Tamil culture

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{{Short description|Culture of the Tamil people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
'''Tamil culture''' is the [[culture]] of the [[Tamil people]]. Tamil culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Tamils in [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], and across the globe. Tamil culture is expressed in [[language]], [[literature]], [[music]], [[dance]], [[theatre]], [[folk arts]], [[martial arts]], [[painting]], [[sculpture]], [[architecture]], [[sports]], [[Mass media|media]], [[comedy]], [[cuisine]], [[costumes]], [[Festival|celebration]]s, [[philosophy]], [[religion]]s, [[tradition]]s, [[ritual]]s, [[organization]]s, [[science]], and [[technology]].

== Language and literature ==
{{Main|Tamil language|Tamil literature|Sri Lankan Tamil dialects|Sri Lankan Tamil literature}}
[[File:WLA_lacma_12th_century_Maharishi_Agastya.jpg|170px|thumb|Agathiar, First Sangam period poet of Tamil literature.<ref>Tamil Virtual University</ref>]]
Tamils have strong attachment to the Tamil language, which is often venerated in literature as "''Tamil̲an̲n̲ai''", "the Tamil mother".<ref>See Sumathi Ramasamy, ''Passions of the Tongue'', 'Feminising language: Tamil as Goddess, Mother, Maiden' Chapter 3.</ref> It has historically been, and to large extent still is, central to the Tamil identity.<ref>(Ramaswamy 1998)</ref> Like the other languages of [[South India]], it is unrelated to the [[Indo-European languages]] of northern India. The Tamil language preserves many features of [[Proto-Dravidian]], though modern-day spoken Tamil in Tamil Nadu freely uses [[loanword]]s from Sanskrit and English and vice versa. Also, the language does not have many commonly used alphabets in the English language and Hindi (a product of Sanskrit and written in Devanagri script).<ref>{{Citation | last=Kailasapathy | first=K.| title=The Tamil Purist Movement: A Re-Evaluation | journal=Social Scientist | volume=7 | issue=10 | year=1979 | pages=23–51| doi=10.2307/3516775 | publisher=Social Scientist | jstor=3516775}}</ref> [[Tamil literature]] is of considerable antiquity, and is recognised as a [[classical language]] by the [[government of India]]. [[Sangam literature|Classical Tamil literature]], which ranges from [[lyric poetry]] to works on [[poetics]] and [[ethics|ethical philosophy]], is remarkably different from contemporary and later literature in other Indian languages, and represents the oldest body of secular literature in South-east Asia.<ref>See Hart, ''The Poems of Ancient Tamil: Their Milieu and their Sanskrit Counterpart'' (1975)</ref>

== Religion ==
===Tamil religious texts===
[[File:01AnnamalaiyarTemple&Thiruvannamalai&TamilNadu&AerialViewfromVirupakshaCave.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Typical layout of Tamil architecture which evolved from ''koyil'' as kings residence.]]
The ancient Tamil grammatical work of the [[Tolkappiyam]] and the Sangam works of the [[Ten Idylls]] (''Pattuppāṭṭu'') and the [[Eight Anthologies]] (''Eṭṭuttokai'') shed light on early religion of ancient Dravidian people. ''[[Murugan]]'' was glorified as, ''the god of war, who is ever young and resplendent,'' as ''the favored god of the Tamils.''<ref name="Kanchan Sinha 1979">Kanchan Sinha, Kartikeya in Indian art and literature, Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan (1979).</ref> [[Shiva|Sivan]] was also seen as the supreme God.<ref name="Kanchan Sinha 1979"/> Early iconography of [[Murugan]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Mahadevan|first=Iravatham|title=A Note on the Muruku Sign of the Indus Script in light of the Mayiladuthurai Stone Axe Discovery|year=2006|publisher=harappa.com|url=http://www.harappa.com/arrow/stone_celt_indus_signs.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904034700/http://www.harappa.com/arrow/stone_celt_indus_signs.html|archive-date=2006-09-04}}</ref> and [[Shiva|Sivan]]<ref>{{cite book| title = The Making of India: A Historical Survey| url = https://archive.org/details/makingindiahisto00vohr| url-access = limited| author = Ranbir Vohra| publisher = M.E. Sharpe| year = 2000| page = [https://archive.org/details/makingindiahisto00vohr/page/n10 15]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = Ancient Indian Civilization| author = Grigorii Maksimovich Bongard-Levin| publisher = Arnold-Heinemann| year = 1985| page = 45}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = Essential Hinduism| author = Steven Rosen, Graham M. Schweig| publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group| year = 2006| page = 45}}</ref> and their association with native flora and fauna goes back to Indus Valley Civilization.<ref>{{Harvnb|Basham|1967}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = Plants of life, plants of death| author = Frederick J. Simoons| year = 1998| page = 363}}</ref> The [[Sangam landscape]] was classified into five categories, ''thinais'', based on the mood, the season and the land. [[Tolkappiyam]], mentions that each of these ''thinai'' had an associated deity such [[Murugan|Seyyon]] in ''Kurinji''-the hills, [[Thirumal]] in ''Mullai''-the forests, and [[Indra|Venthan]] in ''Marutham''-the plains,
[[Durga|Kotravai]] in ''Palai''-the desert and [[Varuna|Wanji-ko/kadalon]] in the ''Neithal''-the coasts and the seas. Other gods mentioned were [[Krishna|Mayyon]] and [[Balaram|Vaali]] who were all assimilated into Hinduism over time. Dravidian influence on early Vedic religion is evident, many of these features are already present in the oldest known [[Indo-Aryan language]], the language of the ''[[Rigveda]]'' (c. 1500 BCE), which also includes over a dozen words borrowed from Dravidian.{{sfnp|Krishnamurti|2003|p=6}} This represents an early religious and cultural fusion{{sfn|Lockard|2007|p=50}}{{refn|group=note|name=Lockard|Lockard: "The encounters that resulted from Aryan migration brought together several very different peoples and cultures, reconfiguring Indian society. Over many centuries a fusion of [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Aryan]] and [[Dravidian peoples|Dravidian]] occurred, a complex process that historians have labeled the Indo-Aryan synthesis."{{sfn|Lockard|2007|p=50}} Lockard: "Hinduism can be seen historically as a synthesis of Aryan beliefs with Harappan and other Dravidian traditions that developed over many centuries."{{sfn|Lockard|2007|p=52}}}} or synthesis{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2007|p=12}} between ancient Dravidians and Indo-Aryans, which became more evident over time with sacred iconography, flora and fauna that went on to influence Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.{{sfn|Lockard|2007|p=52}}{{sfn|Tiwari|2002|p=v}}{{sfn|Zimmer|1951|p=218-219}}{{sfn|Larson|1995|p=81}}
===Demographics===
About 88%<ref name="relpop">{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm |title=Census 2001 – Statewise population by Religion |publisher=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=18 July 2010}}</ref> of the population of Tamil Nadu are Hindus. Christians and Muslims account for 6% and 5.5% respectively.<ref name="relpop"/> The majority of Muslims in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil,<ref>{{Citation | last=More | first=J.B.P. | title=Muslim identity, print culture and the Dravidian factor in Tamil Nadu | publisher=Orient Longman | place=Hyderabad | year=2007 | isbn=81-250-2632-0}} at p. xv</ref> with less than 15% of them reporting [[Urdu]] as their mother tongue.<ref>{{Citation | last=Jain | first=Dhanesh | contribution=Sociolinguistics of the Indo-Aryan languages | editor1-last=Cardona | editor1-first=George | editor2-last=Jain | editor2-first=Dhanesh | title=The Indo-Aryan Languages | publisher=Routledge | place=London | year=2003 | series=Routledge language family series | isbn=0-7007-1130-9 | pages=46–66}} at p. 57.</ref> [[Tamil Jain]]s number only a few thousand now.<ref name= census>Total number of [[Tamil Jain|Jains]] in Tamil Nadu was 88,000 in 2001. {{Citation | title= Census|author= Directorate of Census Operations – Tamil Nadu| url= http://www.census.tn.nic.in/religion.aspx | access-date=5 December 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061130194120/http://www.census.tn.nic.in/religion.aspx |archive-date = 30 November 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Atheism|Atheist]], [[Rationalism|rationalist]], and [[Humanism|humanist]] philosophies are also adhered by sizeable minorities, as a result of Tamil cultural revivalism in the 20th century, and its antipathy to what it saw as Brahminical Hinduism.<ref>{{Citation | last=Maloney | first=Clarence | title=Religious Beliefs and Social Hierarchy in Tamiḻ Nāḍu, India | journal=American Ethnologist | volume=2 | issue=1 | year=1975 | pages=169–191 | doi=10.1525/ae.1975.2.1.02a00100 | doi-access=free }} at p. 178</ref>

[[Tamil Jains]] constitute around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nadu.<ref name="relpop"/> Many of the rich [[Tamil literature]] works were written by Jains.<ref>Jaina Literature in Tamil, Prof. A. Chakravartis</ref> According to [[George L. Hart]], the legend of the [[Tamil Sangams]] or "literary assemblies" was based on the Jain ''sangham'' at [[Madurai]].<ref>"There was a permanent Jaina assembly called a Sangha established about 604 A.D. in Maturai. It seems likely that this assembly was the model upon which tradition fabricated the cangkam legend." {{cite web |url=http://tamil.berkeley.edu/html/chapter_1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970709071128/http://tamil.berkeley.edu/html/chapter_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 1997 |title=The Milieu of the Ancient Tamil Poems, Prof. George Hart |date=9 July 1997 |access-date=21 April 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Tamil Om.svg|left|thumb|150px|The [[Om]] symbol in Tamil script.]]

===Deities and veneration===
The most popular deity is [[Murugan]], he is known as the patron god of the Tamils and is also called "Tamil Kadavul" (Tamil God).<ref>{{Citation | title= Murukan in Cankam Literature: Veriyattu Tribal Worship|author= M. Shanmugam Pillai| work=First International Conference Seminar on Skanda-Murukan in Chennai, 28–30 December 1998. This article first appeared in the September 1999 issue of The Journal of the Institute of Asian Studies | url= http://murugan.org/research/shanmugampillai.htm | access-date=6 December 2006}}</ref><ref>Harold G. Coward, John R. Hinnells, Raymond Brady Williams, ''The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States''</ref> In Tamil tradition, Murugan is the youngest son and Ganesha/Pillayar is the eldest son of Shiva/Sivan, and it is different from the North Indian tradition, which represents Murugan as the eldest son. The goddess [[Parvati]] is often depicted as a goddess with green skin complexion in Tamil Hindu tradition. The worship of [[Amman (goddess)|Amman]], also called [[Mariamman]], is thought to have been derived from an ancient [[mother goddess]], is also very common.<ref>{{Citation | title= Principles and Practice of Hindu Religion| work=Hindu Heritage Study Program | url= http://www.bnaiyer.com/hinduism/hist-34.html | access-date=5 December 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061114082702/http://www.bnaiyer.com/hinduism/hist-34.html |archive-date = 14 November 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Kannagi (Tamil mythology)|Kan̲n̲agi]], the heroine of the [[Cilappatikaram|Cilappatikār̲am]], is worshipped as [[Pattini|Pattin̲i]] by many Tamils, particularly in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Citation | title= Tracing the Sri Lanka-Kerala link|author= PK Balachandran| work=Hindustan Times, 23 March 2006 | url= http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5983_1657214,00430014.htm | access-date=5 December 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061210184751/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5983_1657214,00430014.htm |archive-date = 10 December 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are also many followers of [[Ayyavazhi]] in Tamil Nadu, mainly in the southern districts.<ref>''Dr. R.Ponnu''s, Sri Vaikunda Swamigal and the Struggle for Social Equality in South India, (Madurai Kamaraj University) ''Ram Publishers'', Page 98</ref> In addition, there are many temples and devotees of [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva|Siva]], [[Ganapathi]], and the other Hindu deities.
Muslims across Tamil Nadu follow [[Hanafi]] and [[Shafi'i]] schools. Most Tamil Muslims are [[Shadhili]]s. [[Erwadi]] in [[Ramanathapuram district]] and [[Nagore]] in [[Nagapattinam district]]<ref>[http://www.aulia-e-hind.com/Cities.htm Indian Dargah's All Cities]</ref> are the major pilgrimage centres for Muslims in Tamil Nadu.

[[File:Ayyanar_idols_near_Gobichettipalayam.jpg|right|thumb|170px|Ayyanar, guardian folk deity of Tamil Nadu.]]

[[File:Madurai The City of Temples.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Meenakshi Amman temple, dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, tutelary deity of Madurai city]]

In rural [[Tamil Nadu]], many local deities, called [[aiyyanar|aiyyan̲ārs]], are thought to be the spirits of local heroes who protect the village from harm.<ref>{{Citation | title= Horse Shrines in Tamil India: Reflections on Modernity|author= Mark Jarzombek|author-link= Mark Jarzombek| journal= Future Anterior | url= http://web.mit.edu/mmj4/www/downloads/future_ant4_1.pdf | volume=4 | issue=1 | pages=18–36 | doi=10.1353/fta.0.0031| doi-access=free }}</ref> Their worship often centres around nadukkal, stones erected in memory of heroes who died in battle. This form of worship is mentioned frequently in classical literature and appears to be the surviving remnants of an ancient Tamil tradition.<ref>{{Citation | title= 'Hero stone' unearthed | url= http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/22/stories/2006072202680200.htm | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071001023228/http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/22/stories/2006072202680200.htm | url-status= dead | archive-date= 1 October 2007 | access-date=5 December 2006 | location=Chennai, India | work= [[The Hindu]] | date=22 July 2006}}</ref>

The [[Saivism|Saivist]] sect of Hinduism is significantly represented amongst Tamils, more so among Sri Lankan Tamils, although most of the Saivist places of religious significance are in [[North India|northern India]]. The [[Alvars]] and [[Nayanars]], who were predominantly Tamils, played a key role in the renaissance of [[Bhakti]] tradition in India. In the 10th century, the philosopher [[Ramanuja]], who propagated the theory of [[Vishishtadvaita|Visishtadvaitam]], brought many changes to worshiping practices, creating new regulations on temple worship, and accepted lower-caste Hindus as his prime disciples.<ref>{{Citation | title= Redefining secularism | url= http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/18/stories/2004031801941000.htm | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040527011003/http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/18/stories/2004031801941000.htm | url-status= dead | archive-date= 27 May 2004 | access-date=5 December 2006 | location=Chennai, India | work= [[The Hindu]] | date=18 March 2004}}</ref>

===Festivals===
The most important Tamil festivals are [[Pongal (festival)|Pongal]], a [[harvest festival]] that occurs in mid-January, and [[Puthandu]], the Tamil New Year, which occurs on 14 April. Both are celebrated by almost all Tamils, regardless of religion. The [[Hindu]] festival [[Diwali|Deepavali]] is celebrated with fanfare; other local [[Hindu]] festivals include [[Thaipusam]], Panguni Uttiram, and [[Adiperukku]]. While Adiperukku is celebrated with more pomp in the Cauvery region than in others, the Ayyavazhi Festival, [[Ayya Vaikunda Avataram]], is predominantly celebrated in the southern districts of [[Kanyakumari District]], [[Tirunelveli]], and [[Thoothukudi]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011180316/http://hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2006030305790400.htm&date=2006/03/03/&prd=th& Information on declaration of holiday on the event of birth anniversary of Vaikundar in ''The Hindu'']}}, The holiday for three Districts: ''Daily Thanthi'', Daily''(Tamil)'', Nagercoil Edition, 5 March 2006</ref>

== Tamil traditions ==
Various martial arts including [[Adimurai]], [[Kuttu Varisai]], [[Varma Kalai]], [[Silambam]], [[Adithada]], [[Malla-yuddha|Malyutham]] and [[Kalarippayattu]], are practised in [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]].<ref>Zarrilli, Phillip B. (1992) "[http://www.spa.ex.ac.uk/drama/staff/kalari/healharm.html To Heal and/or To Harm: The Vital Spots in Two South Indian Martial Traditions]"</ref> The warm-up phase includes [[yoga]], meditation and breathing exercises. Silambam originated in ancient [[Tamilakam]] and was patronized by the Pandyans, Cholas and Cheras, who ruled over this region. ''[[Silappatikaram|Silapathigaram]]'', a Tamil literature from the 2nd century AD, refers to the sale of Silamabam instructions, weapons and equipment to foreign traders.<ref>[http://sports.indiapress.org/silambam.php/SPORTS IN INDIA]</ref> Since the early [[Sangam age]], there was a warlike culture in South India. War was regarded as an honorable sacrifice and fallen heroes and kings were worshiped in the form of a [[Hero stone]]. Each warrior was trained in martial arts, horse riding and specialized in two of the weapons of that period Vel (spear) Val (sword) and Vil (bow).<ref>South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka(2003), p. 386.</ref> Heroic [[martyrdom]] was glorified in ancient Tamil literature. The Tamil kings and warriors followed an honour code similar to that of Japanese [[Samurai]]s and committed suicide to save the honor. The forms of martial suicide were known as Avipalli, Thannai, Verttal, Marakkanchi, [[Vatakkiruttal]] and Punkilithu Mudiyum Maram. Avipalli was mentioned in all the works except ''Veera Soliyam''. It was a self-sacrifice of a warrior to the goddess of war for the victory of his commander. The [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Tamil rebels]] in [[Sri Lanka]] reflected some elements of Tamil martial traditions which included worship of fallen heroes ([[Maaveerar Naal]]) and practice of martial suicide. They carried a [[Suicide pill]] around their neck to escape the captivity and torture.<ref>Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution (2002), p. 76.</ref> A remarkable feature besides to their willingness to sacrifice is, that they were well organized and disciplined. It was forbidden for the rebels to consume [[tobacco]]s, [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]]s, [[drug]]s and to have sexual relationship.<ref>Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups, p.252.</ref>

The Wootz steel originated in South India and Sri Lanka.<ref name="SR_IISc" /><ref>Gerald W. R. Ward. The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art. pp.380</ref> There are several ancient Tamil, Greek, Chinese and Roman literary references to high carbon Indian steel since the time of [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|Alexander's India campaign]]. The crucible steel production process started in the sixth century BC, at production sites of [[Kodumanal]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Golconda]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]] and [[Sri Lanka]] and exported globally; the Tamils of the [[Chera Dynasty]] producing what was termed ''the finest steel in the world'', i.e. Seric Iron to the Romans, Egyptians, Chinese and Arabs by 500 BC.<ref>Sharada Srinivasan (1994). Wootz crucible steel: a newly discovered production site in South India. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology 5(1994) 49-59</ref><ref>Herbert Henery Coghlan. (1977). Notes on prehistoric and early iron in the Old World. pp 99-100</ref><ref>B. Sasisekharan (1999).[http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/data1/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005b66_263.pdf TECHNOLOGY OF IRON AND STEEL IN KODUMANAL-] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201061259/http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/data1/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005b66_263.pdf |date=2016-02-01 }}</ref> The steel was exported as cakes of steely iron that came to be known as "Wootz."<ref name="Hilda Ellis Davidson pp.20">Hilda Ellis Davidson. The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: Its Archaeology and Literature. pp.20</ref>

The [[Tamilakam]] method was to heat black magnetite ore in the presence of carbon in a sealed clay crucible inside a charcoal furnace. An alternative was to smelt the ore first to give wrought iron, then heated and hammered to be rid of slag. The carbon source was bamboo and leaves from plants such as [[Senna auriculata|Avārai]].<ref name="Hilda Ellis Davidson pp.20"/><ref name="Burton 1884 111">{{cite book|last=Burton|first=Sir Richard Francis|title=The Book of the Sword|year=1884|publisher=Chatto and Windus|location=Internet archive|isbn=1605204366|page=[https://archive.org/details/booksword00unkngoog/page/n153 111]|url=https://archive.org/details/booksword00unkngoog}}</ref> The Chinese and locals in Sri Lanka adopted the production methods of creating Wootz steel from the Chera Tamils by the 5th century BC.<ref name="needham volume 4 part 1 282">Needham, Volume 4, Part 1, p. 282.</ref><ref name="Ancient and Medieval India. Vol.2 by Charlotte Speir Manning p.365">{{Cite journal | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nmESJR3a0RYC&pg=PA365 | title = Ancient and Medieval India. Volume 2 | isbn = 9780543929433 | author1 = Manning | first1 = Charlotte Speir}}</ref> In Sri Lanka, this early steel-making method employed a unique wind furnace, driven by the monsoon winds, capable of producing high-carbon steel and production sites from antiquity have emerged, in places such as [[Anuradhapura]], [[Tissamaharama]] and [[Samanalawewa]], as well as imported artifacts of ancient iron and steel from Kodumanal. A [[Tissamaharama Tamil Brahmi inscription|200 BC Tamil trade guild in Tissamaharama]], in the South East of Sri Lanka, brought with them some of the oldest iron and steel artifacts and production processes to the island from the [[classical antiquity|classical period]].<ref>Hobbies - Volume 68, Issue 5 - Page 45. Lghtner Publishing Company (1963)</ref><ref name="Mahathevan">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/24/stories/2010062451701100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701211040/http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/24/stories/2010062451701100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2010|title=An epigraphic perspective on the antiquity of Tamil|last=Mahathevan|first=Iravatham|date=24 June 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=31 October 2010}}</ref><ref name="Ragupathy">{{cite news|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=32303|title=Tissamaharama potsherd evidences ordinary early Tamils among population|last=Ragupathy|first=P|date=28 June 2010|work=Tamilnet|publisher=Tamilnet|access-date=31 October 2010}}</ref><ref>http://www.archaeology.lk/http:/www.archaeology.lk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dinithi-Volume-1-Issue-4.pdf {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The Arabs introduced the South Indian/Sri Lankan wootz steel to [[Damascus steel|Damascus]], where an industry developed for making weapons of this steel. The 12th century Arab traveler [[Muhammad al-Idrisi|Edrisi]] mentioned the "Hinduwani" or Indian steel as the best in the world.<ref>S. Srinivasan and S. Ranganathan, [http://materials.iisc.ernet.in/~wootz/heritage/WOOTZ.htm "WOOTZ STEEL: AN ADVANCED MATERIAL OF THE ANCIENT WORLD"], Department of Metallurgy, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore</ref><ref name="SR_IISc">{{cite book |author1=Sharada Srinivasan |author2=Srinivasa Ranganathan |title=India's Legendary Wootz Steel: An Advanced Material of the Ancient World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R-M6YgEACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=National Institute of Advanced Studies |oclc=82439861 }}</ref> Another sign of its reputation is seen in a Persian phrase{{spaced ndash}}to give an "Indian answer", meaning "a cut with an Indian sword."<ref name="Ancient and Medieval India. Vol.2 by Charlotte Speir Manning p.365"/> Wootz steel was widely exported and traded throughout ancient [[Europe]] and the [[Arab world]], and became particularly famous in the [[Middle East]].<ref name="Ancient and Medieval India. Vol.2 by Charlotte Speir Manning p.365" />

{{clear}}

=== Traditional Weapons ===
[[File:Indian katar push dagger.jpg|thumb|Katar, Tamil dagger, which was popular throughout South Asia.]]
The Tamil martial arts also includes various types of weapons.
* [[Valari]] (throwing iron sickle)
* [[Maduvu]] (deer horns)
* [[Urumi|Surul Vaal]] (curling blade)
* [[sword|Vaal]] (sword) + [[shield|Ketayam]] (shield)
* [[spear|Itti]] or [[Vel]] (spear)
* [[Savuku]] (whip)
* [[Katar (dagger)|Kattari]] (fist blade)
* [[Aruval|Veecharuval]] (battle Machete)
* [[Silambam]] (long bamboo staff)
* [[knuckleduster|Kuttu Katai]] (spiked knuckleduster)
* [[dagger|Katti]] (dagger/knife)
* [[Bow and arrow|Vil]] (bow)
* [[Gada (mace)|Tantayutam]] (mace)
* [[Trishula|Soolam]] (trident)
* [[Theekutchi]] (flaming baton)
* Yeratthai Mulangkol (dual stick)
* [[Yeretthai Vaal]] (dual sword)

== Visual art and architecture ==
{{See also|Chola art|Dravidian architecture|Tamil architecture}}
[[File:Nataraja01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left|Dancing Siva or [[Nataraja]], example of [[Chola Empire]] bronze]]
[[File:Thanjavur temple.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The Brihadeshswara Temple at [[Thanjavur]], also known as the Great Temple, built by [[Rajaraja Chola I]]]]

Most traditional art are religious in some form and usually centres on [[Hinduism]], although the religious element is often only a means to represent universal—and, occasionally, [[humanism|humanist]]—themes.<ref>Coomaraswamy, A.K., ''Figures of Speech or Figures of Thought''</ref> 

The most important form of Tamil painting is [[Tanjore painting]], which originated in [[Thanjavur]] in the 9th century. The painting's base is made of cloth and coated with [[zinc oxide]], over which the image is painted using dyes; it is then decorated with semi-precious stones, as well as silver or gold thread.<ref>{{Citation | title= Tanjore – Painting |work= tanjore.net | url= http://www.tanjore.net/tanjorepainting.htm | publisher=Tanjore.net|access-date=4 December 2006}}</ref> A style which is related in origin, but which exhibits significant differences in execution, is used for painting [[mural]]s on temple walls; the most notable example are the murals on the Kutal Azhakar and [[Meenakshi temple]]s of [[Madurai]], the [[Brihadeeswarar temple]] of [[Tanjore]].<ref>{{Citation | last=Nayanthara | first=S. | title=The World of Indian murals and paintings | publisher=Chillbreeze | year=2006 | isbn=81-904055-1-9}} at pp.55–57</ref>

Tamil sculpture ranges from elegant stone sculptures in temples, to [[bronze]] icons with exquisite details.<ref>{{Citation | title= Shilpaic literature of the tamils |work=V. Ganapathi | url= http://www.intamm.com/arts/ancient.htm| publisher=INTAMM|access-date=4 December 2006}}</ref> The medieval Chola bronzes are considered to be one of India's greatest contributions to the world art.<ref name="div_images">{{Citation
| author = Aschwin Lippe
|date= December 1971
| title = Divine Images in Stone and Bronze: South India, Chola Dynasty (c. 850–1280)
| journal = Metropolitan Museum Journal
| volume = 4
| pages = 29–79
|quote = The bronze icons of Early Chola period are one of India's greatest contribution to world art...
| doi = 10.2307/1512615
| publisher = The Metropolitan Museum of Art
| jstor=1512615}}</ref><ref name="royalacademy">{{Citation
|title = Heaven sent: Michael Wood explores the art of the Chola dynasty
|url = http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-magazine/winter2006/features/heven-sent,47,RAMA.html
|publisher = Royal Academy, UK
|access-date = 26 April 2007
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070303072704/http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-magazine/winter2006/features/heven-sent%2C47%2CRAMA.html
|archive-date = 3 March 2007
}}</ref> Unlike most Western art, the material in Tamil sculpture does not influence the form taken by the sculpture; instead, the artist imposes his/her vision of the form on the material.<ref>{{Citation|first=Carmel |last=Berkson|title=The Life of Form in Indian Sculpture |publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2000|isbn=81-7017-376-0|chapter=II The Life of Form pp29–65}}</ref> As a result, one often sees in stone sculptures flowing forms that are usually reserved for metal.<ref>Sivaram 1994</ref>

== Music ==

{{See also|Music of Tamil Nadu|Ancient Tamil music}}

Tamil country has its own music form called Tamil Pannisai, from which current carnatic music evolved. Has its own music troops like Urumi melam, Pandi melam (present day's chenda melam), Mangala Vathiyam, Kailaya vathiyam etc.,. Ancient Tamil works, such as the ''[[Silappatikaram]]'', describe a [[Ancient Tamil music|system of music]],<ref>{{Citation | last=Nijenhuis | first=Emmie te | author-link=Emmie te Nijenhuis | title=Indian Music: History and Structure | publisher=Brill | place=Leiden | year=1974 | isbn=90-04-03978-3}} at pp. 4–5</ref> and a 7th-century Pallava inscription at Kudimiyamalai contains one of the earliest surviving examples of Indian music in notation.<ref>{{Citation | last=Widdess | first=D. R. | contribution=The Kudumiyamalai inscription: a source of early Indian music in notation | editor-last=Picken | editor-first=Laurence | title=Musica Asiatica | volume=2 | place=London | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1979 | pages=115–150}}</ref> Contemporary dance forms such as [[Bharatanatyam]] have recent origins but are based older temple dance forms known as ''Sadirattam'' as practised by [[courtesans]] and a class of women known as ''[[Devadasis]]''<ref name=Leslie>Leslie, Julia. ''Roles and rituals for Hindu women'', pp.149–152</ref>

== Performing arts ==
[[File:Bharata Natyam Performance DS.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Bharatanatyam]] dancer]]

Famous Tamil dance styles are
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Bharatanatyam]] (Tamil classical dance)
* [[Sadirattam]] (Tamil classical dance- erotic music and movements similar to mohiniattam)
* [[Karakattam]] (Tamil ancient folk dance)
* [[Koothu]] (A folk and street dance)
* [[Kaliyal]] (A folk dance using sticks and intricate movements)
* [[Devarattam]] (A dance of warriors)
* [[Kai-silambam]] (A folk dance holding silambam in hand)
* [[Parai]]attam (A folk drums and dance)
* [[Kavadi]]attam (dedicated to the Tamil God [[Murugan]])
* [[Kummi]]yattam (female folk dance)
* Bommalattam (Puppet dance)
* [[Puliyattam]] (Tiger dance)
* [[Mayilattam]] (Peacock dance)
* [[Paampu attam]] (snake dance)
* [[Oyilattam]] (Dance of Grace)
* [[Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam]] (False legged horses dance)
}}

Contemporary dance forms such as [[Bharatanatyam]] have recent origins but are based older temple dance forms known as ''Catir Kacceri'' as practised by [[courtesans]] and a class of women known as ''[[Devadasis]]''<ref name="Leslie"/>
One of the Tamil [[folk dance]]s is ''[[karakattam]]''. In its religious form, the dance is performed in front of an image of the goddess [[Mariamma]].<ref>Sharma, Manorama (2004). Folk India: A Comprehensive Study of Indian Folk Music and Culture, Vol. 11</ref> The ''kuravanci'' is a type of dance-drama, performed by four to eight women. The drama is opened by a woman playing the part of a female [[Fortune-telling|soothsayer]] of the ''[[kurava]]'' tribe(people of hills and mountains), who tells the story of a lady pining for her lover. The [[Koothu|therukoothu]], literally meaning "street play", is a form of village theater or folk opera. It is traditionally performed in village squares, with no sets and very simple props.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tamilnadu.com/arts/therukoothu.html|title=Therukoothu|publisher=Tamilnadu.com|date=16 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619060246/http://tamilnadu.com/arts/therukoothu.html|archive-date=19 June 2013}}</ref> The performances involve songs and dances, and the stories can be either religious or [[secularity|secular]].<ref>{{Citation| title=Tamil Art History| url=http://www.eelavar.com/jaffna/pageview.php?ID=578&SID=119| publisher=eelavar.com| access-date=5 December 2006| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427073449/http://www.eelavar.com/jaffna/pageview.php?ID=578&SID=119| archive-date=27 April 2006}}</ref> The performances are not formal, and performers often interact with the audience, mocking them, or involving them in the dialogue. Therukkūthu has, in recent times, been very successfully adapted to convey social messages, such as [[abstinence]] and [[caste|anti-caste]] criticism, as well as information about legal rights, and has spread to other parts of India.<ref>{{Citation | title= Striving hard to revive and refine ethnic dance form | url= http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/11/stories/2006111100670300.htm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071001090646/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/11/stories/2006111100670300.htm| url-status= dead| archive-date= 1 October 2007| access-date=5 December 2006 | location=Chennai, India | work= [[The Hindu]] | date=11 November 2006}}</ref> Tamil Nadu also has a well developed stage theatre tradition, which has been influenced by western theatre. A number of theatrical companies exist, with repertoires including [[absurdist fiction|absurdist]], [[Realism (arts)|realist]], and [[comedy|humorous]] plays.<ref>{{Citation | title= Bhagavata mela | url= http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/04/30/stories/2004043001360600.htm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041113000417/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/04/30/stories/2004043001360600.htm| url-status= dead| archive-date= 13 November 2004| access-date=5 December 2006 | location=Chennai, India | work= [[The Hindu]] | date=30 April 2004}}</ref>

=== Film and theatre arts ===
{{main|Tamil cinema|Tamil television soap opera |Kattaikkuttu}}
The theatrical culture that flourished Tamil culture during the classical age. Tamil theatre has a long and varied history whose origins can be traced back almost two millennia to dance-theatre forms like ''Kotukotti'' and ''Pandarangam'', which are mentioned in an ancient anthology of poems entitled the ''Kalingathu Parani''.<ref>Dennis Kennedy ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance'', Publisher:Oxford University Press</ref>

The predominant theatre form of the region is [[Kattaikkuttu]], where performers (historically men) sing, act, dance and are accompanied by musicians on traditional instruments. The majority of performances draw from stories in the [[Mahabharata]], while a few plays take their inspiration from [[Purana]] stories.

The modern Tamil film industry originated during the 20th century. Tamil film industry has its headquarters in Chennai and is known under the name [[Kollywood]], it is the second largest film industry in India after [[Bollywood]].<ref>{{Citation | title= The states they're in | work= Guardian, 26 November 2006 | url= http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1955127,00.html|publisher= guardian.com | access-date=5 December 2006 | location=London | first=Tom | last=Templeton | date=26 November 2006}}</ref> Films from Kollywood entertain audiences not only in India but also overseas [[Tamil diaspora]]. Tamil films from Chennai have been distributed to various overseas cinemas in Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, Japan, Oceania, the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America.<ref>{{Citation | title=Eros buys Tamil film distributor | work= [[Business Standard]] | url=http://www.business-standard.com/indi/storypage.php?autono=290977| date=6 October 2011}}</ref> Inspired by Kollywood originated outside India Independent Tamil film production in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Canada, and western Europe. Several Tamil actresses such as Anuisa Ranjan [[Vyjayanthimala]], [[Hema Malini]], [[Rekha Ganesan]], [[Sridevi]], [[Meenakshi Sheshadri]], and [[Vidya Balan]] have acted in [[Bollywood]] and dominated the cinema over the years. Historical chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, including [[M. G. Ramachandran]], [[M. Karunanidhi]] and [[J. Jayalalithaa]], were previously successful personalities in the Tamil film industry.

=== Jallikattu ===
{{Further|Jallikattu|2017 Jallikattu protests}}
In Ancient times, two bullfighting and bull-racing sports were conducted. 1.Manjuvirattu and 2. Yeruthazhuval. These sports were organised to keep the people's temperament always fit and ready for the war at any time. Each has its own techniques and rules. These sports acted as one of the criteria to marry girls of warrior family. There were traditions where the winner would be chosen as bridegroom for their daughter or sister.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Gandhirajan, a post-graduate in Art History from Madurai-Kamaraj University, said the ancient Tamil tradition was "manju virattu" (chasing bulls) or "eruthu kattuthal" (lassoing bulls) and it was never "jallikattu," that is baiting a bull or controlling it as the custom obtained today. In ancient Tamil country, during the harvest festival, decorated bulls would be let loose on the "peru vazhi" (highway) and the village youth would take pride in chasing them and outrunning them. Women, elders and children would watch the fun from the sidelines of the "peru vazhi" or streets. Nobody was injured in this. Or the village youth would take delight in lassoing the sprinting bulls with "vadam" (rope). It was about 500 years ago, after the advent of the Nayak rule in Tamil Nadu with its Telugu rulers and chieftains, that this harmless bull-chasing sport metamorphosed into "jallikattu," according to Gandhirajan.<ref name="BullFight_Hindu">{{Citation
|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/15/stories/2008011553700400.htm
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117121444/http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/15/stories/2008011553700400.htm
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=17 January 2008
|title= The Hindu epaper ''The Bull fight tradition existed 2,000 years ago and more...''
|access-date =15 Jan 2008
|author= T.S. Subramanian
|work=[[The Hindu]]
|year=2008
}}</ref>

The ancient Tamil art of unarmed [[bullfighting]], popular amongst warriors in the classical period,<ref name="jallikattu_ebook">{{Citation
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o56i5ymOIBkC&pg=PA159&dq=jallikattu+history
|title=Google books version of the book ''A Western Journalist on India: The Ferengi's Columns'' by François Gautier
|access-date =24 May 2007
|isbn=978-81-241-0795-9
|author1=Gau
|year=2001
}}</ref><ref name="jallikattu_nytimes">{{Citation
|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/travel/21webletter.html
|title=NY Times: ''The ritual dates back as far as 2,000 years...''
|access-date =24 May 2007
| work=The New York Times
| first=Daniel
| last=Grushkin
| date=22 March 2007}}</ref> has also survived in parts of [[Tamil Nadu]], notably [[Alanganallur]] near [[Madurai]], where it is known as [[Jallikattu]] and is held once a year around the time of the [[Pongal (festival)|Pongal]] festival.

==See also==
* [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
* [[Tamil people]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://tamilnation.org/culture/index.htm Tamil Culture]

[[Category:Tamil culture| ]]
[[Category:Tamil]]

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Tamil culture