Portal:Tamils

The Tamils portal

The Tamils (/ˈtæmɪlz, ˈtɑː-/ TAM-ilz, TAHM-), also known as the Tamilar, are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is one of the longest-surviving classical 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 proportion of the population 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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The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; Tamil: தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், romanized: Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, Sinhala: දෙමළ ඊලාම් විමුක්ති කොටි සංවිධානය, romanized: Demaḷa īlām vimukti koṭi saṁvidhānaya; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government.

The leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, cited the 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom as one of the factors that led him to militancy. In 1975, he assassinated the Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah, in revenge for the 1974 Tamil conference incident. The LTTE was subsequently founded in 1976 as a reaction to the Sri Lankan Constitution of 1972 which prescribed Buddhism as the primary religion of the country, and Sinhala as its national language. The LTTE was involved in attacks on government targets, policemen and local politicians and moved on to armed clashes against the armed forces. Oppression against Sri Lankan Tamils continued by Sinhalese mobs, notably during the 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom and the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library. Following the week-long July 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs that came to be known as Black July, the LTTE's escalation of intermittent conflict into a full-scale nationalist insurgency began, which started the Sri Lankan civil war. By 1986, the LTTE had emerged as the dominant Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It would go on to be widely regarded as among the most effective and disciplined insurgent groups in the world. (Full article...)

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General images

Image 1Distribution of Tamil speakers in South India and Sri Lanka (1981) (from Tamils)
Image 2Extent of Jaffna kingdom (from Tamils)
Image 3Ancient oceanic trade and ports of Tamilakam (from Tamils)
Image 4Murugan Temple, Sydney (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 5Jallikattu, a traditional bull taming event. (from Tamils)
Image 6Tamil people in Medan, Indonesia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 7Tamils decorate their homes with colorful Kolams. (from Tamils)
Image 8The northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka with majority Tamil population. (from Tamils)
Image 9The Chola Empire at its greatest extent, during the reign of Rajendra Chola I in 1030 (from Tamils)
Image 10Tamil written in Tamil script (from Tamils)
Image 11Kanchipuram silk saris worn by women on special occasions. (from Tamils)
Image 12A traditional meal served on a banana leaf (from Tamils)
Image 13A Malbar temple in Réunion. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 14Agathiar, poet from the first Sangam period (from Tamils)
Image 15Katar, a dagger that originated in South India (from Tamils)
Image 16The large gopuram is a hallmark of Dravidian architecture (from Tamils)
Image 17Rock cut monuments in Mahabalipuram built by the Pallavas (from Tamils)
Image 18Tharai and Thappattai, traditional music instruments (from Tamils)
Image 19Krishna with Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda (12th–13th century CE) (from Tamils)
Image 20Tamilakam during Sangam period (from Tamils)
Image 21Tamil girls in Malaysia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 22A megalithic burial jar from north-western Sri Lanka, 5th-2nd century BCE, similar to the ones found in South India. (from Tamils)
Image 23The 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 24Sri Kamakshi Ambaal temple in Hamm, Germany (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 25A Bharatanatyam performance (from Tamils)
Image 26Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Brickfields, Malaysia. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 27One 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 28Expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil children in traditional clothes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 29Celebrations of Murugan by the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Paris, France (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 30Distribution of Tamils (2013) (from Tamils)
Image 31Aiyyan̲ār, guardian folk deity of Tamils (from Tamils)
Image 32Extent of Pandyas (13th century CE) (from Tamils)

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Ashwin in 2015

Ravichandran Ashwin (Tamil: [ɾaʋitɕand̪iɾan aɕʋin]; pronunciation) (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-arm off spin bowler and a lower order batter. Widely regarded as one of the most prolific spinners of all time, he represented the Indian cricket team and was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He plays for Tamil Nadu and South Zone in domestic cricket and for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ashwin has taken more than 500 wickets in Tests and was the fastest bowler to reach 300 test wickets in terms of number of innings. He has won eleven Man of the Series awards in Tests, which is the most for any cricketer, along with Muttiah Muralitharan. As an all-rounder in Test cricket, he bats down the order, has scored six Test centuries and is one of the only three players to have scored 3000 runs and taken 500 wickets in Tests. He had been the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC men's player rankings multiple times, and holds the record for the second highest rating points by an Indian bowler ever in Test cricket. (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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