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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...)

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Colonial era Map of the Jaffna kingdom c. 1619

The Portuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom occurred after Portuguese traders arrived at the rival Kotte kingdom in the southwest of modern Sri Lanka in 1505. Many kings of Jaffna, such as Cankili I, initially confronted the Portuguese in their attempts at converting the locals to Roman Catholicism, but eventually made peace with them.

By 1591, the king of Jaffna Ethirimanna Cinkam was installed by the Portuguese. Although he was nominally a client, he resisted missionary activities and helped the interior Kandyan kingdom in its quest to get military help from South India. Eventually, a usurper named Cankili II resisted Portuguese overlordship only to find himself ousted and hanged by Phillippe de Oliveira in 1619. The subsequent rule by the Portuguese saw the population convert to Roman Catholicism. The population also decreased due to excessive taxation, as most people fled the core areas of the former kingdom. (Full article...)

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General images

Image 1A 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 2Sri Kandaswamy Temple, Brickfields, Malaysia. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 3Megalithic sarcophagus burial from Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 4Sri Kamakshi Ambaal temple in Hamm, Germany (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 5The Mahishasuramardhini cave bas relief at Mahabalipuram from 7th century CE (from Tamils)
Image 6Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 7Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama and his mount Garuda, Tamil Nadu, India, late 12th-13th century (from Tamils)
Image 8 Virampatnam jewelry from funerary burial, 2nd century BCE, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 9The Brihadeshswar Temple at Thanjavur, also known as the Great Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I (from Tamils)
Image 10A Malbar temple in Réunion. (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 11One 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 12Murugan Temple, Sydney (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 13 Souttoukeny jewelry, 2nd century BCE, Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 14Distribution of Tamil speakers in South India and Sri Lanka (1981). (from Tamils)
Image 15Sage Agathiyar, one of the contributors of Old Tamil literature. (from Tamils)
Image 16Two Tamil girls who follow Vaishnavaite Hinduism (from Tamils)
Image 17 Map of ancient oceanic trade, and ports of Tamilakam (from Tamils)
Image 18Tamil girls in Malaysia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 19Erwadi durgah in Ramanathapuram district is a major pilgrimage shrine of the Tamil Muslims. (from Tamils)
Image 20The hall in front of Ranganayaki's shrine, Srirangam, where Kambar is said to have recited his works on Kamba Ramayanam (from Tamils)
Image 21The Tamil Chola Empire at its height, 1030 CE (from Tamils)
Image 22Batu Caves temple built by Tamil Malaysians in c. 1880s. (from Tamils)
Image 23Tamil woman in traditional attire, c. 1880, Sri Lanka. (from Tamils)
Image 24Grey pottery with engravings, Arikamedu, 1st century CE (from Tamils)
Image 25Bharatanatyam dancers (from Tamils)
Image 26The 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 27Tamil people in Medan, Indonesia (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 28Aiyanar, guardian folk deity of Tamil Nadu (from Tamils)
Image 29Meenakshi Amman temple, dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, tutelary deity of Madurai city (from Tamils)
Image 30The golden Vimana over the sanctum at Srirangam midst its gopurams, its gable with Paravasudeva image. (from Tamils)
Image 31Expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil children in traditional clothes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 32Katar, Tamil dagger which was popular throughout South Asia (from Tamils)
Image 33Celebrations of Murugan by the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Paris, France (from Tamil diaspora)
Image 34Tamiḻakam during Sangam Period (from Tamils)
Image 35Tamil girls dressed in traditional attire, ca. 1870, Tamil Nadu, India. (from Tamils)
Image 36A 400 years old hero stone in Salem depicting the bull-taming sport Jallikattu. (from Tamils)
Image 37The Om symbol in Tamil script (from Tamils)

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Pillay at the 26th session of the Human Rights Council

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay (born 23 September 1941) is a South African jurist who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. A South African of Indian Tamil origin, Pillay was the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa. She has also served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her four-year term as High Commissioner for Human Rights began on 1 September 2008 and was extended an additional two years in 2012. In September 2014 Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad succeeded her in her position as High Commissioner for Human Rights. In April 2015, Pillay became the 16th Commissioner of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty. She is also one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.

Pillay was born and raised in Durban, South Africa where she later attended the University of Natal, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and her Bachelor of Law in 1965. After university, Pillay pursued a career as an attorney and served under criminal defense attorney N.T. Naicker, joining the legal defense against apartheid. In 1967, Pillay started her own law firm and became the first woman to do so in her home province of Natal. In 1981, Pillay applied to and attended Harvard University under the foreign exchange Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program and earned her Master of Law. In 1988, she completed her thesis and graduated from Harvard Law School with a Doctorate of Jurisprudence. (Full article...)

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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

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