What is the Tamil religion?

Hinduism is the most common religion for Tamils (both Indian and Sri Lankan) and this paper focuses on one popular branch of Hinduism known as Saivism. Followers of Saivism are called Saivites and believe that Lord Shiva is the preeminent god.

What god do Tamils worship?

Murugan (Tamil: முருகன்) also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is more popular in South India especially among Tamil people famously referred as Thamizh Kadavul (God of Tamils). He is the patron deity of the Tamil land (Tamil Nadu).

What is the difference between Tamil and Hindu?

Both Tamil and Hindi are Indian languages spoken by the Hindu people. However, there are many differences between the two. Both languages came from different language families. Hindi came from the Indo-European linguistic family while Tamil is a descendant of the Dravidian languages.

Is Tamil a religion or language?

In 2004, Tamil was the first of six to be designated as a classical language of India. Although most Tamil people are Hindus, many follow a particular way of religious practice that is considered to be the Ancient Tamil religion, venerating a plethora of village deities and Ancient Tamil Gods.

Who is first Tamil god?

Murugan was glorified as, the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent, as the favored god of the Tamils. Sivan was also seen as the supreme God. Early iconography of Murugan and Sivan and their association with native flora and fauna goes back to Indus Valley Civilization.

Who Are The Tamil People

Did Lord Shiva create Tamil?

It is believed that Tamil language is born out of pellet drum which fell from Lord Shiva while he was dancing. Another School of thought is that Lord Muruga created Tamil language.” “As per mythology, Lord Shiva presided over the first academy (First Tamil Sangam).

Is Tamil a race?

The Tamil people are an ethnic group from South Asia with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. The oldest Tamil communities are those of southern India and northeastern Sri Lanka.

What are Tamil beliefs?

Tamils are mostly Hindu, although some are Muslim or Christian. Tamil Hindus generally perform daily prayers (puja) . Shiva is the most important deity, although Vishnu and other gods are worshiped. Vinayaka, a form of the god Ganesha, is particularly popular.

Are Tamils from Africa?

Tamil people form the majority of Indian immigrants who came from India to Natal, South Africa, from 1860 onwards.

Who created Tamil?

According to Hindu legend, Tamil or in personification form Tamil Thāi (Mother Tamil) was created by Lord Shiva.

What is special about Tamil culture?

Tamilians have perfected the art of spinning, weaving and chiseling over the years and their brilliance is reflected in different art subjects like bronzes, sculptor works, carvings, etc. Magnificent temples represent Tamil architecture with lofty 'gopurams' and statues of goddesses engraved all over the edifice.

Is Tamil a culture?

Tamil culture is the culture of the Tamil people. Tamil culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and across the globe.

Who were Indian Tamils?

The 'Indian Tamils', also called Estate Tamils or Upcountry Tamils, are the descendants of the indentured workers brought by the British to Ceylon from the erstwhile Madras Presidency (present day state of Tamil Nadu) between 1820s and 1930s to work on the central hill plantations of tea, coffee and rubber, frequently ...

Who is the god of Tamils?

Murugan, chief deity of the ancient Tamils of South India, son of the warrior goddess Korravai. He was later identified in part with the North Indian war god Skanda. His favourite weapon was the trident or spear, and his banner carried the emblem of a wild fowl.

Is Shiva a south Indian god?

Shiva was especially predominant in south India. Kings and queens of the Chola dynasty (9th - 13th centuries) patronized the construction of great temples, with a special emphasis on Shiva and his circle. During this era, bronze images of major deities were produced for temple worship and ritual procession.

Why do Tamils worship Murugan?

Many of the major events in Murugan's life take place during his youth, and legends surrounding his birth are popular in Tamil Nadu. This has encouraged the worship of Murugan as a child-God, very similar to the worship of the child Krishna in north India.

What do Tamils look like?

Tamils are regarded as Dravidians, which have traditionally lived in southern India and tend to be short, dark and have wavy or curly hair and broad noses.

Where do Tamils live in USA?

Central New Jersey is home to the largest population concentration of Tamil-Americans. Sizeable populations of Indian American Tamils have also settled in New York City, and New Jersey and New York house separate Tamil Sangams.

What happens in a Tamil wedding?

The formal engagement ceremony in Tamil Weddings, sees the groom and his family arriving at the bride's home with gifts for her such as a saree and jewellery. She is seated and an aarti is performed, and the sumangalis (married women) tie grains, betel nuts, turmeric, and coconuts in the pallu of her saree.

Which religion is more in Tamil Nadu?

Hinduism is the largest religion of Tamil Nadu. The total number of Hindus in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 63,188,168 which forms 89% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. The major worship forms of Shiva temples are for Shiva, Parvathi, Ganesha and Muruga.

Why is Tamil Nadu so different from other states?

The state's HDI is second among large states and socio - economic development status is much higher than the national average. With a population of 72 million, of which 80 per cent are literate, Tamil Nadu is an innovation - based economy with a strong performance in manufacturing and services.

Are Tamilians an ethnic group?

Tamil people

The Tamils are an ethnolinguistic group. Tamilians are living in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka. According to the 2001 census, they number 60.79 million in the state of Tamil Nadu. Tamils are native to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in South India, and northern and eastern Sri Lanka.

Are Sri Lankans Indian?

They are two different countries.

Although India offers a large selection of different curries, Sri Lanka has their own unique curries as well that are specific to the island.

Is Tamil hard to learn?

Tamil is not a difficult language. It is a simple language. There are a few peculiarities that makes learning Tamil challenging: Being a classical language, Tamil is Diglossic.