Tamil Villages – The Ancient Heart of Tamil Nadu

This series of articles was from a paper I wrote for a conference on Indian Spirituality.

Muniappam shrine outside village

This first part is based on the research I have done, and is my own conclusions based on this. Parts 2 and 3 are mainly from things that Carol and I have seen, photographed, and written about. Part 4 are my ideas about what needs to be done now to protect the heritage of the Tamil villages.

• Part 1: Tamil Village Life is Ancient
• Part 2: The Ancient Traditions are Still Alive in Tamil Villages
• Part 3: The Ancient Tamil Family
• Part 4: Can Tamil Villages be Protected?

The early history of India is not yet clear. Genetic Anthropology is making real inroads, but work has to be dome here, especially recovery of ancient Indian DNA samples. The Tamil history since the Iron A=ge reached South India, about 2500 years ago is pretty clear through. This includes many village traditions that can still be seen today in Tamil Nadu.

Enjoy the series. I hope this opens up the understanding of this culture to some who read it. Comments and discussion are invited.