South City Map Poster

About South

The South Indian culture is mainly derived from Dravidian and Aryan cultures, which coalesced under the relative isolation offered by the Deccan plateau. The earliest inscription in Tamil Brahmi script found at Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu dates to 500 BC. Adi Shankara was a social reformer who travelled across India to propagate his Advaita Vedanta philosophy. He established temple-like centers of learning that were open to all castes, where knowledge was disseminated among scholars and students alike irrespective of their background or beliefs; these eventually became universities such as the Madurai Nayakkar Mahal Library (16th century), which has been called "the first university in Asia". Subsequently, rulers like those of Vijayanagara Empire made grants for furtherance of education during their reigns; some examples include Madras University founded by Queen Elizabeth I (1735) and Rajahmundry Engineering College founded by King Edward VII (1901).