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The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar (Tamil: தமிழர், romanized: Tamiḻar, pronounced [t̪amiɻaɾ] in the singular or தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, [t̪amiɻaɾɡaɭ] in the plural), Tamilians, or simply Tamils (/ˈtæmɪlz, ˈtɑː-/ TAM-ilz, TAHM-), 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. People who speak Tamil as their mother tongue and are born in are considered Tamils.

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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View of the Arunachalesvara temple towers from the Arunachala hill

Arunachalesvara Temple (also called Annamalaiyar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at the base of Arunachala hill in the town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Shaivism as one of the temples associated with the five elements, the Pancha Bhuta Sthalams, and specifically the element of fire, or Agni.

Shiva is worshipped as Arunachalesvara or Annamalaiyar, and is represented by the lingam, with his idol referred to as Agni lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Unnamalai Amman or Apithakucha Ambal. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th-century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The 9th-century Shaiva saint poet Manikkavasagar composed the Tiruvempavai here. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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Ilaiyaraaja in 2017

Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of the most prolific composers in a career spanning over forty-seven years, he has composed over 7,000 songs and provided film scores for over 1,000 films, apart from performing in over 20,000 concerts. He is nicknamed "Isaignani" (the musical sage) and often referred to as "Maestro", the title conferred by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London.

Ilaiyaraaja was also one of the earliest Indian film composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Indian film music, and the first South Asian to compose a full symphony. In 1986, he became the first Indian composer to record a soundtrack with computer for the film Vikram. He also composed Thiruvasagam in Symphony (2006), the first Indian oratorio. (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

Tamil Nadu

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