" Without a clear Sinhala connection, they suggest one from the Tamil language instead: anai-kondra ( anaik-konda ), meaning " which killed an elephant .” Per National Geographic, the word anaconda comes from the Tamil word anaikolra, which means elephant killer.

Linguistics began with the analysis of Sanskrit and Tamil ; today it looks at individual languages and language in general.

Before Caldwell, the word was traditionally used to designate the Tamil language and people, and vaguely the people of South India.

Likewise, the Tamil word for honeymoon is த ே ன ி லவ ு ( Thaen Nilavu ) meaning Thaen-honey and nilavu-moon, and the Marathi word for honeymoon is मध ु च ं द ् र ( Madhuchandra ) meaning Madhu-honey and chandra-moon, whereas in Bangla ( Bengali ) language, it is referred as মধ ু চন া দর ি ম া ( Modhuchondrima ) meaning Modhu-Honey and chondrima-moon.

* 2004 – Tamil is established as a Classical language by the President of India, Dr. A. P. J.

Some classical poetry forms, such as Venpa of the Tamil language, had rigid grammars ( to the point that they could be expressed as a context-free grammar ) which ensured a rhythm.

Although partially reversed in 1958, the bill posed a grave concern for the Tamil community, which perceived in it a threat to their language and culture.

* Tamil language, one of the Dravidian languages primarily spoken in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia

* Tamil script, primarily used to write the Tamil language

* Tamil cinema, the Indian film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of feature films in the Tamil language

* Tamil literature, refers to the literature in the Tamil language

* Tamilakam, In an academic context, Tamilakam is used to refer to these territories as a single cultural area, where Tamil was the natural language and culture of all people It is also used, less correctly, to refer to the modern state of Tamil Nadu in India

* Tanittamil Iyakkam, a movement of linguistic purism in Tamil literature attempting to emulate the " unadulterated Tamil language " of the Sangam period, avoiding Sanskrit, Persian and English loanwords

Tamil (, alternative spelling: Thamizh ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of South India and North-east Sri Lanka.

Tamil is also a national language of Sri Lanka and an official language of Singapore.

Sinhala BCE inscriptions cite -, damela-denoting Tamil merchants.

Western historians like Bühler, Jacobi, and Indian scholars like Iravatham Mahadevan, worked on Tamil Brahmi inscriptions.

More than 55 % of the epigraphical inscriptions ( about 55, 000 ) found by the Archaeological Survey of India are in the Tamil language.

* c. 1000 BC: Archaeological evidence obtained from inscriptions excavated in 2005 dates the Tamil language, a classical language spoken in India.

These inscriptions include texts in the Kannada, Sanskrit, Konkani, Tamil, Marwari and Mahajani languages.

* c. 1000 BC — Archaeological evidence obtained from inscriptions excavated in 2005 dates the Tamil language, a classical language spoken in India.

The name " Kauṇḍinya " is well-known from Tamil inscriptions of the 1st millennium AD, and it seems that Funan was ruled up the 6th century AD by a clan of the same name.

Classical literature and inscriptions also describe a number of Velirs, or minor chieftains, who collectively ruled over large parts of central Tamil Nadu.

The classical period ended around the 4th century AD with invasions by the Kalabhra, referred to as the kalappirar in Tamil literature and inscriptions.

Tamil texts, as well as excavated inscriptions detail the Saivite principalities that formed in Trincomalee in service of the Koneswaram temple by the medieval age.

Early Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in Tamil Nadu date to the 3rd century BCE and describe the livelihoods of Tamil Jains.

A number of Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions have been found in Tamil Nadu that date from the second century BCE.

The script of Bhattiprolu inscriptions was the progentor of Brahmi Lipi that diversified later into modern Telugu and Tamil scripts.

The temple has several inscriptions dating from the 8th century in Tamil and Telugu presumably from the period of Dantivarman, who was a Vishnu devotee.

However, later research indicates that Sastry may be wrong in this claim, and possibly interpreted the Tamil inscriptions incorrectly.

These dynasties ' unique Dravidian architectural style was introduced to build Angor Wat while Tamil cultural norms spread across the continent, their surviving epigraphic inscriptions recording domestic societal life and their pivotal role in Asian trade routes.

The presence of the Pallavas, much before further naval expeditions to Indo-China by their illustrious succeeding and contemporary empires such as the Pandiyans and the Cholas, is attested by the existence of specimen of art bearing striking resemblance in countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, as well as scores of inscriptions in those lands in the Grantha script ( a script in which both Tamil and Sanskrit can be written ) in which the Pallavas were the first to specialize.

Built by the Chetti community of Tamil Nadu, this 900-year-old structure is almost in ruins today, although the carvings and inscriptions on its granite pillars are still visible.

Ancient Tamil inscriptions show that the city was raided in 1025 by South Indian Chola Dynasty conqueror Rajendra Chola I, after he had destroyed the Malay Kingdom of Gangga Negara.

The inscriptions on his stone are both in Tamil and in Latin.

( Akanaanooru: 88, 231, 307 ; Kurunthokai: 189, 360, 343 ; Nattinai: 88, 366 ) The Tamil inscriptions from the Pallava & Chola period dating from 9th century CE link the word with toddy, toddy taper's quarters ( Eelat-cheri ), tax on toddy tapping ( Eelap-poodchi ), a class of toddy tapers ( Eelath-chanran ).

Eela-kaasu and Eela-karung-kaasu are refers to coinages found in the medieval inscriptions of Tamil Nadu.

In the ancient city of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu in southern India are inscriptions dating from 1030 A. D. which mention the victory of Chola king Rajendra Chola I over some kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

* Zero Degree is a postmodern novel written in 1998 by Tamil author Charu Nivedita, later translated into Malayalam and English.

It has also inspired much secondary literature in various languages, notably the Kambaramayanam by the Tamil poet Kambar of the 13th century, the Telugu-language Molla Ramayana, 14th century Kannada poet Narahari's Torave Ramayan, and 15th century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha's Krittivasi Ramayan, as well as the 16th century Awadhi version, Ramacharitamanas, written by Tulsidas.

* Tamil: koṭi ( often written koti )

The word comes from the ' Pasurams ' of the Alwars which were written in Tamil but also used Sanskrit words.

It was actually written in Sinhala, but a Tamil translation is also played on some occasions and mostly played in Tamil Provinces and Tamil schools.

The verse, written in Tamil, says that the sea was so rich with white waves bringing to the shore very precious gems like red corals and white pearls and that the light of the dusk ( moonlight ) falls on these gems at the shore and makes the area brightened with beautiful colours.

* Ashokavanam, the tentative title of a forthcoming Tamil language drama film being directed, written and produced by Mani Ratnam

From the 6th to 12th century CE, the Tamil devotional poems written by Nayanmars ( sages of Shaivism ) and ( Alvars, sages of Vaishnavism ) heralded the great Bhakti movement which later engulfed the entire Indian subcontinent.

A revival of Tamil literature took place from the late nineteenth century when works of religious and philosophical nature were written in a style that made it easier for the common people to enjoy.

Koneswaram's traditional history and legends were compiled into the Tamil corpus Tevaram and the Sanskrit treatises Dakshina Kailasa Puranam — Sthala Puranam of Koneswaram, written in 1380 by Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan, and the Dakshina Kailasa Manmiam — three chapters of the Skanda Puranam of unknown antiquity — manuscripts of which have been discovered and dated from the 5th — 7th century.

Similarly, in Hindu culture, traditionally religious or scholarly works were written in Sanskrit ( long after its use as a spoken language ) or in Tamil in Tamil country.

Varalaaru (; ) is a 2006 Indian Dramatic Thriller Tamil film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar.

Andronov puts the split between Tamil ( a written Southern Dravidian language ) and Telugu ( a written Central Dravidian language ) at 1, 500 BCE to 1, 000 BCE.

Ponniyin Selvan (, English: The Son of Ponni ) is a 2400 page 20th-century Tamil historical novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy.

* In Tamil, the word for lion is Singham, Singhan, Sing or Singhe written as ச ி ங ் க, also derived from Sanskrit ( see Singapore )

The post-sangam period ( 2nd century-6th century ) saw many great Tamil epics being written, including Cilappatikaram ( or Silappadhikaram ), Manimegalai, Civaka Cintamani, Valayapathi and Kundalakesi.

A revival of Tamil literature took place from the late 19th century when works of religious and philosophical nature were written in a style that made it easier for the common people to enjoy.

They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Oriya, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and Urdu.

The lyrics were written by Vairamuthu, P. K. Mishra and Veturi respectively for the Tamil, Hindi and Telugu versions.

The 2002 Tamil film Baba written by Rajinikanth was based on Babaji.