Portal:Tamils

The Tamils portal

The Tamils (/ˈtæmɪlz, ˈtɑː-/ TAM-ilz, TAHM-), also known by their demonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. Tamil is one of the longest-surviving languages, with over two thousand years of written history, dating back to the Sangam period (between 300 BCE and 300 CE). Tamils constitute about 5.7% of the Indian population and form the majority in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. They also form significant proportions of the populations in Sri Lanka (15.3%), Malaysia (7%) and Singapore (5%). Tamils have migrated world-wide since the 19th century CE and a significant population exists in South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, as well as other regions such as the Southeast Asia, Middle East, Caribbean and parts of the Western World.

Archaeological evidence from Tamil Nadu indicates a continuous history of human occupation for more than 3,800 years. In the Sangam period, Tamilakam was ruled by the Three Crowned Kings of the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. Smaller Velir kings and chieftains ruled certain territories and maintained relationship with the larger kingdoms. Urbanisation and mercantile activity developed along the coasts during the later Sangam period with the Tamils influencing the regional trade in the Indian Ocean region. Artifacts obtained from excavations indicate the presence of early trade relations with the Romans. The major kingdoms to rule the region later were the Pallavas (3rd–9th century CE), and the Vijayanagara Empire (14th–17th century CE).

The island of Sri Lanka often saw attacks from the Indian mainland with the Cholas establishing their influence across the island and across several areas in Southeast Asia in the 10th century CE. This led to the spread of Tamil influence and contributed to the cultural Indianisation of the region. Scripts brought by Tamil traders like the Grantha and Pallava scripts, induced the development of many Southeast Asian scripts. The Jaffna Kingdom later controlled the Tamil territory in the north of the Sri Lanka from 13th to 17th century CE. European colonization began in the 17th century CE, and continued for two centuries until the middle of the 20th century. (Full article...)

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Cilappatikāram (IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, lit. "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as Silappathikaram or Silappatikaram, is the earliest Tamil epic. It is a poem of 5,730 lines in almost entirely akaval (aciriyam) meter. The epic is a tragic love story of an ordinary couple, Kaṇṇaki and her husband Kōvalaṉ. The Cilappatikāram has more ancient roots in the Tamil bardic tradition, as Kannaki and other characters of the story are mentioned or alluded to in the Sangam literature such as in the Natṟiṇai and later texts such as the Kovalam Katai. It is attributed to a prince-turned-jain-monk Iḷaṅkō Aṭikaḷ, and was probably composed in the 5th century CE (although estimates range from 2nd to 6th century CE).

The Cilappatikāram is an ancient literary masterpiece. It is to the Tamil culture what the Iliad is to the Greek culture, states R. Parthasarathy. It blends the themes, mythologies and theological values found in the Jain, Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions. It is a Tamil story of love and rejection, happiness and pain, good and evil like all classic epics of the world. Yet unlike other epics that deal with kings and armies caught up with universal questions and existential wars, the Cilappatikāram is an epic about an ordinary couple caught up with universal questions and internal, emotional war. The Cilappatikaram legend has been a part of the Tamil oral tradition. The palm-leaf manuscripts of the original epic poem, along with those of the Sangam literature, were rediscovered in monasteries in the second half of the 19th century by UV Swaminatha Aiyar – a pandit and Tamil scholar. After being preserved and copied in temples and monasteries in the form of palm-leaf manuscripts, Aiyar published its first partial edition on paper in 1872, the full edition in 1892. Since then the epic poem has been translated into many languages including English. (Full article...)

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General images

Image 1One of the most popular overseas branches of Chennai-based Saravanaa Bhavan, the world's largest Indian vegetarian restaurant chain, is located in Edison, New Jersey, U.S. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 2The New York City Metropolitan Area, including Central New Jersey, as well as Long Island and Staten Island in New York, is home to the largest Tamil American population. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 3Extent of the Pandyas in 13th century CE (from Tamils)
Image 4Kanchipuram silk saris worn by women on special occasions. (from Tamils)
Image 5Tamils decorate their homes with colorful Kolams. (from Tamils)
Image 6The northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka with majority Tamil population (from Tamils)
Image 7Jallikattu, a traditional bull taming event (from Tamils)
Image 8A Bharatanatyam performance (from Tamils)
Image 9Major trade routes and cities in the 1st century CE as per Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (from Tamils)
Image 10Sri Kamakshi Ambaal temple in Hamm, Germany (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 11Extent of Jaffna kingdom (from Tamils)
Image 12A megalithic burial jar from north-western Sri Lanka, 5th-2nd century BCE, similar to the ones found in South India. (from Tamils)
Image 13Tamilakam during Sangam period (from Tamils)
Image 14The Chola Empire at its greatest extent, during the reign of Rajendra Chola I in 1030 (from Tamils)
Image 15Expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil children in traditional clothes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 16A 12th century statue of Agathiar, a poet from the first Sangam period (from Tamils)
Image 17The large gopuram is a hallmark of Dravidian architecture (from Tamils)
Image 18Rock cut monuments in Mahabalipuram built by the Pallavas in 7th-8th century CE (from Tamils)
Image 19Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Brickfields, Malaysia. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 20Tamil people in Medan, Indonesia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 21Silambam is an old martial art originating in Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 22Celebrations of Murugan by the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Paris, France (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 23A traditional meal served on a banana leaf (from Tamils)
Image 24Distribution of Tamil speakers in South India and Sri Lanka (1981) (from Tamils)
Image 25Tamil written in Tamil script (from Tamils)
Image 26Tamil girls in Malaysia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 27Krishna with Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda (12th–13th century CE) (from Tamils)
Image 28Aiyyanar, guardian folk deity of the Tamils (from Tamils)
Image 29Distribution of Tamils (2013) (from Tamils)
Image 30Tharai and Thappattai, traditional music instruments (from Tamils)
Image 31Painting of Madras with Fort St. George by Jan Van Ryne (1754) (from Tamils)
Image 32Murugan Temple, Sydney (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 33A Malbar temple in Réunion. (from Tamil diaspora)

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Flag of India

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head, but de facto executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. Given that he has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits.

Since 1952, Tamil Nadu has had 12 chief ministers, 13 including V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, who twice acted in the role. The longest-serving chief minister, M. Karunanidhi from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, held the office for over eighteen years in multiple tenures, while he was the one who had the largest gap between two terms (nearly thirteen years). The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's former general secretary J. Jayalalithaa has the second-longest tenure, and its founder M. G. Ramachandran, the first actor to become the chief minister in India, has the third-longest tenure, while his wife V. N. Janaki Ramachandran has the shortest tenure (only 23 days). There have been four instances of president's rule in Tamil Nadu, most recently in 1991. (Full article...)

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Tamil People

Tamil People Countrywide: India • Sri Lanka • Canada • Malaysia • Singapore • South Africa • England

Related Ethnic Groups: Brahui • Gond • Kannadiga • Khonds • Kodava • Oraon • Malayali • Telugus • Tuluvas

Related indigenous Groups: Badagas • Toda • Kuruba

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