Government of Tamilnadu

Department of Employment and Training

Course : TNPSC Group I Exam

Subject : Tamil Society - its Culture and Heritage
Part : Tamil Society: Origin and Expansion

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 TAMIL SOCIETY
ORIGIN AND EXPANSION

INTRODUCTION

1. Prof.T.P.M. says, “Culture is the basic one of the excellent life styles, exposer of
the internal and external conducts and behaviours of human”.
2. Mathew Arnold says, “Characters of an individual to build a society is
benefitted by the cultured people”.
3. In short, culture is micro level of civilisation. It is an internal part of human’s
life.

Civilization:

1. Civitas > City > Civics > Citizen, this is a form of Latin. Nagar > Nagaram >
Nagariam > Nagarigam city is the source of civilisaiton. Deltas of Rivers make
men into cultivators. Yupratis, Digrees, Sindhu Valley, Cauvery, Vaigai, Porunai
rivers made the civilisation on the banks of them. Agriculture is the factor of
making cities and Nations. Prof. Dhakshinamurthy says that civilisation is the
external part of human life style.
2. Culture and civilisation are not different; they are two sides of the same coin.
These are interrelated in their aspects.

Culture and civilization

These two words show the development of thousands of years. They are divided
into internal and external development. Man is the crown of all creatures. He is
different from the other creations with his special characters. Mind is the cause for this
difference. As a social animal while having the merger of customs and habits, he is
needed to keep general walfare avoiding selfish. Love, mercy, shy, Truth, reciprocity
are the qualities which guide him. These qualities are not belonging only to a particular
race. They are general to mankind. Collection of these is called ‘Humane’. This one is
fundamental of culture and civilization

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 Knowledge and experience are expressed through man’s characters. The
development of human is exposed by his food, dress, shelter, music, sculpture,
architecture and paintings. These are called external. They make man as happy.
Countries like U.S. and European are the nations of external expansion; but India in
the best in its internal culture. Swami Vivekanandar says, “Wealth of U.S. to India;
Divinity of India to U.S. has to good”.

Thiruvalluvar gives much importance to the characters, not to knowledge and

education. He calls the men of good conducts and behaviours as “Sanror” (சான்ற ார்).
Their life is for others; not to themselves. They give up their life for the sack of others.

Familal life, Hospitality, Moral Warstyle, ethical ways of Love and affection,
Goodness even in poverty, integrity are dominated in Tamils’ life since the origination
of the race.

ORIGIN AND EXPANSION OF THE TAMIL RACE

1. It is very hard to identify the origin of the race. Finding the origin of Tamil race
is equal to explore the origin of the Tamil Language. Yet we come to an end to
find out the period of this race with the help of Geologists, Anthropologists and
Archealogists.
2. Geologists say that there was a huge and large landscape located in Indian
Ocean near Southern Kumari point with a river and mountains.
3. German Scholar says that this landscape was suitable to the life of human. He
came to an end that area was the origin of the man.
4. Scsott Eliot writes in his “The Lost Lemoria”, the rocks of the south India and
Sri Lanka are very old. From the western side of India, there was a large and
lengthy mountain. The continuation of this mountain is Himalaya, Alps, Rocky
and Andes of South America.

“Elangovadigal says in his Epic ‘Silapathikaram’, as

பஃறுளி ஆற்றுடன் பன்மலை அடுக்கத்துக் குமரிக் ககோடுங் ககோடுங்கடல் ககோள்ள”

This means that a violent Tsunami attacked these river and mountains. They had
drowned into the sea.

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Lemurian Theory

1. The birthplace of man is still under research. One among the school of theories
is very popular. That is Lemurian concept.
2. Sir Walter Rale, Hegal, John Evans, Scott Eliot and Holderness are the scholars
who favour Lemuria are the cradle of Man’s birth.
3. Etymologist Pavanar, Fr. Heras, Thani Nayaga Adigal, K.A. Neelakanda Sastri
are the authors of this school of thought.
4. Alex Colier of U.S. says that Tamil is the first language in the world which was
spell out by the first man.

Sources

1. Caldwell, Prof. Burrow, scholars from Russia and Finland also favoured that
people of Sindhu Valley were Dravidians, whose language also Dravidian.
Ramayana, Mahabharata, Mahavamsa of Sri Lanka citied Tamils and Tamil
Nadu.
2. Resemblances among the words of Greek and Tamil.
ஆன்மா - Anima ற ாய் - Nose
இஞ்சி - Senjim புலி - Pelis
3. Sunith Kumar Chatterji says that civilisation was first born in India; from the
oldest race of Dravidian people. Then only It had gone to Mesopotamia and
Babylonian.

Tamil Race – Origin and Expansion

The Literatures originated before 2000 years at Sangam period were lying in
natural style. They are proving with the excavations recently held in Tamil Nadu.
Visitors from China, Greek and Rome give much informations about the ancient
landscape and our culture.

V.A. Smith says, “Ancient Literatures of Tamil are very old and belonged to first
three centuries of B.C.”

K.A. Neelakanta Sasthiriyar says, “Clarity of ancient Tamils history lies in the texts
of very old period of Tamils”.

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 Hints delivered by Ptalomy, Pliny, Straubo, Periplus of the Erithriyan sea are
similar in their reality

N. Subramaniam, the research scholar says, “The origination and development

of culture in our race from the period of Maurya, 4 B.C. to the period of Pallavas 6
A.D”.

Hints on the inscriptions of Ashoka told about Chera, Chola and Pandia; Kajabagu
of Srilanka and Cheran Chenguttuvan were the contemporarians

Also hints by Ramayana, Mahabaratha, Arthasasthra and Ashoka are the

evidences of Tamils’ race. It is very hard to identify the accuracy of our Tamils’ race.
One lettered word “ற ா” denotes cow. “ற ான்” is a word denoting cow in plural form. A
person who raring cattles, has a stick in his hand to regulate the cows. He is called
“Shepherded”. So we have to come to an end, in the pastoral land, the monarchial king
system had to develop. Just like a shepherded regulating his cattle, the king also had to
start regulating people with the sculpture.

Tamil race – Expansion

Man is a social animal. This one is very depth in its meaning. No one can’t live
alone in the world. Evolution Theory of Darwin expresses this fact through its struggle
for existence and the survival of the fittest, Tamils originated before Christ also are
connected with others. Tamils had a good connection with the ancient civilized
countries. They were at best in commerce with Greece, Rome, Egypt and Palestine.
This one reveals the expansion of our Tamils.

Pepper, Ginger and cardamom cultivated by Tamils exported to the west Asian
countries. Moses, the Jewish leader used our cardamom in his prayer.

Expansion of our trade and commerce with Sumeria had a long period which was
before 4000 B.C. connection with Madagascar was started by our trade. Soboklees and
Aristo Banes, the scholars had to use Tamil words in their writings.

Excavation of Arikamedu expressed the news on trade with Rome. People of

Rome and Tamils had to merge with each other. The harbour of the river Nile,
Alexandriya had a hundred of colonies in those days.

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 Powerful ships were made with teak wood which was exported from Tamilagam in
the Persian gulf.

Tamils had the richest connection with China, Malaysia, Thailand and North
Boronia in those days. Goods from Tamil Nadu were sold in China even in 7 B.C.

Pattinappalai, Madurai Kanchi and Perumpanatruppadai talked about the horse

business which were imported from Arabia; Trade and commerce were the keys to the
expansion of Tamil race.

TAMILS WORLDWIDE

U.N.O. consists of 235 countries. Tamils are living in 154 nations our of those
countries. Their life is comfortable, ten to 7 ½ Lakhs Tamils are there. More or less one
lakh of Tamils is living in 20 Nations of those. They had gone to the Nations for their
business and employment.

Language:

Most of the Tamils are having better life in Singapore, Malaysia, Penong and Re
union, Mauritius, Fiji Islands also. South America, Canada, London also the countries
are witnessing the existence of Tamils. Tamil students take their first language as Tamil
in those countries.

Professors:

1. V.S.Rajan, George, L. Heart, Kowsalya Heart, SimLind Home, Indhira Narmon,

A.K.Ramanujam are Tamil Professors in America.
2. Tamil researches are going on in the Universities of China, Japan and Poland.
3. Jaffna University is one of the popular institutions of Tamils.
4. Thamizh Sangam in New Delhi and New York, Tokyo, Minnesota are
conducting cultural events often.
5. Tamil leaders Nathan, Aniruth Jayannath of Singapore and Mauritius were the
Presidents of those Nations respectively.
6. Toranto of Canada, London, Pegging of China, Tokyo, New York are the famous
cities which gives luxurious life to millions of Tamil.
7. Varsa Universities of Poland appointed Indhira Parthasarathy and
T.S.Sivasankaran as the Prof. of Tamil.

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 8. Tamils make an another Tamilnadu in the gulf countries by their immense
immigration.

Famous Tamil Personalities

1. Non-Resident Indians in U.S. European countries are having higher positions

in the beurocracy and parliament in those Nations with their influence of the
people. Some are industrialists in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and east African
nations. Abroad Tamils are celebrating their festivals also there. Tamil
Associations of such nations are conducting cultural programmes. Minnesota of
America has a festival of Tamil New year every year. At that time they are
conducting “Vazhai Ilai Virundhu” which contains the tasty variety of
veppampoo Rasam is very famous.
2. Indian youths from gulf countries and other foreign Nations, helped the victims
of Gaja Storm in the Delta Region. They send money to the affected areas. And
also, they had a fantastic service in the last summer in Tamil Nadu. They had
done good public works like “Kudi Maramathu” for getting enough water.
3. Youngsters from foreign Nations sought immediate financial help the children
and elders who are in very bad health conditions through the social media.
4. Sundar Pitchai from Madurai, Chandrasekar of Tata group of companies, Smt.
Indira Nooyi from Chennai, pepci-co CEO, Mayilsamy Annadurai,
Smt. Valarmathi of ISRO, Arunan Subbaiah of ISRO are very popular for their
tireless service in their fields.
5. Dr. Kalam, Dr. K. Sivan from Kumari of ISRO head, Shiv Nadar of HCL are the
personalities from Tamil Nadu.
6. The endless travel of Tamils from B.C centuries continues towards the direction
of progress and fertility of our state and India.

Questions :

1. Write about the origin and expansion of Tamil Race.

2. Write in detail about Worldwide Tamils.

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