Portal:Tamils

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

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 India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, to the union territory of Puducherry, and to Sri Lanka. The Tamil language is one of the world's longest-surviving classical languages, with over 2000 years of Tamil literature, including the Sangam poems, which were composed between 300 BCE and 300 CE.

Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India (concentrated mainly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), 15% in Sri Lanka (excluding Eelam Moors), 7% in Malaysia, and 5% in Singapore.

From the 4th century BCE, urbanisation and mercantile activity along the western and eastern coasts of Tamilakam -- what is today Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- led to the development of four large Tamil empires, the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, and velirs and a number of smaller states, all of whom were warring amongst themselves for dominance. The Jaffna Kingdom, and vanni chieftaincies inhabited by Eelam Tamils, was once one of the strongest kingdoms of Sri Lanka and controlled much of the north of the island. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

The word "Tamil" in the Tamil script

Tamil (தமிழ், Tamiḻ, pronounced [t̪amiɻ] ^ⓘ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. It is one of the two longest-surviving classical languages in India, along with Sanskrit, attested since c. 300 BCE.

The term "Tamil" has its origins in the ancient Tamil Sangams, where it was first recorded in the Tholkappiyam around the 2nd century BCE. The language belongs to the southern branch of the Dravidian language family and shares close ties with Malayalam and Kannada. Despite external influences, Tamil has retained a sense of linguistic purism, especially in formal and literary contexts. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images

Image 1Sage Agathiyar, one of the contributors of Old Tamil literature. (from Tamils)
Image 2Katar, Tamil dagger which was popular throughout South Asia (from Tamils)
Image 3The Tamil Chola Empire at its height, 1030 CE (from Tamils)
Image 4 Souttoukeny jewelry, 2nd century BCE, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 5Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Brickfields, Malaysia. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 6Aiyanar, guardian folk deity of Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 7A Malbar temple in Réunion. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 8Murugan Temple, Sydney (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 9One 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 10A 400 years old hero stone in Salem depicting the bull-taming sport Jallikattu. (from Tamils)
Image 11Batu Caves temple built by Tamil Malaysians in c. 1880s. (from Tamils)
Image 12A Megalithic burial jar from north-western Sri Lanka, 5th-2nd century BCE, similar to South Indian and Deccan jars of the time. (from Tamils)
Image 13The 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 14The Om symbol in Tamil script (from Tamils)
Image 15Grey pottery with engravings, Arikamedu, 1st century CE (from Tamils)
Image 16Tamil girls in Malaysia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 17The hall in front of Ranganayaki's shrine, Srirangam, where Kambar is said to have recited his works on Kamba Ramayanam (from Tamils)
Image 18Tamiḻakam during Sangam Period (from Tamils)
Image 19Expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil children in traditional clothes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 20Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda, Tamil Nadu, India, late 12th-13th century (from Tamils)
Image 21Meenakshi Amman temple, dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, tutelary deity of Madurai city (from Tamils)
Image 22Sri Kamakshi Ambaal temple in Hamm, Germany (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 23Tamil woman in traditional attire, c. 1880, Sri Lanka. (from Tamils)
Image 24Distribution of Tamil speakers in South India and Sri Lanka (1981). (from Tamils)
Image 25Celebrations of Murugan by the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Paris, France (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 26The Brihadeshswar Temple at Thanjavur, also known as the Great Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I (from Tamils)
Image 27Tamil people in Medan, Indonesia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 28 Virampatnam jewelry from funerary burial, 2nd century BCE, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 29The golden Vimana over the sanctum at Srirangam midst its gopurams, its gable with Paravasudeva image. (from Tamils)
Image 30 Map of ancient oceanic trade, and ports of Tamilakam (from Tamils)
Image 31Megalithic sarcophagus burial from Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 32Erwadi durgah in Ramanathapuram district is a major pilgrimage shrine of the Tamil Muslims. (from Tamils)
Image 33Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 34Bharatanatyam dancers (from Tamils)
Image 35The Mahishasuramardhini cave bas relief at Mahabalipuram from 7th century CE (from Tamils)
Image 36Tamil girls dressed in traditional attire, ca. 1870, Tamil Nadu, India. (from Tamils)

Selected biography - show another

Artistic modern depiction of Thiruvalluvar

Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, was an Indian poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of Tamil literature.

Almost no authentic information is available about Valluvar, states Kamil Zvelebil – a scholar of Tamil literature. His life and likely background are variously inferred from his literary works by different biographers. There are unauthentic hagiographic and legendary accounts of Valluvar's life, and all major Indian religions, as well as Christian missionaries of the 19th century, have tried to claim him as secretly inspired (crypto-) or originally belonging to their tradition. Little is known with certainty about his family background, religious affiliation, or birthplace. He is believed to have lived at least in the town of Mylapore (a neighbourhood of the present-day Chennai), and his floruit is dated variously from fourth century BCE to early fifth century CE, based on the traditional accounts and the linguistic analyses of his writings. Kamil Zvelebil infers the Tirukkuṟaḷ and Valluvar are best dated to around 500 CE. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Topics

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

Tamil Nadu

Related portals

WikiProjects

Things to do

Add {{portal|Tamil People}} to the See also section of Tamil People-related articles.
Tag the talk pages of Tamil People-related articles with {{WikiProject Tamil civilization/Welcome}}
Join WikiProject Tamil civilization and list yourself as a Participant in the project.