Tamil is the oldest living language in both India and the world, belonging to the Dravidian language family. It is the official language of Tamil Nadu and holds official status in Sri Lanka and Singapore. With a rich literary tradition spanning over 2,000 years, Tamil ranks 17th among the world’s most spoken languages. Its deep cultural heritage makes it one of the cornerstones of classical Indian civilization.

The Tolkappiyam, considered the earliest Tamil literary work, is dated between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE. In 2004, Tamil became the first Indian language to be declared classical by the Government of India. The Tamil script includes 12 vowels, 18 consonants, and a special character called aytam. These elements combine into 216 compound letters, totaling 247 characters in the script.