What is the difference between Tamils of India and Sri lanka?

                               Reader comments on one of the stub.

    Majority of Tamils live in India and call Tamil Nadu home.  Sri Lanka's Tamils on the other hand are a minority within the island nation and live mostly in the North and Eastern parts of the country. (that is closer to Tamil  Nadu as well)

SL Tamils are native to Sri Lanka as Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. Both of these people are settled in BC as we have records. Indian Tamils are brought by british to maintain their Tea / Rubber estates in their colonial period. Now lets find the cultural differences below.


     Despite both speak Tamil accent is very different. I can understand their Tamil and my Hill country Tamil friends can understand my Tamil because we are socialised well. Also I don't speak exactly native Jaffna  Tamil and my Hill country Tamils do not speak their accent with me. We speak typically in a generalised Tamil which both can understand. But country men from Northern, Eastern Srilanka and a country man from Hill country would have a very hard time understanding each other.  A Srilankan Tamil will easily offended by Hill country Tamil because of addressing. We strictly follow polite forms and we think it is offence to speak in non polite form with a stranger. Eg: We say Neengal instead of nee, Vanga instead of Va. Despite SL Tamils are divided in to Northern , Eastern Batti most of their accent is smiler enough to understand. Addressing in polite form also same

Certain percentage of northern Tamils are vegetarians. But this percentage is falling down. In future this different is negligible. In Northern Srilanka non veg food is never served in festivals or wedding. But I have seen no-veg served in Hill country Tamils wedding. But I'm stereotyping here. And those weddings happened in Colombo so it might be city thing. Yet none of Northern Tamil serve non veg or alcohol in wedding and funerals even if they are living in Europe or USA.

 Concern towards Ethnic problems

Most Sri Lankan Tamils would support an Independent state and they have fought for it where Hill country Tamils are just a victim of that movement.

 Love for their language.

All Tamils are normally proud about their language.  But a SL Tamil will never speak in another language unless he isn't Tamil. Where Hill country Tamils are flexible and their first langue of choice is Sinhala with strangers even though they are clear they are speaking with Tamil person. Hill country Tamils speak in Tamil only with close people like their family and best friends. Therefore most of us mistake them for Sinhalese (Even though accent is far different from native Sinhalese).  Typically SL Tamils choose English as a second language of choice and Hill country Tamils choose Sinhala as first language and Tamil as family language (Eg: Arabic for Muslims but in common use they won't use it). This is because lot of Tamils worked in higher jobs under British rule and still Hill countries Tamils are working in Sinhalese houses.

Jaffna Tamils follow Shaivism (Well known sect of Hinduism) and also they try their best to follow agamic traditions when comes to functions and construction of a temple. There is a caste called brahmins in SL Tamils and they are suppose to pursue study of Vedas and gave up all desires in-order to uplift the society same us Buddhist monks.. Hill country people also believe in folk religions and small deities along with major Hindu deities..

 Crime and Attitude.

Crimes are higher in Hill country Tamils compared to Srilanka Tamils. This is not because of their culture but because of the different in knowledge, Education and wealth.

 Similarity with other races.

Despite they were at war SL Tamils share heritage with Sinhalese and their appearance is similar to Sinhalese of the south. You can easily mistaken a Northern Tamil for Sinhalese. Only thing in appearance differentiating them is the dress. Specially in woman. With same dress and Hairstyle It is very hard to differentiate Northern Tamils from Sinhalese.  But Hill country Tamils are typically have darker complexion and easily identifiable.  but not true for every one. This is because Hill country Tamils are one working community when they are brought. so they are mostly common.

Another brief comment

Tamil is a language and Tamils are (South) Indian Cholan, Pandiyan, Cheran, Pallavan and certain other least known dynasty generations altogether known as “Dravidian” who were also invaders to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) since the 2 - 9th Century CE with the intents of the Dravidian emperors to conquer the whole island and make it part of one of the south Indian kingdoms naming it “Eelam” upon the conquest, the North East Indian “Kalinga” dynasties initially made attempts; even tough three northern kingdoms were captured and ruled out the local Sinhalese kings military campaigns resulted in liberating the kingdoms later on.