Art and Culture

The life of Tamils is very much inter-twined with art, be it their success or failure; The Tamils have a natural inclination towards exhibiting the culture through excellent forms of art. - Perarignar Anna

Tamil Nadu is a land of ancient temples. The architecture and sculptural
features of these temples are examples of the artistic abilities and advanced
civilisation of the ancient Tamils. The fine arts such as paintings, dance and
music play a significant role in the day-to-day life of people by providing
them with happiness and mental peace. We are able to appreciate our ancient
cultural roots through the Tamil musical traditions left behind by the great
musicians of yester years. The fine arts were patronized by many Tamil
emperors, chieftains, intellectuals and landlords. This is very well proved
through the sources of edicts and excavations in several parts of the State.
The State has been taking various steps to protect and propagate our
ancient traditional art forms among the people. The State also plays a role in
encouraging through conduct of art festivals and award functions and also
protect their livelihood through distribution of old age pensions. The native
art forms of Tamil Nadu are also disseminated through various institutions
including the colleges of music, fine arts and sculpture, the Tamil Nadu Iyal
Isai Nadaka Mandram, Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai kuzhu and Tamil Nadu
Jawahar Bala Bhavan.
For imparting Fine Arts Education, there are 4 music colleges, 17 music
schools, besides two Government colleges of Fine Arts in Chennai and
Kumbakonam and one Government College of Architecture and Sculpture at
Mamallapuram. The student intake of the Music College is 855 annually,
while that of the College of Fine Arts and the College of Architecture &
Sculpture are 834 and 140 respectively.
The excavations at the historically important places have been carried
out and valuable antiquities have been unearthed and preserved in
archaeological site museums situated in various districts of the State. The

government and other records are preserved on scientific lines in the State
Archives.
The museums, being a treasure house of our national heritage, are
dedicated to help the public to understand and appreciate the natural world,
the history of the State. The museums also collect and exhibit articles that
reflect the artistic, scientific and technological achievements of the people of
the State. The Chennai museum is famous for its rich and rare collection. It
preserves a unique collection of artifacts in various fields like art, archaeology,
anthropology, natural science and geology. Apart from the Chennai museum,
there are 20 District museums in the State.