Biomass-derived carbon with high surface area and tunable pore structures are attracted due to their applications in several fields. A facile one-step approach for preparing activated porous carbon from tamarind shells and ammonium chloride is presented here. The activated carbon from the tamarind shell (ACTS) was characterized using FTIR, TGA/DTA, and SEM to understand the functionalities present in the material's surface, stability, and surface morphology. The ACTS material was employed as an adsorbent to remove synthetic dyes and a potential applicant in removing organic compounds from industrial wastewater. The effect of dosage with the concentration of dye materials is studied using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir model showed a better fit with a maximum adsorption capacity of 24.3 g.L-1.