ProfJDharmarajanTamilnaduHistoryPDF
The history of Tamil Nadu is the history of a confluence of many diverse communities; the languages that evolved in the region, its rich heritage in arts and culture, and its strategic location at the center of ancient trade routes all contributed to making it one of the most important places on earth. Tamil Nadu means 'the land where Tamils live' (Tamil தமிழ் āiṟaṅkaḷ). It is one india's most essential administrative units. The Tamil region (Tamilakam) was ruled by the Chera dynasty (c. 1st – 2nd century CE), and kings of this dynasty encouraged the blend of cultural traditions that ultimately gave rise to classical Tamil civilization. Beneath the upper layer of Kannada-speaking people, who were already living in the South, there were Panniyas and Badagas, who were assimilated into Tamil society. Inscriptions from then display a society in which both Tamil and Kannada were used. In fact, Tamil texts proclaim that there was a feeling of being 'one community' even though they belonged to different classes. The association of language with class is a powerful force in a society. The use of a language in a particular region or locality is often associated with being from that region, and being proud to be from there, and this gives languages a strong emotional association. Tamil-speaking people feel proud to be Tamil, and Kannada-speaking people feel proud to be Kannada (for example). But many such communities do not think of themselves as tribes or caste; instead they think of themselves as the children of the soil; the people who belong here; their ancestors lived here and will live here forever. The languages of the South were influenced by Dravidian languages, specifically Tamil, but also Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The impact of these languages on the South has been profound. It is important to note that none of these languages are related to one another; they are unrelated language families distinct from each other. So the question arises as to how they came to be so closely associated with each other. The people who lived in Tamil Nadu speak various Dravidian language groups today. These were spoken at different points in time, so there is no single evidence pointing towards an origin point for any particular group or family. The commonly accepted hypothesis is that speakers of the proto-Dravidian language family (the 'Northerners') migrated to the south and colonized it, bringing their language with them, but there are alternate hypotheses. It is generally thought that they were originally hunter-gatherers who later shifted to agriculture; the development of irrigation methods was crucial, because it led to greater specialization and larger populations. The linguistic evidence suggests that the Dravidian languages were spoken over a much wider area than Tamil Nadu alone, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in South India.
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