India: All about Tamil Nadu Trivia Quiz

Answer: Madras

During the 1990s it was popular in India to rename its cities in one of the country's native languages. On July 17 1996, the government of Tamil Nadu re-named Madras "Chennai," shaking off the centuries old legacy of the British colonisers, who had established the coastal city as their southern headquarters in the 1600s.

Answer: Zoo

The Vandalur Zoo (also known as the Arignar Anna Zoo) is located in south-west Chennai. It encompasses an area of around 1,490 acres (600 ha) and is among the largest zoos in India.

Answer: Noyyal

The Noyyal is only around 110 miles (180 km) long and runs through the west of Tamil Nadu. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, and rises close to the border with the Indian state of Kerala, in the Western Ghats mountain range

Because of its industrial reputation for textiles etc, Coimbatore is nicknamed both the "Detroit of South India" and the "Manchester of South India." Manchester is a city in England famous for its textile industry. Mumbai surpasses Coimbatore in terms of textile production. Therefore, Mumbai is known as the "Manchester of India" and Coimbatore is known as the "Manchester of South India."

Answer: Doddabetta Peak

Doddabetta Peak is around 8,650 feet (2,640 metres) high. It is around 6 miles (10 km) from the city of Ooty, Tamil Nadu. From here can be seen soaring views of Bandipur National Park, and parts of Mysore, the southernmost city of the neighbouring Indian state, Karnataka.

Answer: 700 miles (1,075 km)

The coastline of Tamil Nadu amounts to about 15% of India's total coastline, the second-longest coastline of all the states, second only to the state of Gujarat. Its main sea ports are the cities of Tuticorin and Chennai, and it also features Marina Beach, the largest urban natural beach in the country.

Answer: Salem

Located in the north-central portion of the state on the Thirumanimutharu river (a tributary of the Kaveri), Salem is home to the largest dam in Tamil Nadu, Mettur Dam, which was completed in 1937. The city is surrounded by hills and is known for its silk and cotton weaving, as well as its textile industry.

Answer: Thoothukudi

Thoothukudi is known as "Pearl City" due to the history of pearl fishing in the town. Thoothukudi is one of the oldest ports in the world, recorded as being taken over by the Portuguese as early as 1548. The salt pans that surround the city provide for the city's economy significantly, producing about 90% of the salt that Tamil Nadu produces for India annually.

The fishing harbour of Thoothukudi is one of the oldest and largest within the state.

Answer: True

Tamil Nadu was the first Indian state to include a welfare policy for transgender people, meaning they could go to hospital free of charge to acquire a sex reassignment operation. Padmini Prakash, who is from Tamil Nadu, became the first trans woman in India to become a news anchor, in 2014. The Sahodari Foundation, an organisation aimed at providing counselling for financially disadvantaged trans women in India, was established by a trans woman activist from Tamil Nadu, Kalki Subramaniam.

Although same sex marriage is unrecognised, and same sex couples may not marry in Tamil Nadu, however in 2019 the Madras High Court decided that a trans women could be included as a bride, in accordance with the 1955 Hindu Marriage Act.

Answer: Shiva

The Adiyogi Shiva statue is asserted to be the largest bust sculpture in the world by the Guinness World Book of Records. It is 82 feet (25m) wide and weighs roughly 500 tonnes. The sculpture was completed in 2017, and its height of 112 feet is significant - this signifies the 112 steps an individual can take to attain Moksha (the most important aim of life in Hinduism).

Answer: The tomb and remains of an apostle of Jesus

St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica is located in the capital, Chennai. It contains the remains and a tomb for Saint Thomas the Apostle. Built by the Portuguese, it stands over the tomb of Saint Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus who was the disciple that touched Jesus' wound upon seeing him risen from the dead.

There is a museum next to the church featuring the belongings of Saint Thomas the Apostle.

Answer: January

Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils across India and neighbouring Sri Lanka, dedicated to the sun god, Surya, a Hindu solar deity. It starts around January 14th in accordance to the start of Tai, in the Tamil solar calendar. The event typically lasts three days, but some Tamils include a fourth day in their festivities.

Answer: Astrology

Vaitheeswaran Koil (a temple dedicated to Shiva) is the birthplace of Nadi.

Nadi astrology is the practice and belief of discovering one's past and the future, using ancient manuscripts from around 1200 BC. The belief is that the past, present and future are written on ancient palm leaves. Great Hindu sages observed the past, present and future of every human on Earth and recorded it on the leaves. They could look at the lives of the dead, and those yet to be born. The scripts are said to be scattered throughout India, and were first found in Tamil Nadu.

Answer: Cuddalore

Cuddalore is a coastal city situated on the Bay of Bengal. It is asserted that the city's name is derived from the Tamil word for "confluence," "koodalur."

India has eight union territories, once of which is Puducherry. Almost 90% of the population of Puducherry speaks Tamil. Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Urdu are the most common minority languages.

Answer: Tamukkam Palace

The Tamil word, "Tamukkam" means "summer house." Situated in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, what was once Rani Mangammal's summer palace was taken over by British later, and made the official headquarters for the District Collectors. The running of the Mahatma Gandhi Museum is now the main use for the palace.

Rani Mangamma was a popular ruler, using her wealth and power to benefit the people of India. She is revered as a builder of temples, palaces and roads and oversaw successful military operations. Well remembered in Indian history, historian S. Rajagopal purports her to be a "visionary queen."

Answer: Valluvar

Thiruvalluvar, mainly known as Valluvar, lived around the 6th century and is most noted for his work, the "Tirukkuṟaḷ" (or "the Kural") which is Tamil for "sacred couples". The work contains 1,330 couplets of 7 words each, and is the most translated work of all Tamil literature.

The monument, Valluvar Kottam, was completed in 1976. It is around 130 feet (40 km) high and has an auditorium inside that can hold 3,500 people.

There is an approximately 130 foot (40 m) statue of Valluvar in the town of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which was completed in 1999.