were al part of an area which was once called ancient Tamilakam. Do you understand this means the land of the Tamils. All inhabitants in this area at one time were Tamils and speakig Tamil. It is a wel known fact that the culture of teh Mukkuva Hindu Tamils of eastern Sri Lank is very close to the people of modern Kerala. the Mukkuvas stil sxist in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu only thing in Tamil Nadu they have become largely Catholic whereas in EElam they are largley HIndu. Even many of teh customs an dculture of the Northern Jaffna Tamils is vvery matriarchical liek Kerala and teh style of cooking foodhabbits is more similar to Kerala and Southern Tamiil Nadu. . Eelam Eelavar the Ezhavas of Kerala and the Idigas of Andhara are the same people.The Sri lankan Tamil dialect is the closest to Cangam Tamil and stil retains many old Tamils words that is still used in Malayalam but has gone out of usage in the Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu. Remeber that all these people were one Tamil people . Unitl the advent of Buddhism and a limited amount Aryan migration occurred in Sri Lanka aroeund 2300 years ago. this resulted in the Tamils in the southern central and north central parts of Sri lanka becomiing Buddhist and Sinhala. European Colonisation saw the Tamils in the western and southern littoral of Sri Lanka becoming Sinhala. Soon after independence teh Tamils in NEgombo Chilaw and Puttlam were forecibly assimilated as Sinhalas.Only the NOrth and East of Sri Lanka has remained
