
Kanyakumari. The geography of Southern India is diverse, encompassing two mountain ranges — the
Western Ghats and
Eastern Ghats and a
plateau heartland. The
Tungabhadra,
Kaveri,
Krishna and
Godavari rivers are important non-
perennial sources of water.
Description
Southern Indians primarily speak
Dravidian languages, although some communities such as the
Konkani retain distinct identities. During its
history, a number of dynasties including the
Satavahanas,
Ikshvakus,
Cholas,
Kakatiya,
Pandyas,
Cheras,
Chalukyas,
Rashtrakutas,
Hoysalas and
Vijayanagara ruled over different parts of South India prior to the
British occupation of India. South Indian dynasties conquered
Sri Lanka and
Srivijaya and had great cultural influences which can still be seen today.
Agriculture is the single largest contributor to the regional
net domestic product.
Information technology (
IT) is a rapidly growing industry in Southern India, whose main cities constitute some of India’s major IT hubs. Southern India has higher
literacy and per-capita income than the rest of India. The South has a unique and diverse culture and traditions that are distinct from that of the rest of India. Literary and architectural styles evolved over two thousand years are unique to this region. Politics in Southern India is dominated by smaller regional political parties rather than by India's national political parties.
Apart from the
English language terms ''South India'' and ''Peninsular India'', Southern India has been known by several other historic names. The region has been referred to as the ''Deccan'' (from the
Sanskrit word ''Dakshina'' meaning ''south''). This term currently refers only to the area covered by the
Deccan Plateau, a major geographic feature of the region.
[1] ''The Carnatic'' is an English term derived from ''"Karnād"'' or ''"Karunād"'', meaning ''black country''. The terms ''Karnād'' and ''Carnatic'' have long overgrown particular association with the plateau and refer to all of South India, including the coasts, the eastern of which is named the Carnatic coast. The name ''Karnātaka'' is derived from the same root.
[2] ''Drāvida Nādu'' (from ''Drāvida'' and ''Nādu''; meaning ''land of the
Dravidian people'') is another name for the region; often shortened to ''
Dravida'', a term later added in the
Indian national anthem. During the
British rule, much of South India was organised into the
Madras Presidency.
Mostly, these states are referred to by their individual names and/or by the languages.
ex: People from Kerala speak Malayalam and are referred to as Malayalees.
History
Main articles: History of South India
Carbon dating on ash mounds associated with
neolithic cultures in South India date back to 8000 BCE. Artefacts such as ground stone axes, and minor copper objects have been found in the region. Towards the beginning of 1000 BCE,
iron technology spread through the region; however, there does not appear to be a fully developed
Bronze Age preceding the Iron Age in South India.
[3] South India was a crossroads of the ancient world, linking the
Mediterranean and the Far East. The southern coastline from
Karwar to
Kodungallur was the most important trading shore in the Indian subcontinent resulting in intermingling between locals and traders.
[ T.K Velu Pillai, 1940; Wilfred Schoff 1912 "Periplus Maris Erythraei" (trans) 1912, Menachery, G 1998; James Hough 1893; K.V. Krishna Iyer 1971] The South Indian coast of
Malabar and the
Tamil people of the
Sangam age traded with the
Graeco-Roman world. They were in contact with the
Phoenicians,
Romans,
Greeks,
Arabs,
Syrians,
Jews, and the
Chinese.
[(Bjorn Landstrom, 1964; Miller, J. Innes. 1969; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; & Koder S. 1973; Leslie Brown, 1956]
There were several significant rulers and dynasties in South Indian history. The ancient history of the region comprises dynasties such as the
Satavahanas of
Amaravati,
Kadambas of Banavasi,
Western Ganga Dynasty,
Chalukya dynasty of Badami,
Western Chalukyas,
Eastern Chalukya,
Cheras,
Cholas,
Hoysalas,
Kakatiya dynasty,
Pallavas,
Pandyas, and
Rashtrakutas of Manyaketha. The early
medieval period saw the rise of
Muslim power in South India. The defeat of the
Kakatiya dynasty of
Warangal by
Tughlaq forces of the
Delhi Sultanate in 1323 CE heralded a new chapter in South Indian history. The struggle of the period was between the
Bahmani Sultanate based in
Gulbarga (and later,
Bidar) and the
Vijayanagara Empire with its capital in Vijayanagara in modern
Hampi. With the fall of Vijayanagara and the break-up of the Bahmani sultanate, the
Qutb Shahi dynasty of
Golconda and Hyderabad became the dominant power in the region. Qutb Shahi dominance of the region continued until the middle of the seventeenth century, when the
Mughals under
Aurangzeb made determined inroads into the Deccan. Following Aurangzeb’s death, Mughal power weakened, and South Indian rulers gained autonomy from Delhi. The
Wodeyar kingdom of
Mysore, the
Asaf Jahis of Hyderabad, and
Marathas all gained power.
In the middle of the eighteenth century, the
French and the
British initiated a protracted struggle for military control of South India. Shifting alliances between the two European powers and the local powers marked the period with mercenary armies being employed by all sides causing general anarchy in South India. The four
Anglo-Mysore wars and the three
Anglo-Maratha wars saw Mysore, Pune and Hyderabad allying themselves with the British or the French. South India during the British colonial rule was divided into the
Madras Presidency and
Hyderabad,
Mysore,
Thiruvithamcoore (also known as Travancore),
Kochi (also known as Cochin or ''Perumpadapu Swaroopam''),
Vizianagaram and a number of other minor princely states. British Residents were stationed in the capitals of the important states to supervise and report on the activities of the rulers.
After
independence, most of South India was included in Madras state, which included the former
Madras Presidency and the princely states of Banganapalle, Pudukkottai, and Sandur. In 1953, the government yielded to pressure from the northern Telugu-speaking districts of Madras State, and allowed them to create India's first linguistic state -
Andhra State on
October 1,
1953. The
States Reorganisation Act (1956) created several new states along linguistic lines. Andhra State was renamed Andhra Pradesh, and
Kerala was created from the Malayalam-speaking region. Madras State, which after 1956 included the Tamil-majority regions, changed its name to Tamil Nadu in 1968, and Mysore State was renamed Karnataka in 1972.
Portuguese India, which included
Goa, was annexed by India in 1961, and Goa became a state in
1987. The enclaves of
French India were ceded to India in the 1950s, and the southern four were organised into the
Union Territory of
Pondicherry.
Geography
NASA satellite photo of South India, January 31, 2003.
South India is a
peninsula in the shape of a vast inverted triangle, bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea, on the east by the
Bay of Bengal and on the north by the
Vindhya and
Satpura ranges. The line created by the
Narmada River and
Mahanadi river is the traditional boundary between
northern and southern India. Technically all Indian territories below the 20th Parallel.
The Narmada flows westwards in the depression between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. The Satpura ranges define the northern spur of the
Deccan plateau, one of the main geographic features of South India. The
Western Ghats, along the western coast, mark another boundary of the plateau. The narrow strip of verdant land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea is the
Konkan region; the term encompasses the area south of the Narmada as far as
Goa.
The Western Ghats continue south, forming the
Malnad (
Canara) region along the Karnataka coast, and terminate at the
Nilgiri mountains, an inward (easterly) extension of the Western Ghats. The Nilgiris run in a crescent approximately along the borders of
Tamil Nadu with northern
Kerala and
Karnataka, encompassing the
Palakkad and
Wayanad hills, and the
Satyamangalam ranges, and extending on to the relatively low-lying hills of the
Eastern Ghats, on the western portion of the
Tamil Nadu-
Andhra Pradesh border. The
Tirupati and
Annamalai hills form part of this range.
The
Deccan plateau, covering the major portion of the states of
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, is the vast elevated region bound by the C-shape defined by all these mountain ranges. No major elevations border the plateau to the east, and it slopes gently from the Western Ghats to the eastern coast. The plateau is watered by the east flowing
Godavari and
Krishna rivers. The other major rivers of the Deccan plateau are the
Pennar and the
Tungabhadra, a major tributary of the Krishna.
The river
Kaveri rises in the Western Ghats, in the
Kodagu district of Karnataka and flows through the fertile Mandya, Mysore, Hassan regions before entering Tamil Nadu, where it forms an extensive and fertile delta on the east coast. The three major river deltas of South India, the Kaveri, the Godavari and the Krishna, are located along the Bay of Bengal. These areas constitute the ''rice bowls'' of South India. Rivers that flow westward, from the mountains to the Arabian Sea, include the
Periyar,
Netravati River,
Mandovi and
Tapti River (or
Tapi) rivers, and the
Narmada at the northern edge of the region.
Regions
The four states of South India generally follow linguistic boundaries. In addition to these linguistic regions, South India has a number of overlapping traditional geographic regions. Some of these regions are:
★
Bayaluseemae- The plain or maidan area of
deccan plateau in
Karnataka state.
★
Carnatic - etymologically related to the
Deccan, refers to all of South India
★
Canara or
Karaavali - the
Karnataka coast
★
Chera Nadu or ''Vanchi Nadu'' - most of modern
Kerala
★
Chettinadu - area around
Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu
★
Chola Nadu - most of Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh, including certain other "Nadus" mentioned here
★
Coromandel Coast - south coastal
Andhra Pradesh, north coastal
Tamil Nadu and the
Pondicherry Union Territory
★
Deccan - plateau region covering interior Maharashtra, interior Andhra Pradesh and interior Karnataka. Includes the
Marathwada,
Vidarbha,
Telangana,
Rayalaseema,
North Karnataka and
Mysore regions.
★
Kammanadu - Region south of
Krishna river up to
Nellore district (A.P.,) where
Buddhism flourished.
★
Kongu Nadu - districts around
Coimbatore,
Salem,
Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu
★
Konkan - coastal region comprising coastal Maharashtra,
Goa and part of coastal Karnataka
★
Kosta or Coastal Andhra - The coastal districts of
Andhra Pradesh
★
Malabar region - northern Kerala; the
Malabar Coast is often counted separately
★
Malnad - the Sahyadri hills between the coast and the plateau in Karnataka
★ Mulakanadu - the region to the north of the Godavari river, areas now called Khandesh and Aurangabad surrounding areas.
★
Mysore - often called "south interior Karnataka"
★
North Karnataka - often called "north interior Karnataka" or simply the "
Dharawad region"
★
Northern Circars - Muslim administrative units in Madras state in British India, namely
Chicacole,
Rajahmundry,
Ellore,
Kondapalli and
Guntur.
★
Palnadu - or Pallavanadu (
Guntur and
Prakasam districts of
Andhra Pradesh), the original seat of
Pallavas.
★
Pandya Nadu - area around
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
★
Raichur Doab - mostly northern Karnataka, between the
Krishna and
Tungabhadra rivers
★
Rayalaseema - southern interior Andhra Pradesh consisting of Kurnoo, Chittor, Cuddapah and Anantapuram districts.
★
Tondai Nadu - area around
Pudukkotai, Tamil Nadu
★
Thiruvithaamkoor or Travancore - southern Kerala
★
Tulu Nadu - certain areas in the coastal districts of
Udipi and
South Canara in Karnataka
★
Telangana - northern interior
Andhra Pradesh
★
Velanadu - Places on the banks of
Krishna River, from
Guntur to
Srisailam. A subkingdom during
Cholas and
Chalukyas periods
The low-lying
coral islands of
Lakshadweep are off the south-western coast of India.
Sri Lanka lies off the south-eastern coast, separated from India by the
Palk Strait and the chain of low sandbars and islands known as
Rama's Bridge. The
Andaman and Nicobar islands lie far off the eastern coast of India, near the
Tenasserim coast of
Burma. The southernmost tip of mainland India is at
Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) on the
Indian Ocean.
Flora and fauna
There is a large number and wide diversity of plants and animals in South India, resulting from its varied climates and geography. Lush evergreen vegetation, the
South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests are found along the
Western Ghats. Tropical Dry Forests, the
South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests and scrub lands
Deccan thorn scrub forests are common in the interior Deccan plateau. The southern Western Ghats have high altitude rain forests called the
South Western Ghats montane rain forests. The
Malabar Coast moist forests are found on the coastal plains.
[4] The Western Ghats itself is a
biodiversity hotspot.
[5]
Some of India's famous protected areas are found in South India. These include
Project Tiger reserves
Periyar National Park,
Kalakad - Mundanthurai and
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve. Important ecological regions of South India are the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, located at the conjunction of the borders of Karnataka, Kerela and Tamilnadu in the
Nilgiri Hills including
Mudumalai National Park,
Bandipur National Park,
Nagarhole National Park Silent Valley National Park,
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and
Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary and the
Anamalai Hills including the
Eravikulam National Park,
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary,
Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjacent
The Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park of the Western Ghats. Important bird sanctuaries including
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary,
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary,
Neelapattu and
Pulicat Sanctuary are home to numerous migratory and local birds. Other protected ecological sites include the
backwaters like the
Pulicut Lake in Andhra Pradesh,
Pitchavarum in Tamil Nadu and the famed backwaters of Kerala formed by the
Vembanad Lake, the
Ashtamudi Lake and the Kayamkulam Lake.
Demographics
The estimated population of the political region of South India, comprising Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu is over 233 million.
[ Census India Maps ] South India is home to diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. The largest linguistic groups in South India include the
Telugus,
Tamils,
Kannadigas,
Malayalis,
Tulus,
Kodavas and
Konkanis. Numerically
Telugu speaking population is the largest entity.
Around 83% of South Indians follow
Hinduism.
Tamil Nadu has the highest
Hindu population of about 90% and
Kerala with the least of about 50%. Of the rest, around 11% follow
Islam. While
Christians constitute around 5% of the population.
South India has one of the largest
Christian populations in South India . Christian and Muslim South Indians, like their Hindu counterparts, have maintained their identity by strictly conducting marriages within their own communities. It is said that Christianity was brought to South India in the first century A.D. and that Islam entered India during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. South Indians of all faiths and denominations have left the country to get refuge in greener pastures in the western world. Source;
[1]
The Christians consists of those who follow the
Latin rite, the
Indian Orthodox Church,
Syrian Jacobite Church,
Protestant churches and those belonging to the
Syro-Malabar Church and the
Marthoma Church.
Jains,
Buddhists and
Jews together form less than 1% of the population of South India.
The average
literacy rate of South India is approximately 73%, considerably higher than the Indian national average of 60%.
[6] Kerala leads the nation with a literacy rate of 91%. The
sex ratio in South India is fairly equable at 997; Kerala is the only state in India with a sex ratio higher than 1000.
The
population density of the region is approximately 463.
Scheduled Castes and Tribes form 18% of the population of the region. Agriculture is the major employer in the region — 47.5% of the population is involved in agrarian activities. About 60% of the population lives in permanent housing structures. 47.8% of South India has access to
tap water.
Wells and
springs are other major forms of water supply. The predominant form of transport is the
bicycle, which constitutes 31% of the various modes of transport in South India.
Television access in the region is 36.7% with the state-run
Doordarshan and its various regional stations freely available.
Languages
Main articles: Dravidian languages
The languages of South India are the Dravidian represented by Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam besides Gondi and other minor dialects, and the Austro-Asiatic by the Munda languages.
[7] South India's predominant language family is
Dravidian, a
family of approximately seventy-three languages
[8] spoken in
South Asia.
[9] A relationship of the Dravidian language family to other linguistic families has not been established, though various theories have been proposed. Dravidian as an independent language family was first established by Francis W. Ellis, a
British civil servant in 1816.
The languages of the Dravidian family
Tamil,
Malayalam,
Kannada and
Telugu have been influenced by Sanskrit to varying degrees and the converse is true as well. Almost all Dravidian languages spoken in South India belong either to the South Dravidian (or ''South Dravidian I'') or South-Central Dravidian (sometimes also known as ''South Dravidian II'') subfamilies. Tamil, Malayalam,
Tulu and Kannada are South Dravidian languages, while Telugu and
Gondi are South-Central Dravidian. The
States Reorganisation Act of 1956 divided states in India along linguistic lines and led to the creation of separate states of
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in areas where Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil respectively were dominant.
In the 2001
Census, Telugu, with approximately 80 million native speakers, was the second largest language in India, after
Hindi. Tamil was accorded the status of
classical language by the
Government of India in 2002 and had about 74 million speakers (native and non-native speakers). Kannada had 46 million speakers while Malayalam has 35.7 million.
[10] All four languages are designated as
national languages of India.
Konkani, an
Indo-Aryan language is widely spoken in
Goa,
Maharashtra. In coastal Karnataka and Kerala Konkani draws heavy influences from Kannada and Malayalam respectively. Most of Maharashtra, which includes the northern
Deccan and
Konkan regions of South India, is predominantly
Marathi-speaking. Marathi and Konkani are part of the southern zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. Some
inscriptions in the
Tulu language are found in and around
Barkur.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of South India
Over 48% of South India's population is engaged in
agriculture.
The populace is largely agrarian, dependent on
monsoons, as is the populace in most of India. Some of the main crops cultivated in South India include
paddy,
sorghum,
pearl millet, pulses,
sugarcane, cotton,
chilli, and
ragi.
Areca,
coffee,
tea,
vanilla,
rubber,
pepper,
tapioca, and
cardamom are cultivated on the hills, while
coconut grows in abundance in coastal areas. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of rice in India,
[11] while Karnataka produces 70% of India's coffee. Frequent droughts in northern Karnataka,
Rayalaseema and
Telangana have left farmers debt-ridden, forcing them to sell their livestock and sometimes even to commit suicide.
[ BBC ] The region also suffers from water scarcity, especially during summer.
Chennai, houses the manufacturing units of many automobile and electronic manufacturers. Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing
heavy industries A notable improvement in the economy of South India recently has been due to the growth of
information technology (IT).
Bangalore, the "
Silicon Valley of India", is India's IT hub, and is home to over 200 software companies. From 2001 to 2005, Tamil Nadu attracted the third highest total
Foreign Direct Investment approvals in India, approximately
Rs 22,582.64 crores, next only to Maharashtra and Delhi
The Hindu . Software exports from South India grossed over Rs 64000
crore in fiscal 2005-06.
[12] The
net state domestic product of Tamil Nadu ranks higher than the net state domestic products of most Indian states.
[13] In terms of industrialisation, Kerala lags behind many of the Indian states, but in terms of the people’s
quality of life, Kerala is one of India's most developed states . Around 20% of the state
GDP is from overseas remittances. This paradox is often termed as the ''
Kerala Phenomenon'' or ''
Kerala model'' of development.
There is also a large amount of economic and
income disparity in South India. The area is plagued by regionilistic and separatist forces and dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of Cauvery waters is unresolved. The Andhra Pradesh has the problem of Naxalite violence and killings by People war Group, where several people are killed each year. The suicide is quite common by the cotton farmers in Guntur district who are unable to pay their outstanding debts. Poverty and slums are widespread and not different from Bihar and Jharkhand region in the metropolis of Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. It is not uncommon to see the shacks of homeless people propped up against the buildings of large multinationals. The poor, unable to afford sending their children to school, remain in a cycle of life completed separated from that of this more affluent upper class.
Politics
Main articles: Politics in South India
Politics in South India is dominated typically by a mix of regional parties and larger national political parties like the
Congress (INC), the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). With the exclusion of
Karnataka, each state has at least
two parties dominating politics in that state.
Pre-independence politics in the Madras Presidency was dominated by the
Justice Party and the
INC.
Periyar Ramasami who started the
Periyar movement was elected leader of the Justice party in 1938 and in 1944 renamed it to
Dravidar Kazhagam. The initial aim of the
Dravidar Kazhagam was the secession of ''
Dravida Nadu'' from the rest of India on independence.
[14] Following independence, Periyar strongly believed that the party should not participate in elections in the newly created India, something his closest followers disagreed with. In 1948,
C. N. Annadurai, a follower of Periyar and a Joint Secretary of Dravidar Kazhagam parted ways with Periyar to form the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party.
INC's political influence over Tamil Nadu gave way to the rise of the DMK which formed its first government in 1968 and again in 1978. The following year, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of the
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), lead by
M. G. Ramachandran. Together, the AIADMK and the DMK currently command a 60% share in Tamil Nadu state elections.
In the
1980s, the establishment of the
Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh by former Telugu actor
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) broke the dominance of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh politics. NTR successfully challenged the INC's supremacy in the state and his party was voted into power a total of four times. In 1996, a year after winning the state assembly election by a landslide, a dispute between NTR, his wife Lakshmi Parvati and his immediate family resulted in a split in the TDP. Concerned over undue influence over NTR and his policies, the bulk of the party favoured the family under the leadership of NTR's son-in-law,
N Chandrababu Naidu, who later became Chief Minister of the state. Naidu is regarded as a visionary who promoted the growth of information technology in the state. There has been a recent growth in popularity of the
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Andhra Pradesh's northwestern
Telangana region. The party's main mandate is the separation of
Telangana from the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The
Congress, in spite of being plagued by factionalism through the 1990s, has managed to remain in prominence in the state and has, under the leadership of
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and with a strategic alliance with TRS, managed to oust the TDP from power in the last state assembly elections by an overwhelming majority.
The
Janata Dal has been far more successful in Karnataka than it has been in national politics. National political parties such as the BJP and INC have experienced more comparative success in Karnataka than they have in other states of South India. Karnataka's political environment is dominated by two rival caste groups — the
Vokkaligas and the
Lingayats.
[15] Ramakrishna Hegde played an integral part in the ascent of the Janata Dal into the national foray in the late 1980s. However, it was his political rival
H. D. Deve Gowda, then the Chief Minister of Karnataka, who later went on to become the
Prime Minister of India.
Kerala hosts two major political alliances: the
United Democratic Front (UDF, led by the
Indian National Congress) and the
Left Democratic Front (LDF, led by the
Communist Party of India (Marxist)). Kerala numbers among India's most left-wing states. An interesting phenomenon of Kerala politics is the alternate election of Congress and the Communists to power.
Culture and heritage
Main articles: South Indian culture
Mutual interaction and the impress of similar external influences have made much cultural impact between different regions of India. According to some experts, the ''
weltanschauung'' of South Indians is essentially the celebration of the eternal
universe through the celebration of the beauty of the body, and
motherhood, which is exemplified through their dance, clothing, and sculptures.
[16]
A Malayalee woman wearing
saree.
South Indian women traditionally wear the
Saree while the men wear a type of
sarong, which could be either a white ''
pancha'' (
veshti in
Tamil) or a colourful ''
lungi'' with typical
batik patterns. The chira is an unstitched
drape and only partially covers the midriff. In Indian philosophy, the navel of the
Supreme Being is considered as the source of life and creativity , . Hence by tradition, the stomach and the navel is to be left unconcealed, though the philosophy behind the costume has largely been forgotten. As opined in the ancient ''
Natyashastra'', this makes the realization where in ''Angikam bhuvanam yasya'' (the concept of the human body as the world) unites with the ''sharira-mandala'' (the whole universe).
[17] These principles of the
chira, also hold for other forms of drapes, like the
lungi or
mundu worn by men.
[18]
The music of South India is known as
Carnatic music, which includes
rhythmic and structured music by composers like
Purandara Dasa,
Kanaka Dasa,
Tyagaraja,
Annamacharya,
Muthuswami Dikshitar,
Shyama Shastri, Subbaraya Shastri, Mysore Vasudevachar and
Swathi Thirunal. The contemporary singer
Dr. K. J. Yesudas is a cultural ambassador of Carnatic music.
The motion picture industry has emerged as an important platform in South India, over the years portraying the cultural changes, trends, aspirations and developments experienced by the people. Some movie classics like
Nammukku paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal (1986) by
Padmarajan,
Adi Shankara (1984) by director
G V Iyer, and
Perumthachan (1990) by
Ajayan have gained worldwide acclaim for their masterful depiction of the worldview of the South Indian people.
South India is home to several distinct dance forms — the
Koodiyattam,
Bharatanatyam,
Kuchipudi,
Kathakali,
Yakshagana,
Theyyam,
Ottamthullal,
Oppana,
Kerala Natanam and
Mohiniaattam (which literally translates as ''Dance of the Enchantress'') The Bharatanatyam expresses the celebration of beauty and the universe, through its tenets of having a perfectly erect posture, a straight and pout curving stomach, a well rounded and proportionate body mass - to the body structure, very long hair and curvaceous hips.
[19] These tenets bring to life the
philosophy of the ''Natyashastra''. This is elaborated in the ''araimandi'' posture, wherein the performer assumes a half sitting position with the knees turned sideways, with a very
erect posture. In this fundamental posture of the Bharatanatyam dance, the distance between the head and the navel becomes equal to that between the earth and the navel. In a similar way the distance between the outstretched right arm to the outstretched left arm becomes equal to the distance between the head and the feet, thus representing the "Natyapurusha", the embodiment of life and creation.
[17]
Cuisine
Tradition of serving food on banana leaf.
is the staple diet, while fish is an integral component of coastal South Indian meals.
Coconut is an important ingredient in Kerala whereas
Andhra Pradesh cuisine is characterized by
pickles and spicy
curries.
Hyderabadi cuisine a legacy of the past, is popular for its
Biryani.
Dosa,
Idli,
Uttapam are popular throughout the region. There are large
coffee estates in southern Karnataka and parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
South India has two distinct styles of rock architecture, the ''pure dravida'' style of Tamil Nadu and the ''
Vesara'' style (also called ''Karnata dravida'' style) present in Karnataka. The inspirational
temple sculptures of
Hampi,
Badami,
Bhattiprolu,
Pattadakal,
Aihole,
Belur,
Halebidu,
Lakkundi,
Shravanabelagola,
Mahabalipuram,
Tanjore,
Madhurai and the mural paintings of
Travancore and Lepakshi temples, also stand as a testament to
South Indian culture. The paintings of
Raja Ravi Varma are considered classic renditions of many a scenes of South Indian life and mythology. There are several examples of
Dravidian mural paintings in the Mattancherry palace and the Shiva kshetram in Ettamanoor. South India is home to five of the 26 Indian World Heritage sites.
[21]
Sculpture became one of the finest medium of South Indian expression after the human form of dance. In this medium it was possible to etch the three dimensional form in time. The traditional South Indian sculptor starts his
sculpture of the
divinities from the navel which is always represented unclothed by the sari. A koshta or
grid of the sculpture would show the navel to be right at the centre of the sculpture, representing the source of the union of the finite body and the infinite
universe. Sculptures adorn many of the
temples around the complexes and also inside them. They are also depiction of dance steps of various stylizations and have served to preserve
dance forms and revive it.
[22]
South India has an independent literary tradition going back over 2000 years. The first known literature of South India are the poetic
Sangams, which were written in Tamil from 2000 to 1500 years ago. The 850 CE Kannada classic ''
Kavirajamarga'' written by King Amoghavarsha I makes references to Kannada literature of King Durvinita in the early sixth century CE. Tamil Buddhist commentators of the tenth century CE ‘‘Nemrinatham’’ make references to Kannada literature of the fourth century CE. Distinct Malayalam and Telugu literary traditions developed in the following centuries. The artistic expressions of the South Indian people shows their admiration of the magnificence of nature and its rhythms, as in the epic
Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal, also called as the
Cilappatikaram. Other works include the "Tholkappiam" written by Tholkappiar, and Thiruvalluvar’s
Thirukural. In South Indian
literature and philosophy,
women are considered very powerful. A married woman is regarded as auspicious, her
shakti or mother-feminine power, protects and empowers her husband and their children.
Diversity
The main spiritual traditions of South India include both
Shaivite and
Vaishnavite branches of
Hinduism, although
Buddhist and
Jain philosophies had been influential several centuries earlier. The coastal region of
Andhra Pradesh was a stronghold of
Buddhism as exemplified by the great
stupas at
Amaravati and
Nagarjunakonda.
Shravanabelagola in Karnataka is a popular pilgrimage center for
Jains.
Kodagu, in Karnataka is home to one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in India and provides sanctuary to
Tibetan Buddhist monks that fled
Tibet fearing persecution from communist
China. There is a large
Muslim community in South India, particularly in the
Malabar coast, which can trace its roots to the ancient maritime trade between Kerala and
Omanis and other Arabs. Similarly,
Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu (also known as Nagore) also has a sizeable Muslim community - the famed Nagore Dargah is situated in this old town. The
Hyderabad region in Andhra Pradesh has a large Muslim population and is a historic center of South Indian Muslim culture.
Ayyavazhi is spread significantly across South India. Its followers are more densely populated in South
Tamil Nadu.
[23]
Knanaya, the Oriental Orthodox
Nasrani temple in
Kottayam, containing the ancient Mar Thoma cross and Sassanid Pahlavi inscriptions.
has flourished in coastal South India from the times of
St. Thomas the Apostle who is believed to have come to Kerala and established the Syrian Christian tradition today called as Saint Thomas Christians or
Nasranis.
[Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Mundalan, A. M; 1984; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956] These Christians are also known as Syrian Christians. They are constituted of various churches including
Syrian-rite Christians in communion with the church of Rome, the
Syro-Malabar Church and
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. They are also constituted by
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and the
Mar Thoma Church.
[Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Mundalan, A. M; 1984; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956] The two
Eastern Catholic Churches have their Holy See in Kerala. The
Knanaya Christian-Jewish community exists as part of the
Syro-Malabar Church and the
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.
[Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Leslie Brown, 1956; Vellian Jacob 2001; Weil, S. 1982; Poomangalam C.A 1998] In addition, Kerala is also home to a significant number of
Roman Catholic Christians of the
Latin Rite. The
Church of South India is an autonomous
Protestant church, formed in
1947 through the merger of several Protestant denominations. Kerala is also home to one of the oldest
Jewish communities in the world who are supposed to have arrived in the Malabar coast during the time of
King Solomon.
[24] The oldest surviving Jewish
synagogue in the
Commonwealth of Nations is the
Paradesi Synagogue in
Kochi, Kerala.
Notes
1. Dictionary definitions of 'Deccan' from Anwsers.com
2. Origins of the word 'Carnatic' in the Hobson Jobson Dictionary.
3. Agarwal, D.P."Urban Origins in India", 2006. Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala Universitet
4. Indo-Malayan Terrestrial Ecoregions
5. Biodiversity Hotspot - Western Ghats & Sri Lanka, Conservation International
6. CIA factbook
7. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri., "A History of South India"7th ed. Oxford :Oxford University Press, 1996.
8. Language Family Trees - Dravidian. Ethnologue.
9. Robert Caldwell., "A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian family of languages" 3rd ed. rev. and edited by J.L. Wyatt, T. Ramakrishna Pillai. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services, 1998. ISBN 81-206-0117-3
10. "Languages spoken".Office of the Registrar General. Government of India
11. Andhra Pradesh Online
12. BusinessLine article on Tamil Nadu Software Exports
13. India Budget
14. "Periyar Movement- Periyar.org"
15. Price, Pamela. Ideological Elements in Political Instability in Karnataka...". University of Oslo
16. Beck, Brenda. 1976; Bharata, 1967; Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, R. Nagaswamy, Karen Pechilis Prentiss, 2002; Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980
17. Beck, Brenda, 1976; Bharata, 1967
18. Boulanger, Chantal; 1997
19. Kallarasa Virachita Janavasya Ed: G.G. Manjunathan. Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, University of Mysore, 1974.
20. Beck, Brenda, 1976; Bharata, 1967
21. World Heritage Listed Sites in India. URL accessed on April 12, 2006.
22. Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, R. Nagaswamy, Karen Pechilis Prentiss; 2002
23. Dr. R.Ponnu's, ''Sri Vaikunda Swamigal and Struggle for Social Equality in South India'', 2000, Page 100, "''At present thousands of Pathis (Nizhal Thangals) are seen throughout South India.''"
24. David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry, 1977; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; Koder S. 1973
References and bibliography
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★ Bharata (1967). The Natyashastra [Dramaturgy], 2 vols., 2nd. ed. Trans. by Manomohan Ghosh. Calcutta: Manisha Granthalaya.
★ Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. ISBN 0-9661496-1-0
★ Craddock, Norma. 1994. Anthills, Split Mothers, and Sacrifice: Conceptions of Female Power in the Mariyamman Tradition. Dissertation, U. of California, Berkeley.
★ Danielou, Alain, trans. 1965. Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) By Prince Ilango Adigal. New York: New Directions. ISBN 0-8112-0001-9
★ Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, R. Nagaswamy, Karen Pechilis Prentiss (2002) The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. ISBN 0-295-98284-5
★ Hart, George, ed. and trans. 1979. Poets of the Tamil Anthologies: Ancient Poems of Love and War. Princeton: Princeton U. Press
★ Kallarasa Virachita Janavasya Ed: G.G. Manjunathan. Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, University of Mysore, Mysore 1974.
★ Gover, Charles. 1983 (1871). Folk-songs of Southern India. Madras: The South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society.
★ Nagaraju, S. 1990. “Prehistory of South India.” In South Indian Studies, H. M. Nayak and B. R. Gopal, eds., Mysore: Geetha Book House, pp. 35-52.
★ Trawick, Margaret. 1990a. Notes on Love in a Tamil Family. Berkeley: U. of California Press.
★ Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980. The Powers of Tamil Women. Syracuse: Syracuse U. Press.
★ Zvelebil, Kamil. 1975. Tamil Literature. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-04190-7
★ Economy referenced from the Encyclopaedia
Britannica online.
★ Some economic statistics from
Union Budget and Economic Survey, Government of India. URL accessed April 10
th, 2006.
★ Menachery G (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, ISBN 81-87132-06-X, Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B.N.K. Press
★ Mundalan, A. Mathias. (1984) ''History of Christianity in India'', vol.1, Bangalore, India: Church History Association of India.
★ Leslie Brown, (1956) ''The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)
★ Podipara, Placid J. (1970) "The Thomas Christians". London: Darton, Longman and Tidd, 1970.
★ Menachery G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol. I, ''The Nazranies'', Ollur, 1998. [ISBN 81-87133-05-8].
★ David de Beth Hillel (1832) "travels"; madras publication;
★ Menachery G (ed) (1982) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B.N.K. Press, vol. 1;
★ Lord, James Henry (1977) "The Jews in India and the Far East"; Greenwood Press Reprint; ISBN 0-8371-2615-0).
★ Poomangalam C.A (1998) The Antiquities of the Knanaya Syrian Christians; Kottayam, Kerala.
★ James Hough (1893) "The History of Christianity in India".
★ K.V. Krishna Iyer (1971) Kerala’s Relations with the Outside World, pp. 70, 71 in "The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Celebrations Commemoration Volume", Kerala History Association, Cochin.
★ ''Periplus Maris Erythraei'' "The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea", (trans). Wilfred Schoff (1912), reprinted South Asia Books 1995 ISBN 81-215-0699-9
★ Miller, J. Innes. (1969). The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641. Oxford University Press. Special edition for Sandpiper Books. 1998. ISBN 0-19-814264-1.
★ Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.
★ Koder S. 'History of the Jews of Kerala". The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. G. Menachery,1973.
★ Vellian Jacob (2001) Knanite community: History and culture; Syrian church series; vol. XVII; Jyothi Book House, Kottayam
★ Weil, S. (1982) "Symmetry between Christians and Jews in India: The Cananite Christians and Cochin Jews in Kerala. in Contributions to Indian Sociology,16.
★ Bjorn Landstrom (1964) "The Quest for India", Double day English Edition, Stockholm.
★ T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum
★ Caldwell, R (1998) "A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian family of languages" 3rd ed. rev. and edited by J.L. Wyatt, T. Ramakrishna Pillai. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0117-3
★ Bloch, J. (1954) "The grammatical structure of Dravidian Languages". tr. of 'Structure grammaticale des langues Dravidiennes' (1946) Poona: Deccan College Handbook Series.
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