Majority of the region falls under the purview of
South zone cultural center headquartered at
Thanjavur, as per the classification of the
ministry of culture of the Indian government, for the promotion and preservation of
cultural heritage.
Clothing South Indian women traditionally wear a
sari, a garment that consists of a drape varying from in length and in breadth, and is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff, as the navel is considered as the source of life and creativity in
Indian philosophy. Ancient Tamil poetry such as the
Silappadhikaram, describes women in exquisite drapery or sari.
Madisar is a typical style worn by Brahmin women from Tamil Nadu. Women wear colourful
silk sarees on special occasions such as marriages.
Kanchipuram silk sari is a type of
silk sari made in the
Kanchipuram region in Tamil Nadu, worn by brides during marriages and as dresses for special occasions by most women in South India. It has been recognized as a
Geographical indication by the
Government of India in 20052006.
Kovai Cora Cotton is a type of
cotton sari made in the Coimbatore. The men wear a
dhoti, a long, white rectangular piece of non-stitched cloth often with brightly coloured stripes at the border. It is usually wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist. A colourful
lungi with typical
batik patterns is the most common form of male attire in the countryside. People in urban areas generally wear tailored clothing, and western dress is popular. Western-style school uniforms are worn by both boys and girls in schools, even in rural areas. and was known as
Chaliyan. The raw fabric was dyed and printed in bright hues, and
calico prints later became popular in the Europe.
Cuisine Rice is the staple food in South Indian meals.
Coconut and spices are used extensively in South Indian cuisine. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes comprising rice,
legumes, and
lentils. Its distinct aroma and flavour is achieved by the blending of
flavourings and spices, including
curry leaves,
mustard seeds,
coriander,
ginger,
garlic,
chili,
pepper,
cinnamon,
cloves,
green cardamom,
cumin,
nutmeg, coconut, and
rosewater. The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor, having the food served on a
banana leaf, and using clean fingers of the right hand to take the food into the mouth. After the meal, the fingers are washed; the easily degradable banana leaf is discarded or becomes fodder for cattle. Eating on banana leaves is a custom thousands of years old, imparts a unique flavor to the food, and is considered healthy.
Idli,
dosa,
uthappam,
pesarattu,
appam,
pongal, and
paniyaram are popular breakfast dishes. Rice is generally served with
sambar, and
rasam for lunch.
Tamil cuisine includes a typical
virundhu for lunch with
poriyal,
kootu, and
kuzhambu. Particular dishes include
sevai, paniyaram,
parotta, and
opputtu.
Kerala cuisine includes dishes like appam,
idiyappam,
puttu, and
pathiri and a full-course vegetarian meal is known as
sadya.
Andhra cuisine is characterized by
pickles and spicy
curries with popular dishes including
ulava charu,
bobbatlu,
pootharekulu, and
gongura.
Chettinad cuisine is famous for its non-vegetarian items, and
Hyderabadi cuisine is popular for its
biryani.
Udupi cuisine, which originates from
Udupi located in the Canara region of Karnataka is famous for its vegetarian dishes and
neer dosa,
ragi mudde,
Maddur vada,
obbattu,
bisi bele bath, and
Dharwad pedha are some of the popular cuisines of Karnataka. Fish and
sea food form an integral component of the diet along the coast.
Music and dance The traditional music of South India is known as
Carnatic music, which includes rhythmic and structured music by composers such as
Purandara Dasa,
Kanaka Dasa,
Tyagayya,
Annamacharya,
Baktha Ramadasu,
Muthuswami Dikshitar,
Shyama Shastri,
Kshetrayya,
Mysore Vasudevachar, and
Swathi Thirunal.
Nadaswaram, a
reed instrument that is often accompanied by the
thavil, a type of
drum instrument are the major musical instruments used in temples and weddings. South India is home to several distinct dance forms with major being
Bharatanatyam,
Kuchipudi,
Kathakali,
Mohiniaattam and
Yakshagana. Other regional folk dances include
Andhra Natyam,
Karakattam,
Kavadi,
Kerala Natanam,
Koodiyattam,
Margamkali,
Oppana,
Ottamthullal,
Oyilattam,
Puravaiattam and
Theyyam. The dance, clothing, and sculptures of South India exemplify the beauty of the body and motherhood.
Literature of the
First Tamil Sangam South India has an independent literary tradition dating back to over 2500 years. The earliest known literature of South India is the poetic
Sangam literature, which was written in Tamil and is dated back to the
Sangam period (300 BCE to 300 CE).
Tamil literature from the period was composed in three successive poetic assemblies known as
Tamil Sangams, the earliest of which, according to ancient tradition, were held on a now vanished
continent far to the south of India. Early Tamil literature include the oldest grammatical treatise,
Tholkappiyam, and the epics
Silappatikaram and
Manimekalai. References to
Kannada literature appear from the fourth century CE.
Telugu literature adopted a form of
Prakrit which in course of development became the ancestor of Telugu. Distinct
Malayalam literature came later in the 13th century.
Architecture '' is a hallmark of
Dravidian architecture South India has two distinct styles of rock architecture, the
Dravidian style of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the
Vesara style of Karnataka, Telangana. The
architecture of Kerala is unique and emerged from the Dravidian architecture. In Dravidian architecture, the
temples considered of porches or
mandapas preceding the door leading to the
garbagriha (sanctum). Large
gopurams (gate-pyramids) located atop the entrances to large quadrangular enclosures that surround the main sanctum and large pillared halls are usual features of these temples. Besides these, a South Indian temple usually has a tank called the
kalyani or
pushkarni. The gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature of
koils and Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the
kalasam, a bulbous stone
finial and function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. The gopuram's origins can be traced back to the
Pallavas who built the group of monuments in
Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. The
Cholas later expanded the same, and by the
Pandya rule in twelfth century, these gateways became a dominant feature of a temple's outer appearance.
Vimanam are similar structures built over the
garbhagriha or inner sanctum of the temple. In the Dravidian architecture, these are usually smaller than the gopurams with a few exceptions such as the
Brihadisvara Temple in
Thanjavur. The Vesara style of architecture originated during the reign of
Chalukyas and later adopted by
Western Chalukyas, and
Hoysalas. The later
Vijayanagara architecture incorporated the features of both Dravidian and Vesara styles. The temples at
Mahabalipuram,
Hampi, and
Pattadakal are declared
UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Visual arts in Chennai, the oldest surviving studio in India Films done in regional languages are prevalent in
South India, with several regional cinemas being recognized:
Kannada cinema (Karnataka),
Malayalam cinema (Kerala),
Tamil cinema (Tamil Nadu), and
Telugu cinema (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). The first silent film in South India,
Keechaka Vadham, was made by
R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1916. Mudaliar also established Madras's first film studio. The first Tamil talkie,
Kalidas, was released on 31 October 1931, barely seven months after India's first talking picture,
Alam Ara.
Swamikannu Vincent built the first cinema studio of South India, at Coimbatore, introducing the "tent cinema", which he first established in Madras and which was known as "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". Filmmakers
K. N. T. Sastry and
B. Narsing Rao in Telugu cinema;
K Balachandar,
Balu Mahendra,
Bharathiraaja, and
Mani Ratnam in Tamil cinema;
Adoor Gopalakrishnan,
Shaji N. Karun,
John Abraham, and
G. Aravindan in Malayalam cinema; and
Girish Kasaravalli,
Girish Karnad and
P. Sheshadri in Kannada cinema produced realistic cinema in parallel with each other throughout the 1970s. South Indian cinema has also
had an influence on politics of Tamil Nadu. Prominent film personalities such as
C N Annadurai,
M G Ramachandran,
M Karunanidhi,
N. T. Rama Rao, and
Jayalalithaa have become chief ministers of South Indian states. As of 2014, South Indian film industries contribute to 53% of the total films produced in India. ==Utility services==