The capital is Chennai (Madras), on the coast in the northeastern portion of the state. Tamil Nadu represents the Tamil -speaking area of what was formerly the Madras Presidency of British India. Chennai , formerly known as Madras, city and capital of Tamil Nadu state, southern India, located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Known as the ‘Gateway to South India,’ Chennai is a major administrative and cultural center. Learn more about the history and characteristics of Chennai in this article. Tamil Nadu [a] is the southernmost state of India. The tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population, Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, who speak the Tamil language —the state's official language and one of the longest surviving classical languages of the world. The capital and largest city is Chennai. Chennai, [d] also known as Madras[e] (its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu , the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
