The Tamil people, also known

as Tamilar (Tamil: தமிழர், romanized: Tamiḻar, pronounced [tamiɻaɾ] in the singular

or தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, [tamiɻaɾxaɭ] in the plural) or simply Tamils (/ˈtæmɪls/), are

a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who trace their ancestry to the South Indian state of Tamil

Nadu, Union territory of Puducherry or to Sri Lanka.[6] Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population

in India (concentrated mainly in Tamil Nadu), 15% in Sri Lanka,[note 2] 6% in Mauritius,[13] 7%

in Malaysia and 5% in Singapore. Tamils, with a population of around 76 million and with a

documented history stretching back over 2,000 years, are one of the largest and oldest extant

ethnolinguistic groups in the modern world.[14]

From the 4th century BC onwards,[15] urbanisation and mercantile activity along the western and

eastern coasts of what is today Kerala and Tamil Nadu led to the development of four large Tamil

empires, the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Pallavas and a number of smaller states, all of whom

were warring amongst themselves for dominance. The Jaffna Kingdom, inhabited by Sri Lankan

Tamils, was once one of the strongest kingdoms of Sri Lanka and controlled much of the north of

the island.[16][17]

Tamils were noted for their influence on regional trade throughout the Indian Ocean. Artifacts

marking the presence of Roman traders show direct trade was active between Rome and

Southern India and the Pandyas were recorded as having sent at least two embassies directly to

Emperor Augustus in Rome. The Pandyas and Cholas were historically active in Sri Lanka.

The Chola dynasty successfully invaded several areas in southeast Asia, including the

powerful Srivijaya and the Malay city-state of Kedah.[18] Medieval Tamil guilds and trading

organizations like the Ayyavole and Manigramam played an important role in Southeast Asian

trading networks.[19] Pallava traders and religious leaders travelled to Southeast Asia and played

an important role in the cultural Indianisation of the region. Scripts brought by Tamil traders to

Southeast Asia, like the Grantha and Pallava scripts, induced the development of many

Southeast Asian scripts such as Khmer, Javanese Kawi script, Baybayin and Thai.

The Tamil language is one of the world's longest-surviving classical languages,[20][21] with a history

dating back to 300 BCE. Tamil literature is dominated by poetry, especially Sangam literature,
which is composed of poems composed between 300 BCE and 300 CE. The most important

Tamil author was the poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, who wrote the Tirukkuṛaḷ, a group of

treatises on ethics, politics, love and morality widely considered the greatest work of Tamil

literature.[22] Tamil visual art is dominated by stylised Temple architecture in major centres and the

productions of images of deities in stone and bronze. Chola bronzes, especially

the Nataraja sculptures of the Chola period, have become notable symbols of Hinduism. A major

part of Tamil performing arts is its classical form of dance, the Bharatanatyam, whereas the

popular forms are known as Koothu. Classical Tamil music is dominated by the Carnatic genre,

while gaana and dappan koothu are also popular genres. Tamil is an official language in Sri

Lanka and Singapore. In 2004, Tamil was the first of six to be designated as a classical language

of India.

Although most Tamil people are Hindus, many (especially those in the rural areas) practice what

is considered to be Dravidian folk religion, venerating a plethora of village deities, while a

sizeable number are Muslims and Christians. A small Jain community survives from the classical

period as well. Tamil cuisine is informed by varied vegetarian and non-vegetarian items usually

spiced with locally available spices. The music, the temple architecture and the stylised

sculptures favoured by the Tamil people as in their ancient nation are still being learnt and

practised. English historian and broadcaster Michael Wood called the Tamils the last surviving

classical civilisation on Earth, because the Tamils have preserved substantial elements of their

past regarding belief, culture, music and literature despite the influence of globalization.[23][24]