Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people in the Indian states of

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Tamil is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world. Tamil literature has
existed for over 2000 years.

The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 5th
century BC. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca. 300 BC
– AD 300.

Tamil is the oldest language in the world. It is the mother of all Indo European languages
including Sanskrit. Recent archaeological (Adhichanalloor and Indian ocean) evidence shows
that the language is related to sumerian and that Tamil was spoken in South India more than
5000 years ago. Tamil legend says speaks of a lost continent, “Kumari Kandam” which is
believed to be submerged under Indian Ocean.

Tamil has a literary tradition of over two thousand years.

Tolkappiyam, the oldest known literary work in Tamil, has been dated variously between second
century BC and fifth century AD. Tamil was declared a classical language of India by the
Government of India in 2004 and was the first Indian language to have been accorded the status.
The Tamil script consists of 12 vowels, 18 consonants and one special character, the aytam. The
vowels and consonants combine to form 216 compound characters, making a total of 247
characters.

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