Who found Tamil Nadu first?

Tamil Nadu wasn't "found" in the colonial sense, as it has been continuously inhabited by Tamil people for over 2,000 years with a well-documented ancient civilization. The Tamil region has a rich pre-colonial history with powerful dynasties including the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas, and later the Pallavas and Vijayanagara Empire. Sangam literature from 300 BCE to 300 CE provides extensive documentation of Tamil society, trade, and culture. European contact began when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498, followed by Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British colonial presence in various parts of the Tamil region. The British East India Company gradually established control through the 18th and 19th centuries, with Madras (Chennai) becoming a major colonial administrative center. After Indian independence in 1947, the modern state of Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act, creating a state based on linguistic boundaries for Tamil-speaking people.