Pre-historic period:

The Great Temple at Thanjavur built by Rajaraja Chola I The origins of the Tamil people, like those of the other Dravidian peoples, are unknown, although genetic and archaeological evidence suggests a possible migration into India around 6000 BC. The earliest clear evidence of the presence of the Tamil people in modern Tamil Nadu are the megalithic urn burials, dating from around 1000 BC and onwards, which have been discovered at various locations in Tamil Nadu, notably in Adichanallur. These burials conform to the descriptions of funerals in classical Tamil literature in a number of details, and appear to be concrete evidence of the existence of Tamils in southern India during that period. In modern times, ancient Tamil literature like Sangam poetry and epics like Silappatikaram have been interpreted as making references to a lost land known as Kumari Kandam.

An Indian linguist, Bhadriraju Krishnamurthy argues that Dravidian language speakers did not enter the subcontinent from outside based on the fact that most archaic features of Dravidian in phonology and morphology are still found in the southern languages such as Tamil and as such Dravidian language is native to the Indian subcontinent.

Classical period:

Although it is unknown as to whether the term Tamilar and its equivalents in Prakrit such as Damela, Dameda, Dhamila and Damila was self designation or a term denoted by outsiders, epigraphic evidence of an ethnic group termed as such is found in Amaravati in present day Andhra Pradesh referring to a Dhamila-vaniya (Tamil trader) datable to the third century BC. Another inscription of about the same time in Nagarjunakonda seems to refer to a Damila. A third inscription in Kanheri refers to a Dhamila-gharini. In the well-known Hathigumpha inscription of the Kalinga ruler Kharavela refers to a Tramira samghata (Confederacy of Tamil rulers) dated to the first century BC. In ancient Sri Lanka too number of inscriptions have come to light datable from third to first century BC mentioning Damela or Dameda persons. In the Buddhist Jataka story known as Akiti Jataka there is a mention to Damila-rattha (Tamil country). Hence it is clear by at least the third century BC the ethnic identify of Tamils has been formed as distinct group.

From around the third century BC onwards, three royal dynasties