subject: Tamils : One Of Old Ethnic Groups In India [print this page] Tamils is a Dravidian ethnic group originating in the State of Tamil Nadu, India and North eastern Sri Lanka. Their language is Tamil ,whose history goes back two millennia. There are communities of Tamil origin in various parts of the globe. The Tamils are mostly Hindus, but have large Christian and Muslim minorities.
In 1997, the Tamil population in the world amounted to a total of 66 million people, including 61.5 million in India, mainly in Tamil Nadu . In 2009, this same population is around 80 million people .
Historically, the Tamil language was the first Indian language to be considered as a classical language. The art and architecture of the Tamil people include some of the most notable contributions of India and Southeast Asia is generally to the art world.The music Tamil Dravidian temple architecture and sculptures of stylized popular Tamils are still learned and practiced. The Tamil classic can now boast of having the most important literature among the various Dravidian languages.
Tamils was cited as the last surviving classical civilization on earth. The Pallava script, a variant of writing used by Brahmin southern Tamil Pallava dynasty, served as the basis for several writing systems of Southeast Asia, including Burmese, Khmer, Thai , Laotian and Javanese.
It is unclear whether the term Tamilar and its equivalents in Prakrit, such as Damel Dameda, Dhamila Damila and were employed by the Tamils themselves to describe themselves, or whether the term was used by foreigners. We found traces of Epigraphic an ethnic group name in the former Sri Lanka, where a number of inscriptions, which has been able to date the third to the first century BC. AD, and that mention of people called or Darnels Dameda were uncovered. In the inscription well known, called Hathigumpha, the Indian ruler known as Kalinga in Kharavela, there is reference to a frame samghata (Confederation of Tamil leaders) dated to 150 BC. She also mentioned that the League of Tamil kingdoms existed for 113 years at that time .
Another inscription dating from roughly the same time, to Nagarjunakonda, seems to speak of a Damila. A third entry in the caves Kanheri refers to a Damila gharini (a householder Tamil). In the Buddhist folktale jataka known to Akiti Jakata, it is mentioned Damila Rattha, the Tamil country. Therefore, it is clear that, at least since the third century BC. AD, the ethnic identity of the Tamils already constituted as a distinct group .
The term is etymologically linked to Tamilar Tamil, the language spoken by the Tamils. Southworth suggests that the word comes from tam-miz, tam-iz, "his own words" . Zvelebil suggests an etymology of tam-iz, that tom would mean "self" and-iz have the connotation of "a sound that is conducted". It suggests a different track, derived from tamiz tak-iz, whose original meaning "the correct way (to talk) .
Funeral urns dating from around 1500 BC. J.C. have been discovered in various places of Tamil Nadu, especially Adichanallur in Tirunelveli district . This may be evidence indicating the early presence of the Tamil people in what is now Tamil Nadu .
Various legends have spread after the tenth century CE on the seniority of the Tamil people. According lIraiyanar Agapporul, an annotation of the tenth century on the sangam literature, the Tamil country extended southwards beyond the natural boundaries of the Indian peninsula. All this land, they said, was subsequently inundated by a deluge. The Sangam legends reinforced the presumed antiquity of the Tamil people by saying that there had been tens of thousands of years of literary activity continuously in three sangam .
Each geographical area where Tamils live has created its own variant of the dishes that are common, plus a few dishes of each region. The Chettinad region, which consists of Karaikudi and adjoining areas, is known for both its traditional vegetarian dishes such as APPAM, uthappam and paal paniyaram, and its non-vegetarian dishes, which simply rely on chicken.Rice, which is the staple food in most parts of Tamil areas, is usually prepared by steaming and served with two to six ingredients which serve to support, among them, are typically found sambar, curry dry, rasam, the kootu, and Thai (curd) or moru (whey or buttermilk).
The tiffin or light meal, which generally includes one or more dishes, pongal, dosai, idli, Vadai, with sambar and chutney is often served for breakfast or a snack in the evening. Ghee, Indian clarified butter, neyyi Tamil, is used to flavor the rice when it is eaten with dhal or sambar, but not with sour milk or buttermilk. The morkulambu, a dish that can be identified with moru, is also popular with steamed rice.
