Tamils: Difference between revisions

| native_name      = '''தமிழர்'''

| native_name_lang = ta/TA

| image            = Tamil bride and groom performing 'மெட்டி அணிதல்'.jpg

| pop1            = 69,026,881 (2011)<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language-2011/Statement-1.pdf Statement 1 : Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues  – 2011], Censusindia.gov</ref>

| pop3            = 1,800,000<ref name="ethnologue.com">{{Ethnologue19|tam|Tamil}}</ref>

| pop4            = 192,665+ (2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Basic Demographic Characteristics: Table 6 Indian Resident Population by Age Group, Dialect Group and Sex|url=http://www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/publications_and_papers/cop2010/census_2010_release1/excel/t1-11.xls|work=Census of Population 2010 Statistical Release 1: Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion |publisher=Department of Statistics, Singapore|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908091821/http://www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/publications_and_papers/cop2010/census_2010_release1/excel/t1-11.xls|archive-date=8 September 2013}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170120210625/http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publications_and_papers/GHS/ghs2015/ghs2015.pdf General Household Survey 2015 - Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Republic of Singapore], Web.archive.org</ref>{{refn|group=note|Note: The Singapore Tamil population data excludes Tamils who were unable to speak and those in one-person households

| religions        = '''Majority''':<br>[[File:Om.svg|15px]] [[Hinduism]]<br>'''Minority''':<br>{{hlist |[[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] [[Islam]] |[[File:Christian cross.svg|12px]] [[Christianity]] |[[File:Dharma Wheel.svg|18px]] [[Buddhism]] |[[File:Jain Prateek Chihna.svg|12px]] [[Jainism]] |[[File:Star of David.svg|18px]] [[Judaism]] }}

| related          = {{hlist|[[Dravidian people|Dravidians]]| [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]]| [[Malayali|Malayali]]}}

The '''Tamil people''', also known as '''Tamilar''' ({{lang-ta|தமிழர்|Tamiḻar|translit-std=ISO}}, {{IPA-ta|t̪amiɻaɾ|pron}} in the singular or {{lang-ta|தமிழர்கள்|Tamiḻarkaḷ|translit-std=ISO|label=none}}, {{IPA-ta|t̪amiɻaɾɣaɭ|}} in the plural), or simply '''Tamils''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|m|ɪ|l|s}}), are a [[Dravidian peoples|Dravidian]] [[ethno-linguistic group]] who trace their ancestry mainly to [[India]]’s [[South India|southern]] state of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[union territory]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and to [[Sri Lanka]]. Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India (concentrated mainly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), 15% in Sri Lanka (excluding [[Sri Lankan Moors]]),{{refn|group=note|Tamils in Sri Lanka are classified into three ethnicities by the [[Sri Lankan government]], namely [[Sri Lankan Tamils]], [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Indian Origin Tamils]] and [[Sri Lankan Moors]] who accounted for 11.2%, 4.1% and 9.3% respectively of the country's population in 2011.<ref name=census12>{{cite web|title=A2: Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012|url=http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/index.php?fileName=pop42&gp=Activities&tpl=3|publisher=Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka}}</ref> Indian Origin Tamils were separately classified in the 1911 census onwards, while the [[Sri Lankan government]] lists a substantial Tamil-speaking Muslim population as a distinct ethnicity. However, much of the available genealogical evidence suggests that the Sri Lankan Moor community are of Tamil ethnicity, and that the majority of their ancestors were also Tamils who had lived in the country for generations, and had simply converted to Islam from other faiths.<ref name="vm">{{cite book|last=Mohan|first=Vasundhara|title=Identity Crisis of Sri Lankan Muslims|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=Delhi|year=1987|pages=9–14, 27–30, 67–74, 113–18}}</ref><ref name="moor">{{cite web|url=http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/1903/12049/1/Ramos_umd_0117E_12042.pdf|title=Ross Brann, "The Moors?"|website=Drum.lib.umd.edu|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2070817.stm|title=Analysis: Tamil-Muslim divide|publisher=BBC News World Edition|access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref> It is also evidenced by the fact that Sri Lankan Moors were not a self-defined group of people and neither did the 'Moor' identity exist before the arrival of Portuguese colonists.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}}} 7% in [[Tamil Malaysians|Malaysia]], 6% in [[Tamil Mauritians|Mauritius]],<ref>[http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/StatsbySubj/Documents/Digest/Demographic13.pdf] {{dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref> and 5% in [[Indian Singaporeans|Singapore]].

From the 4th century BCE,<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot |editor-first=Mohan |editor-last=Lal |page=4283 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1992}}</ref> urbanisation and mercantile activity along the western and eastern coasts of what is today [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] led to the development of four large Tamil empires, the [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]], [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]], [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]], and [[Pallava dynasty|Pallavas]] and a number of smaller states, all of whom were warring amongst themselves for dominance. The [[Jaffna Kingdom]], inhabited by [[Sri Lankan Tamils]], was once one of the strongest kingdoms of Sri Lanka and controlled much of the north of the island.

Tamils were noted for their [[History of Indian influence on Southeast Asia|influence on regional trade throughout the Indian Ocean]]. Artefacts marking the presence of [[Roman commerce|Roman traders]] demonstrate that [[Indo-Roman trade relations|direct trade was active between Ancient Rome and Southern India]], and the Pandyas were recorded as having sent at least two embassies directly to the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Augustus]] in Rome. The Pandyas and Cholas were historically active in [[Sri Lanka]]. The Chola dynasty successfully invaded several areas in southeast Asia, including the powerful [[Srivijaya]] and the Malay city-state of [[Kedah]].<ref>Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: Reflections on the Chola Naval Expeditions to Southeast Asia by Hermann Kulke, K Kesavapany, Vijay Sakhuja p. 79</ref> Medieval Tamil guilds and trading organizations like the Ayyavole and Manigramam played an important role in Southeast Asian trading networks.<ref>The Emporium of the World: Maritime Quanzhou, 1000–1400 by Angela Schottenhammer p. 293</ref> [[Pallava]] traders and religious leaders travelled to [[Southeast Asia]] and played an important role in the [[Greater India|cultural Indianisation]] of the region. Scripts brought by Tamil traders to Southeast Asia, like the [[Grantha script|Grantha]] and [[Pallava script]]s, induced the development of many Southeast Asian scripts such as [[Khmer script|Khmer]], [[Javanese script|Javanese]], [[Kawi script|Kawi]], [[Baybayin]], and [[Thai script|Thai]].

The [[Tamil language]] is one of the world's longest-surviving [[classical language]]s,<ref name="Circulation and the Historical Geog">{{Citation|last1=Stein|first1=B.|title=Circulation and the Historical Geography of Tamil Country|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|volume=37|issue=1|pages=7–26|year=1977|doi=10.2307/2053325|jstor=2053325}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Steever|1998|pp=6–9}}</ref> with a history dating back to 300 BCE. Tamil literature is dominated by poetry, especially [[Sangam literature]], which is composed of poems composed between 300 BCE and 300 CE. The most important Tamil author was the poet and philosopher [[Thiruvalluvar]], who wrote the [[Tirukkuṛaḷ]], a group of treatises on ethics, politics, love and morality widely considered the greatest work of Tamil literature.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot |editor-first=Mohan |editor-last=Lal |page=4284 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1992}}</ref> Tamil visual art is dominated by [[Dravidian architecture|stylized Temple architecture]] in major centres and the productions of images of deities in stone and bronze. Chola bronzes, especially the [[Nataraja]] sculptures of the [[Chola art|Chola period]], have become notable symbols of [[Hinduism]]. A major part of Tamil performing arts is its classical form of dance, the [[Bharatanatyam]], whereas the popular forms are known as [[Koothu]]. Classical Tamil music is dominated by the [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] genre, while [[gaana]] and [[dappan koothu]] are also popular genres. Tamil is an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore. In 2004, Tamil was the first of six to be designated as a [[Languages of India#Classical languages of India|classical language of India]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/18/stories/2004091806530100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303153544/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/18/stories/2004091806530100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 March 2018 |title=Front Page : Tamil to be a classical language |date=18 September 2004 |access-date=1 August 2010 |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

Although most Tamil people are [[Hindus]], many follow a particular way of religious practice that is considered to be the Ancient Tamil religion, venerating a plethora of [[Village deities of South India|village deities]] and [[Religion in ancient Tamil country|Ancient Tamil Gods]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Tamilar Madham - Contents Page|url=http://www.tamilvu.org/library/lA466/html/lA466con.htm|access-date=2021-04-29|website=www.tamilvu.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cutler|first=Norman|date=1983|editor-last=Clothey|editor-first=Fred W.|editor2-last=Ramanujan|editor2-first=A. K.|editor3-last=Shulman|editor3-first=David Dean|title=Tamil Religion: Melting Pot or Battleground?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1062405|journal=History of Religions|volume=22|issue=4|pages=381–391|doi=10.1086/462931|jstor=1062405|s2cid=162366616|issn=0018-2710}}</ref> A smaller number are [[Tamil Christians|Christians]] and [[Tamil Muslim|Muslims]], and a small [[Tamil Jain|Jain]] community survives from the classical period as well. [[Tamil cuisine]] is informed by varied [[Vegetarian cuisine|vegetarian]] and non-vegetarian items, usually spiced with locally available spices. The [[Ancient Tamil music|music]], the temple architecture, and the stylized sculptures favoured by the Tamil people as in their [[Ancient Tamil country|ancient nation]] are still being learnt and practised. English historian and broadcaster [[Michael Wood (historian)|Michael Wood]] called the Tamils the last surviving classical civilization on Earth, because the Tamils have preserved substantial elements of their past regarding belief, culture, music, and literature despite the influence of [[globalization]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wood|first=Michael|title=A South Indian Journey: The Smile of Murugan|publisher=Penguin UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sK4hIRAdIJ8C|isbn=978-0-14-193527-0|date=2 August 2007 |pages=x, xiii, xvi}}</ref>

It is unknown whether the term {{transliteration|ta|ISO|Tamiḻar}} and its equivalents in [[Prakrit]] such as ''Damela'', ''Dameda'', ''Dhamila'', and ''Damila'' was a self designation or a term denoted by outsiders. Epigraphic evidence of an ethnicity termed as such is found in [[History of Sri Lanka#Anuradhapura period (377 BCE–1017)|ancient Sri Lanka]], where a number of inscriptions have come to light dating from the 2nd century BCE mentioning ''Damela'' or ''Dameda'' persons. The well-known [[Hathigumpha inscription]] of the [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga ruler]] [[Kharavela]] refers to a ''T(ra)mira samghata'' (Confederacy of Tamil rulers) dated to 150 BCE. It also mentions that the league of Tamil kingdoms had been in existence 113 years before then. In [[Amaravathi village, Guntur district|Amaravati]] (located in present-day [[Andhra Pradesh]]) there is an inscription referring to a ''Dhamila-vaniya'' (Tamil trader) datable to the 3rd century CE.<ref name=KI157/>

In the [[Buddhist texts|Buddhist]] [[Jataka]] story known as ''Akiti Jataka'' there is a mention of a ''Damila-rattha'' (Tamil dynasty). There were trade relationship between the [[Roman Empire]] and [[Pandyan Empire]]. As recorded by the [[Hellenistic Greece|Hellenistic Greek]] historian and geographer [[Strabo]], the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Augustus]] of [[Rome]] received at [[Antioch]] an ambassador from a king called ''Pandyan of Dramira''.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Hence, it is clear that by at least 300 BCE, the ethnic identity of Tamils was formed as a distinct group.<ref name=KI157>{{cite book |last=Indrapala |first=K. |title=The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka |pages=155–56 |year=2007 |publisher=Vijitha Yapa |isbn=978-955-1266-72-1}}</ref> {{transliteration|ta|ISO|Tamiḻar}} is etymologically related to Tamil, the language spoken by Tamil people. Southworth suggests that the name comes from ''tam-miz'' > ''tam-iz'' -  "self-speak", or "our own speech".<ref>{{citation |last=Southworth |first=Franklin C. |title=On the Origin of the word tamiz |year=1998 |journal=International Journal of Dravidial Linguistics |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=129–32}}</ref> Zvelebil suggests an etymology of ''tam-iz'', with ''tam'' meaning "self" or "one's self", and "-iz" having the connotation of "unfolding sound". Alternatively, he suggests a derivation of ''tamiz'' < ''tam-iz'' < ''*tav-iz'' < ''*tak-iz'', meaning in origin "the proper process (of speaking)".<ref>{{citation |last=Zvelebil |first=Kamil V. |author-link=Kamil Zvelebil |title=Companion Studies to the history of Tamil literature |year=1992 |publisher=E.J. Brill |place=Leiden |pages=x–xvi}}</ref>

These early kingdoms sponsored the growth of some of the oldest extant [[Tamil literature|literature in Tamil]]. The classical Tamil literature, referred to as Sangam literature, is attributed to the period between 300 BCE and 300 CE.<ref>Kamil Veith Zvelebil, ''Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature'', p. 12</ref><ref name="Sastri 1955 105"/> The poems of Sangam literature, which deal with emotional and material topics, were categorised and collected into various anthologies during the medieval period. These Sangam poems paint the picture of a fertile land and of a people who were organised into various occupational groups. The governance of the land was through hereditary monarchies, although the sphere of the state's activities and the extent of the ruler's powers were limited through the adherence to the established order ("[[dharma]]"). Although the Pallava records can be traced from the 2nd century CE, they did not rise to prominence as an imperial dynasty until the 6th century.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} They transformed the institution of the kingship into an imperial one, and sought to bring vast amounts of territory under their direct rule. The [[Bhakti movement]] in Hinduism was founded at this time, and rose along with the growing influence of Jainism and Buddhism.<ref name="med_india">{{Citation|last = Chandra|first= Satish|title=  Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (1206–1526) – I|year=1997|publisher= Har-Anand Publications|page = 250|isbn = 978-81-241-1064-5|quote =... Starting from the Tamil lands under the Pallava kings, bhakti spread to different parts of south India ...}}</ref> The Pallavas pioneered the building of large, ornate temples in stone which formed the basis of the Dravidian temple architecture. They came into conflict with the [[Kannada]] [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukyas of Badami]]. During this period, the great Badami Chalukya King [[Pulakeshin II]] extended the Chalukya Empire up to the northern extents of the Pallava kingdom and defeated the Pallavas in several battles.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Chopra|first1= P. N.|last2= Ravindran|first2= T. K.|last3=Subrahmanian|first3= N.|title= History of South India (Ancient, Medieval and Modern) Part 1|year=2003|publisher= Chand Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn= 978-81-219-0153-6}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2021}} Pallava [[Narasimhavarma I|Narasimhavarman]] however reversed this victory in 642 by attacking and occupying Badami temporarily.<ref name="fell">{{cite book |first=K. A. Nilakanta |last=Sastri |title=A History of South India |page=136 |year=1955 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> However a later Chalukya King [[Vikramaditya II]] took revenge by repeated invasions of the territory of [[Tondaimandalam]] and his subsequent victories over Pallava [[Nandivarman II]] and the annexation of Kanchipuram.<ref name="overran">{{cite book |first=K. A. Nilakanta |last=Sastri |title=A History of South India |page=140 |year=1955 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> The Pallava dynasty was overthrown in the 9th century by the imperial Kannada [[Rashtrakutas]] who ruled from Gulbarga. [[Krishna III]], the last great Rashtrakuta king, consolidated the empire so that it stretched from the Narmada River to the Kaveri River and included the northern Tamil country (Tondaimandalam) while levying tribute on the king of Ceylon.<ref name="krishna">{{cite book |first=K. A. Nilakanta |last=Sastri |title=A History of South India |page=162 |year=1955 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

The eventual decline of Chola power in South India began towards the end of Kulottunga III's reign. It was accentuated by the resurgence of Pandyas under [[Maravarman Sundara Pandya]] (1216-1238 CE)<ref name="his_of_india">{{Citation|last = Smith|first= Vincent Arthur|title=  The Early History of India|year=1904|publisher= The Clarendon press|pages = 336–58|isbn = 978-81-7156-618-1}}</ref> The waning Chola fortunes resulted in a three-way fight for the Tamil regions between the Pandyas, the Hoysalas and the Kakatiyas. Even the Kadava chief, Kopperunjinga, rebelled against his Chola overlord, Rajaraja III, and asserted his independence.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} The Hoysalas played a divisive role in the politics of the Tamil country during this period. They thoroughly exploited the lack of unity among the Tamil kingdoms and alternately supported one Tamil kingdom against the other thereby preventing both the Cholas and Pandyas from rising to their full potential. During the period of Rajaraja III, the Hoysalas sided with the Cholas and defeated the Kadava chieftain Kopperunjinga and the Pandyas and established a presence in the Tamil country. Rajendra Chola III who succeeded Rajaraja III was a much better ruler who took bold steps to revive the Chola fortunes. He led successful expeditions to the north as attested by his epigraphs found as far as Cuddappah.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Land, Peasantry, and Peasant Life in India New Direction, Renewed Debate|editor=S. Jeyaseela Stephen|publisher=Manak Publications|page=87|year=2008}}</ref> He also defeated two Pandya princes one of whom was Maravarman Sundara Pandya II and briefly made the Pandyas submit to the Chola overlordship. The Hoysalas, under Vira Someswara, were quick to intervene and this time they sided with the Pandyas and repulsed the Cholas in order to counter the latter's revival.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|author=Sailendra Nath Sen|publisher=New Age International, 1999|page=487}}</ref>

 

Tamil history turned a new leaf with the advent of the warrior prince, [[Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I]]. In the ensuing wars for supremacy, he emerged as the single most victorious ruler and the Pandya kingdom reached its zenith in the 13th century during his reign. Jatavarman Sundara Pandya first put an end to Hoysala interference by expelling them from the Kaveri delta and subsequently killed their king Vira Someswara in 1262 AD near Srirangam. He then defeated Kopperunjinga, the Kadava chieftain, and turned him into a vassal. The Pandya then turned his attention to the north and annexed Kanchi by killing the Telugu chief Vijaya Gandagopala. He then marched up to Nellore and celebrated his victories there by doing the ''virabisheka''(anointment of heroes) after defeating the Kakatiya ruler, Ganapati. Meanwhile, his lieutenant Vira Pandya defeated the king of Lanka and obtained the submission of the island nation.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|author=Sailendra Nath Sen|publisher=New Age International, 1999|page=459}}</ref> In the 14th century, the Pandyan empire was engulfed in a civil war and also had to face repeated invasions by the Delhi Sultanate. In 1335, [[Madurai]], the Pandyan capital, was conquered by [[Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan]] and a short-lived [[Madurai Sultanate]] was established, but was captured in 1378 by the [[Vijayanagara Empire]].

 

Throughout the 15th century, the Vijayanagara Empire was the dominant power of South India.In the early 16th  century (about 1520 CE), Virasekhara Chola, king of Tanjore rose out of obscurity and plundered the dominions of the then Pandya prince in south. The Pandya who was under the protection of the Vijayanagara appealed to the emperor and the Raya accordingly directed his agent (''Karyakartta'') Nagama Nayaka who was stationed in the south to put down the Chola. Nagama Nayaka then defeated the Chola but to everyone's surprise the once loyal officer of Krishnadeva Raya defied the emperor for some reason and decided to keep Madurai for himself.<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Cambridge History of India Vijayanagara Volume 1|author=Burton Stein|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=57|year=1990}}</ref> Krishnadeva Raya is then said to have dispatched Nagama's son, Viswanatha who defeated his father and restored Madurai to Vijayanagara.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mediaeval Kerala|author=P. K. S. Raja|publisher=Navakerala Co-op Publishing House|page=47|year=1966}}</ref> The fate of Virasekhara Chola, the last of the line of Cholas is not known. It is speculated that he either fell in battle or was put to death along with his heirs during his encounter with Vijayanagara.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sri Brihadisvara, the Great Temple of Thanjavur|author=Ē. Kē Cēṣāttiri|publisher=Nile Books|page=24|year=1998}}</ref> Later when the Vijayanagara empire crumbled and fell after the [[Battle of Talikota]] in 1565 CE, the Nayaks who had once been viceroys asserted their independence and ruled independently from Madurai and Thanjavur.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hinduism and the Religious Arts|author=Heather Elgood|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|page=162|year=2000}}</ref>

Early South Indian type [[Black and red ware culture|black and red ware]] potsherds found in Sri Lanka, indicate that both region were bound by similar culture and identity.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sri Lanka: Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling of Democracy|last=Tambiah|first=Stanley Jeyaraja|date=1986|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781850430261|pages=90|language=en}}</ref> The many Brahmic inscriptions found in Sri Lanka, with Tamil clan names such as ''Parumakal'', ''Ay'', ''Vel'', ''Uti'' (''Utiyan''), ''Tissa'' (''Ticaiyan''), ''Cuda''/''Cula''/''Cola, Naka'' etc., point out to early close affinity between Sri Lanka and South India.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey|last=Ragupathy|first=Ponnampalam|date=1987|publisher=University of Jaffna|pages=223|language=en}}</ref> Potsherds with [[Tamil Brahmi|early Tamil writing]] from the 2nd century BCE have been found in excavations in north of the Sri Lanka in [[Poonakari|Poonagari]], bearing several inscriptions including a clan name – ''vela'', a name related to ''[[Velirs|velir]]'' from [[ancient Tamil country]].<ref name=ETEHar>Mahadeva, I. ''Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D.'', p. 48</ref> Tamil Brahmi inscribed potsherds have also been [[Tissamaharama Tamil Brahmi inscriptions|excavated in the south of the island in Tissamaharama]]. There is [[epigraphic]] evidence of people identifying themselves as Damelas or Damedas (the [[Prakrit]] word for Tamil people) in Anuradhapura, the capital city of [[Rajarata]], and other areas of Sri Lanka as early as the 2nd century BCE.<ref>Indrapala, K., ''The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka'', p. 157</ref> Historical records establish that Tamil kingdoms in modern India were closely involved in the island's affairs from about the 2nd century BCE.<ref name="desilva">{{harvnb|de Silva|1997|pp= 30–32}}</ref><ref name="mendis">Mendis, G.C. ''Ceylon Today and Yesterday'', pp. 24–25</ref> In ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', a historical poem, ethnic Tamil adventurers such as [[Elara (King)|Elara]] invaded the island around 145 BCE.<ref>Nadarajan, V., ''History of Ceylon Tamils'', p. 40</ref> Tamil soldiers from what is now South India were brought to Anuradhapura between the 7th and 11th centuries CE in such large numbers that local chiefs and kings trying to establish legitimacy came to rely on them.<ref name=GSpencer/> By the 8th century CE there were Tamil villages collectively known as ''Demel-kaballa'' (Tamil allotment), ''Demelat-valademin'' (Tamil villages), and ''Demel-gam-bim'' (Tamil villages and lands).<ref>Indrapala, K ''The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sr Lanka'', pp. 214–15</ref>

The [[Caste system in Sri Lanka|caste structure]] of the majority [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] has also accommodated Hindu immigrants from South India since the 13th century CE. This led to the emergence of three new Sinhalese caste groups: The "[[Radala]]" the ''[[Salagama]]'', the ''[[Durava]]'' and the ''[[Karava]]''.<ref name=silva121/><ref>Spencer, ''Sri Lankan history and roots of conflict'', p. 23</ref><ref>Indrapala, K., ''The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka'', p. 275</ref> The Hindu migration and assimilation continued until the 18th century.<ref name=silva121>{{harvnb|de Silva|1997|p= 121}}</ref>

After anti-Tamil [[pogrom]]s in [[1956 Ceylonese riots|1956]], [[1958 anti-Tamil pogrom|1958]] and [[1977 anti-Tamil pogrom|1977]] and a brutal crackdown against Tamils protesting against these acts, guerrilla groups like the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (Tamil Tigers) were established{{by whom|date=October 2018}}. They aimed to set up an independent Tamil state, Tamil Eelam, for majority-Tamil regions in Sri Lanka. The [[burning of Jaffna library]] in 1981 and [[Black July]] in 1983 finally led to over 25 years of war between the [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan army]] and the Tamil Tigers, in which both sides committed numerous atrocities. This [[Sri Lankan civil war]] led to death of over 100,000 people, according to the [[UN|United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-05-20/up-to-100000-killed-in-sri-lankas-civil-war-un/1689524 |title=Up to 100,000 killed in Sri Lanka's civil war: UN |website=ABC News |language=en-AU |access-date=1 March 2016|date=20 May 2009 }}</ref> The Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers allegedly committed [[war crimes]] against the civilian Sri Lankan Tamil people during the final months of the [[Eelam War IV]] phase in 2009, when the leader of the Tigers, Prabhakaran, was killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/05/20/sri-lanka-new-evidence-wartime-abuses |title=Sri Lanka: New Evidence of Wartime Abuses |website=Human Rights Watch |access-date=9 March 2016|date=20 May 2010 }}</ref> The war led to the flight of over 800,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, many going to the UK and India.

There are significant Tamil communities in other parts of India. Most of these have emerged fairly recently, dating to the colonial and post-colonial periods, but some date back to the medieval period.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Significant populations reside in [[Karnataka]] (3 million), [[Maharashtra]] (0.4 million), [[Andhra Pradesh]] (1.2 million), [[Kerala]]  (0.6 million), [[Gujarat]] (0.1 million) and the [[National Capital Region]] (0.1 million).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm |title=Almost 5 million Tamils live outside Tamil Nadu, inside India |publisher=Censusindia.gov.in |access-date=18 July 2010}}</ref>

{{See also|Tamil Malaysians|Tamil South Africans|Tamil Canadians|Tamil British|Tamil Americans|Tamil Indonesian|Myanmar Tamils|Tamils in Réunion|Malbars}}

Significant Tamil emigration began in the 18th century, when the British colonial government sent many middle-class and poor Tamils as [[Indian indenture system|indentured labourers to far-off parts of the Empire]], especially [[British Malaya|Malaya]], [[Burma]], [[South Africa]], [[Fiji]], [[Mauritius]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], [[Jamaica]], [[French Guiana]], [[Guadeloupe]], and [[Martinique]]. At about the same time, many Tamil businessmen also migrated to other parts of the British Empire, particularly to Burma and East Africa.<ref>{{citation |title=The Tamil Migration Cycle 1830–1950 |author=Christophe Z Guilmoto |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |jstor=4399307 |pages=111–20 |volume=28 |issue=3 |publisher=Economic and Political Weekly |year=1993}}</ref>

Many Tamils still live in these countries, and the Tamil communities in [[Singapore]], [[Reunion Island]], [[Malaysia]], [[Myanmar]] and [[Tamil South Africans|South Africa]] have retained much of their original culture, tradition and language. Many Malaysian children attend [[Education in Malaysia#School types and medium of instruction|Tamil schools]], and a significant portion of Tamil children are brought up with Tamil as their first language. In Singapore, Mauritius and Reunion, Tamil students learn Tamil as their second language in school. In Singapore, to preserve the [[Tamil language]], the government has made it an official language despite Tamils comprising only about 5% of the population, and has also introduced compulsory instruction of the language for Tamils. Other Tamil communities, such as those in South Africa, [[Fiji]], [[Mauritius]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], [[Jamaica]], [[French Guiana]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Pakistan]], [[Martinique]], and the [[Caribbean]] no longer speak Tamil language as a first language, but still retain a strong Tamil identity, and are able to understand the language, while most elders speak it as a first language.<ref>{{citation |title=Tamil diaspora – a trans state nation |url=http://searchko.in/literature/ta-cached.jsp?id=82&idx=0 |publisher=Tamilnation.org |access-date=4 December 2006 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721181236/http://searchko.in/literature/ta-cached.jsp?id=82&idx=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{dubious|date=February 2021}} There is a very small [[Tamils in Pakistan|Tamil community in Pakistan]], notably settled since the [[Partition of India|partition]] in 1947.<ref name="thenews">{{cite news |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-98530-Strangers-to-their-roots-and-those-around-them |title=Strangers to their roots, and those around them |work=The News |date=20 March 2012 |access-date=8 September 2014 |first=Ammar |last=Shahbazi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617043012/http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-98530-Strangers-to-their-roots-and-those-around-them |archive-date=17 June 2013 }}</ref>

Ancient Tamil grammatical works, [[Tolkappiyam]]; the ten anthologies, [[Pathupattu]]; and the eight anthologies, [[Ettuthogai]] shed light on early religion. [[Murugan]] was glorified as "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent" as "the favored god of the Tamils." [[Shiva|Sivan]] was also seen as the supreme God.<ref name="autogenerated1979" />{{page needed|date=February 2021}} 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 as [[Murugan|Seyyon]] in ''Kurinji''-the hills, [[Thirumal]] in ''Mullai''-the forests, [[Indra|Vendhan]] in ''Marutham''-the plains, [[Varuna|Kadalon]] in the ''Neithal''-the coasts & the seas and [[Kottravai]] in ''Paalai''- the deserts. Other gods mentioned were [[Krishna|Mayyon]] and [[Balaram|Vaali]] who are major deities in Hinduism today. Mercantile groups from [[Tamilakam]] and Kerala introduced ''Cholapauttam'', a syncretic form of Buddhism and [[Shaivism]] in northern Sri Lanka and Southern India. This religion was transmitted through the Tamil language. The religion lost its importance in the 14th century when conditions changed for the benefit of [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]/[[Pali]] traditions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Early Interactions Between South and Southeast Asia: Reflections on Cross-cultural Exchange|last1=Manguin|first1=Pierre-Yves|last2=Mani|first2=A.|last3=Wade|first3=Geoff|date=2011|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=9789814345101|pages=138|language=en}}</ref>

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 were Hindus in 2001.<br />

In Tamil Nadu, [[Tamil Christians|Christians]] and Muslims accounted for 6% and 5.8% respectively in 2001.<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=978-81-250-2632-7}} 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=978-0-7007-1130-7 | pages=46–66}} at p. 57.</ref> [[Tamil Jain]]s now number only a few thousand.<ref name=census>The total number of 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.<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=169–91 | doi=10.1525/ae.1975.2.1.02a00100| doi-access=free }} at p. 178</ref>

The most popular Tamil 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>{{full citation needed|date=February 2021}} In Tamil tradition, Murugan is the youngest and [[Ganesha|Pillaiyar]] the oldest son of Sivan and [[Parvati]]. The goddess Parvati is often depicted as a goddess with green skin complexion in Tamil Hindu tradition. The worship of Amman, also called Mariamman, 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)|Kannagi]], the heroine of the ''[[Cilappatikaram]]'', is worshipped as [[Pattini]] by many Tamils, particularly in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Citation|title=Tracing the Sri Lanka-Kerala link |author=P. K. 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%2C00430014.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'', p. 98</ref> In addition, there are many temples and devotees of [[Thirumal]], Sivan, Pillaiyar, and the other Hindu deities.

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 p. 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=978-1-60520-436-9|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 BCE.<ref name="needham volume 4 part 1 282">Needham, Volume 4, Part 1, p. 282.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=February 2021}}<ref name="Ancient and Medieval India. Vol.2 by Charlotte Speir Manning p.365">{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nmESJR3a0RYC&pg=PA365 | title = Ancient and Medieval India. Volume 2 | isbn = 978-0-543-92943-3 | last1 = 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. Production sites from antiquity have emerged, in places such as [[Anuradhapura]], [[Tissamaharama]] and [[Samanalawewa]], as well as imported artefacts of ancient iron and steel from Kodumanal. A [[Tissamaharama Tamil Brahmi inscription|200 BCE Tamil trade guild in Tissamaharama]], in the South East of Sri Lanka, brought with them some of the oldest iron and steel artefacts and production processes to the island from the [[classical antiquity|classical period]].<ref>Hobbies – Volume 68, Issue 5, p. 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>{{Cite web |url=http://www.archaeology.lk/http:/www.archaeology.lk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dinithi-Volume-1-Issue-4.pdf |format=PDF |title=Dinithi Volume 1 Issue 4 |website= |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903165502/http://www.archaeology.lk/http:/www.archaeology.lk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dinithi-Volume-1-Issue-4.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</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 traveller [[Muhammad al-Idrisi|Edrisi]] mentioned the "Hinduwani" or Indian steel as the best in the world.<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 |date=2004 |publisher=National Institute of Advanced Studies |oclc=82439861 |url=http://materials.iisc.ernet.in/~wootz/heritage/WOOTZ.htm |access-date=23 July 2015 |archive-date=11 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211082829/http://materials.iisc.ernet.in/~wootz/heritage/WOOTZ.htm |url-status=dead }}</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 Medival 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 Medival India. Vol.2 by Charlotte Speir Manning p.365">{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nmESJR3a0RYC&pg=PA365 | title = Ancient and Mediæval India. Volume 2 | isbn = 978-0-543-92943-3 | last1 = Manning | first1 = Charlotte Speir}}</ref>

* [[Valari]] (Boomerang)

* [[sword|Vaal]] (sword) + [[shield|Kedayam]] (shield)

* [[spear|eetti]] or [[Vel]] (spear)

* [[Aruval|Veecharuval]] (Billhook Machete)

* [[knuckleduster|Kuttu kattai]] (spiked knuckleduster)

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 | archive-date= 27 November 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061127223530/http://www.tanjore.net/tanjorepainting.htm | url-status= dead }}</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 [[Koodal Azhagar temple]] and [[Meenakshi temple]] of [[Madurai]], and the [[Brihadeeswarar temple]] of Tanjore.<ref>{{Citation | last=Nayanthara | first=S. | title=The World of Indian murals and paintings | publisher=Chillbreeze | year=2006 | isbn=978-81-904055-1-5}} at pp. 55–57</ref>

Tamil cuisine includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Some Tamils are vegetarian because of religious reasons.<ref>Historical Dictionary of the Tamils, Vijaya Ramaswamy, Scarecrow Press, 22 May 2007.</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2021}} [[Rice]] is mostly eaten with vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries. Traditionally, the Tamils sit on the ground and the food is served on a banana leaf. The traditional foods are eaten with the right hand. Dishes such as [[Dosa (food)|dosa]], [[idli]], and [[vada (food)|vadai]] are served with [[sambar (dish)|sambar]], [[chutney]] or in Sri Lanka with [[pol sambola|coconut sambal]]. [[Rasam (dish)|Rasam]] replaces soup in Tamil cuisine. The Tamil cuisine in Sri Lanka differs little from that of South India.<ref>Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent, Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid, Artisan Books, 1 November 2005, p. 146.</ref> A famous [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] specialty is [[kottu|kottu roti]], available in most Sri Lankan restaurants in the country and abroad{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}.

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