Portal:Tamils

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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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Kalidas (transl. The Servant of Kali, pronounced [kaːɭidaːs]) is a 1931 Indian biographical film directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It is notable for being the first sound film in the Tamil and Telugu languages, and the first sound film to be made in a language from South India. It was based on the life of the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa; it featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role and T. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead, with L. V. Prasad, Thevaram Rajambal, T. Susheela Devi, J. Sushila, and M. S. Santhanalakshmi in supporting roles.

Kalidas, principally in Tamil, contained additional dialogue in Telugu and Hindi. While Rajalakshmi spoke Tamil, Venkatesan spoke only Telugu due to his lack of fluency in Tamil, and Prasad spoke only Hindi. Despite its mythological theme, the film featured songs from much later time periods, such as the compositions of Carnatic musician Tyagaraja, publicity songs of the Indian National Congress, and songs about Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian independence movement. The sound was recorded using German-made technology. Kalidas was shot in Bombay on the sets of India's first sound film Alam Ara (1931) and was completed in eight days. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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Karthik in 2017

Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian professional cricketer and commentator who plays for the India national cricket team and currently in Indian Premier League playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He is also the current captain of the Tamil Nadu cricket team in domestic cricket. He made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 2004. Karthik has become the 4th Indian batsman to play 300 T20 matches. Karthik was a member of the team that won both the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

He made his maiden Test century against Bangladesh and was India's leading scorer in their Test tour of England, helping India win their first series in England in 21 years. After a drop in form in September 2007, Karthik was dropped from the Test team. He has made only sporadic international appearances since then, although he continues to play domestically. Between 2018 and 2020, he was the captain of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. Karthik has also worked occasionally as a commentator/pundit for British channel Sky Sports between 2020 and 2021, most notably during India's tour of England. (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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