What is History of Tamil Nadu?
[[File:Tamil Nadu in India (disputed hatched).svg|200px|thumb|The political [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]] in [[India]] was created in [[1969]] instead of the former ''Madras State''.]] The '''history of Tamil Nadu''' goes back to the early Stone Age. [[Tamil Nadu]] (now one of the states in the south of the [[Republic of India]]) has been under [[:wikt:continuous|continuous]] human [[:wikt:habitation|habitation]] since [[prehistory|prehistoric]] times. The [[civilisation]] of the [[Tamil people]] is among the oldest in the world. It has coexisted with many external cultures and has influenced and been influenced by them. == Overview == The three Tamil [[dynasties]] of [[Chera dynasty|Chera]], [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] and [[Pandya]] were all of ancient origins. Together they ruled over Tamil Nadu with a unique culture and language, contributing to the growth of ''[[Sangam Literature]]'', some of the oldest [[literature]] in the world. They had extensive oversee trade contacts with the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] empires. The three dynasties were in constant struggle with each other as they wanted [[hegemony]] over the land. Invasion by the [[Kalabra|Kalabhras]] during the third century disturbed the tradition, and order of the land by displacing the three traditional ruling dynasties. These occupiers were overthrown by the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]] and the [[Pallava]]s, who restored the kingdoms. The Cholas in the ninth century defeated the Pallavas and the Pandyas and became a great power and extended their empire over the entire southern peninsula. At its height the Chola empire spread from [[Bengal]] in the northeast to [[Sri Lanka]] in the south. The [[Chola Military|Chola navy]] held sway over the [[Sri Vijaya]] kingdom in [[Southeast Asia]]. Rapid changes in the political situation of the rest of India occurred with [[Muslims|Muslim]] armies from the northwest. With the decline of the three ancient dynasties during the fourteenth century, the [[Ancie