Possible evidence indicating the earliest presence of Tamil people in modern day Tamil Nadu are the megalithic urn burials, dating from around 1500 BC and onwards, which have been discovered at various locations in Tamil Nadu, notably in Adichanallur in Tirunelveli District which conform to the descriptions of funerals in classical Tamil literature.

Various legends became prevalent after the tenth century CE regarding the antiquity of the Tamil people. According to "Iraiyanar Agapporul", a tenth/eleventh-century annotation on the Sangam literature, the Tamil country extended southwards beyond the natural boundaries of the Indian peninsula comprising 49 ancient "nadus" (divisions). The land was supposed to have been destroyed by a deluge. The "Sangam" legends also added to the antiquity of the Tamil people by claiming tens of thousands of years of continuous literary activity during three "Sangams".

भारतीय तमिळ
Pre-historic period
लोकसंख्येविषयक माहिती
सादरीकरण कला