Tamil

College of Fort St. George founded

Francis Whyte Ellis founded the College of Fort St. George in Madras to train officials in South Indian languages.

Tirukkural appears in print for the first time

The first known printed edition of the Tirukkural was produced in 1812, together with the Naladiyar.

Birth of Tamil scholar Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai

Tamil poet and teacher Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, later the teacher of U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, was born near Tiruchirappalli.

Ellis publishes the Dravidian Proof

Francis Whyte Ellis argued that the South Indian languages form a family separate from Sanskrit.

Ellis orders new wells during the Madras water shortage

During a severe drinking water shortage in Madras, Collector Francis Whyte Ellis had 27 wells dug, one bearing a Tamil inscription honouring Thiruvalluvar.

Tamil scholar F. W. Ellis dies at Ramnad

Francis Whyte Ellis, Collector of Madras and founder of the College of Fort St. George, died of cholera on 10 March 1819 at Ramnad.

Rhenius begins CMS mission in Tirunelveli

Church Mission Society missionary C. T. E. Rhenius arrived in Tirunelveli and built a large Protestant mission based at Palayamkottai.

Birth of Ramalinga Swamigal (Vallalar)

Ramalinga Swamigal, the Tamil saint-poet known as Vallalar, was born at Marudur near Chidambaram.

Recruitment of Tamil labourers for Ceylon plantations begins

Labourers from the Tirunelveli, Tiruchi, Madurai and Tanjore areas were recruited for British coffee estates in Ceylon.

Robert Caldwell arrives in Madras

Robert Caldwell, who would go on to write the Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian languages, reached Madras as a missionary.

Death of missionary C. T. E. Rhenius at Palayamkottai

C. T. E. Rhenius, the missionary known as the Apostle of Tirunelveli, died at Palayamkottai.

G. U. Pope begins mission work at Sawyerpuram

In 1839 George Uglow Pope set sail for South India and took up missionary work at Sawyerpuram, close to Thoothukudi.

First emigrant ship from Madras reaches Mauritius

Britain allowed emigration from Madras to Mauritius again in December 1842, and the first ship from Madras reached the island in April 1843.

Arumuka Navalar receives his title at Thiruvaduthurai

Travelling to Madras to acquire a printing press, Jaffna scholar Arumuka Pillai received the title Navalar from the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam.

Birth of U. V. Swaminatha Iyer

U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, later famed for recovering and printing many lost classical Tamil texts, was born near Kumbakonam.

Caldwell's Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian languages

With his Comparative Grammar, Robert Caldwell showed that the Dravidian languages make up a separate language family.

University of Madras holds its first B.A. examination

The University of Madras, founded in 1857, conducted its first Bachelor of Arts examination; C. W. Damodaram Pillai was among its first candidates.

Indentured labourers from Madras arrive in Natal on the Truro

Organised Indian settlement in the British colony of Natal began with the Truro, which brought 342 indentured labourers from Madras.

Vallalar starts the Samarasa Vedha Sanmarga Sangam

Vallalar, or Ramalinga Swamigal, formed a fellowship of devotees against caste distinctions, which was later renamed the Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam.

Birth of Tamil theatre pioneer Sankaradas Swamigal

Tuticorin was the birthplace of Sankaradas Swamigal, the playwright whose boys' drama companies trained many Tamil stage and screen artists.

Damodaram Pillai prints Tolkappiyam with Senavaraiyar's commentary

C. W. Damodaram Pillai published the Sollathikaram of the Tolkappiyam with the medieval commentary of Senavaraiyar, an early printed edition of the grammar.

Vallalar opens the Sathya Gnana Sabhai at Vadalur

At Vadalur, Ramalinga Swamigal (Vallalar) opened the Sathya Gnana Sabhai, which taught compassion for every living being regardless of caste.

Disappearance of Vallalar

Ramalinga Swamigal shut himself in a room and told followers not to open it; when officials broke in that May, nobody was inside.

Excavations at Adichanallur

The ancient burial site of Adichanallur near Tirunelveli drew attention in 1876 and was excavated by Alexander Rea between 1899 and 1905.

Death of Tamil scholar Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai

The poet Mahavidwan Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, teacher of U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, died and left behind a large hoard of palm-leaf manuscripts.

First Tamil novel, Prathapa Mudaliar Charithram, published

Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai published Prathapa Mudaliar Charithram, regarded as the first novel in the Tamil language.

Death of Shaiva reformer Arumuka Navalar

Arumuka Navalar, the Jaffna scholar who revived Shaiva Tamil learning in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu and printed early Tamil classics, died.

Caldwell's History of Tinnevelly published

The Madras government published Bishop Robert Caldwell's history of Tirunelveli district, drawn from manuscripts, Sangam texts and his own digs.

Swadesamitran Tamil newspaper launched

G. Subramania Iyer started Swadesamitran, the first Tamil newspaper owned and run by Indians, in Madras.

Birth of poet Subramania Bharati

Subramania Bharati, a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and a nationalist journalist, was born at Ettayapuram.

Birth of Subramania Siva

Subramania Siva, independence activist, writer and associate of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, was born at Batlagundu.

C. W. Damodaram Pillai publishes Tolkappiyam commentary

C. W. Damodaram Pillai published the Porulatikaram of the Tolkappiyam with Nachinarkiniyar's commentary, part of his revival of ancient Tamil texts.

G. U. Pope publishes his English Tirukkural

Missionary scholar G. U. Pope published 'The Sacred Kurral', an English translation of the Tirukkural with grammar, notes and lexicon.

U. V. Swaminatha Iyer publishes Jeevaka Chintamani

U. V. Swaminatha Iyer published Jeevaka Chintamani, the first of his editions of classical Tamil works recovered from palm-leaf manuscripts.

Suguna Vilasa Sabha theatre company founded

Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar founded the Suguna Vilasa Sabha in Madras to revive and reform Tamil drama.

Rettamalai Srinivasan launches the Paraiyan newspaper

Dalit leader Rettamalai Srinivasan started the Tamil paper Paraiyan in October 1893 to speak for the Paraiyar community.

U. V. Swaminatha Iyer publishes Purananuru

After years of manuscript research, U. V. Swaminatha Iyer published an edition of the Sangam anthology Purananuru with notes.

Pandithurai Thevar founds the Fourth Tamil Sangam in Madurai

Pandithurai Thevar, a member of the Ramnad royal family, founded the Madurai Tamil Sangam, known as the Fourth Tamil Sangam, to promote Tamil learning.

Abraham Pandithar's Tamil music conferences at Thanjavur

Abraham Pandithar set up the Sangeetha Vidhyalaya Mahajana Sangam, which held six music conferences between 1912 and 1914.

Work begins on the University of Madras Tamil Lexicon

In January 1913 the University of Madras began work on the Tamil Lexicon, the most comprehensive Tamil dictionary, published in 1924-1939.

Death of the young satyagrahi Thillaiyadi Valliammai

Valliammai, a 16-year-old daughter of Tamil immigrants from Thillaiyadi, died after imprisonment in Gandhi's South African satyagraha.

Maraimalai Adigal starts the Pure Tamil movement

Maraimalai Adigal pledged to use Tamil free of Sanskrit loanwords, starting the Tanittamil Iyakkam (Pure Tamil movement).

Abraham Pandithar publishes Karunamirdha Sagaram

Abraham Pandithar published Karunamirdha Sagaram, a large study of the history and theory of Tamil music.

Keechaka Vadham, the first South Indian film

R. Nataraja Mudaliar's silent film Keechaka Vadham, the first film made in South India, was released in 1917 or 1918.

Saraswathi Mahal Library opened to the public

The manuscript library of the Thanjavur Maratha rulers, enriched by Serfoji II, was opened to the public in 1918.

Thiru. Vi. Ka. launches Navasakthi

Tamil scholar and labour leader Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram started the Tamil weekly Navasakthi.

Death of Srinivasa Ramanujan

The self-taught mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan died in Madras at the age of 32, a year after returning from Cambridge.

Death of Subramania Bharati

The poet and nationalist Subramania Bharati died in Madras, leaving a body of work central to modern Tamil literature.

Periyar launches Kudi Arasu

E. V. Ramasamy began publishing the Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu, which became the main voice of the Self-Respect Movement.

SS Rajula begins the Madras to Penang and Singapore service

The steamer SS Rajula ran a fortnightly Straits Service from Madras to Penang, Port Klang and Singapore from 1926 to 1972.

Ananda Vikatan launched

Ananda Vikatan started life as a Tamil monthly, and S. S. Vasan acquired and relaunched it in 1928.

Annamalai University founded

Annamalai University was established at Chidambaram through the endowment of Annamalai Chettiar as a residential university.

C. V. Raman wins the Nobel Prize in Physics

C. V. Raman, a physicist born in Tiruchirappalli, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for research on light scattering.

Kalidas, the first Tamil talkie, released

Released in 1931, H. M. Reddy's Kalidas was the first Tamil film with sound and opened the era of Tamil talkies.

Manikkodi literary weekly launched

Launched in Madras, the Tamil literary weekly Manikkodi gave modern Tamil short fiction a platform.

Dinamani launched

The Tamil daily Dinamani published its first edition on 11 September; it later became part of the Indian Express group.

Modern Theatres studio founded at Salem

T. R. Sundaram started Modern Theatres in Salem, a studio that went on to make more than 150 films.

Central Studios founded in Coimbatore

Coimbatore industrialists including B. Rangaswamy Naidu and Swamikannu Vincent set up Central Studios for South Indian film production.

Viduthalai newspaper launched

Viduthalai began as a Justice Party bi-weekly and became a daily under Periyar in 1937.

University of Madras completes the Tamil Lexicon

The final volume of the University of Madras Tamil Lexicon was published, completing the largest Tamil dictionary of its time.

Sathi Leelavathi released, M. G. Ramachandran's debut

Ellis R. Dungan's Sathi Leelavathi was released, marking the film debuts of M. G. Ramachandran and other future stars.

Death of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

Nationalist pioneer V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, who had started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, died in Thoothukudi.

Chintamani runs for a year in a single theatre

Starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Chintamani was the first Tamil film to stay a full year in one theatre.

Kalki magazine launched

Writer R. Krishnamurthy (Kalki) and T. Sadasivam launched the Tamil weekly Kalki, which serialised popular historical novels.

Karunanidhi starts Murasoli at Tiruvarur

An 18-year-old M. Karunanidhi started Murasoli at Tiruvarur as handwritten notices; it later became the DMK's newspaper.

Daily Thanthi founded at Madurai

S. P. Adithanar founded the Tamil daily Dina Thanthi in Madurai; it became the largest-circulating Tamil newspaper.

Tamil Isai Movement and Tamil Isai Sangam

The Tamil Isai Sangam was founded in Madras to promote the singing of Tamil compositions in Carnatic concerts dominated by Telugu and Sanskrit songs.

Sivakavi released

Sivakavi, a Pakshiraja Films production made at Central Studios in Coimbatore with M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, reached cinemas.

Kalki begins Sivagamiyin Sapatham

Kalki Krishnamurthy began serialising Sivagamiyin Sapatham, a historical novel set in the Pallava period.

Haridas released

Haridas, a Tamil film with M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar in the lead, played at one Madras theatre across three Diwalis in a row, a record that stood for years.

AVM Productions founded

A. V. Meiyappan founded AVM Productions, first working from Karaikudi during the war before moving to Madras.

Bharathidasan wins the Golden Parrot Prize

For his play Amaithi-Oomai, the Tamil poet Bharathidasan received the Golden Parrot Prize.

Ceylon Citizenship Act leaves Indian Tamils stateless

Passed soon after Ceylon became independent, a citizenship law shut out most Indian Tamil plantation workers, descendants of migrants from the Madras Presidency.

Subramania Bharati's works nationalised

The Madras government nationalised the writings of poet Subramania Bharati, the first such step for any poet in India.

Parasakthi released

The film Parasakthi, written by M. Karunanidhi and marking Sivaji Ganesan's debut, was released and sparked controversy.

Death of writer Kalki Krishnamurthy

Kalki R. Krishnamurthy, journalist and author of popular Tamil historical novels, died in Madras.

First Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil

R. P. Sethu Pillai received the first Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil for his essay collection Tamil Inbam.

MGR's Nadodi Mannan released

M. G. Ramachandran directed, produced and starred in Nadodi Mannan, a major hit that boosted his popularity and DMK symbolism.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman released

Sivaji Ganesan's historical film opened in cinemas and went on to earn him Best Actor at Cairo's Afro-Asian Film Festival in 1960.

Sivaji Ganesan wins Best Actor at Afro-Asian Film Festival

For Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Sivaji Ganesan was named Best Actor at Cairo's Afro-Asian Film Festival, the first such win by an Indian actor.

Exodus of Tamils and other Indians from Burma

More than 300,000 Indians, most of them Tamils, left Burma after General Ne Win's expulsions and the 1964 nationalisation of private business.

Death of poet Bharathidasan

Bharathidasan, the rationalist Tamil poet influenced by Subramania Bharati and Periyar, died in Madras.

Second World Tamil Conference held in Madras

Madras hosted the second International Tamil Research Conference, known as the World Tamil Conference, under the Annadurai government.

Statues of Tamil literary figures erected on the Marina

Statues of Tamil poets and scholars, including Kambar, Bharathiyar and Robert Caldwell, were unveiled on Marina Beach for the World Tamil Conference.

International Institute of Tamil Studies founded

The state government established the International Institute of Tamil Studies in Madras for research on Tamil.

Invocation to Tamil Mother adopted for state functions

Chief Minister Karunanidhi announced that verses of Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai's invocation to Tamil Mother would open state government functions.

MGR wins the Bharat Award for Best Actor

M. G. Ramachandran won the national Best Actor (Bharat) award for Rickshawkaran, the first South Indian actor to receive it.

Sirima-Gandhi Pact on stateless persons of Indian origin

India and Sri Lanka agreed on the future of the 150,000 persons of Indian origin whose status had been left open by the 1964 Sirima-Shastri Pact.

Akilan becomes the first Tamil writer to win the Jnanpith

Novelist Akilan received the Jnanpith Award for his novel Chithirappavai, the first for a Tamil writer.

Television arrives in Madras with Doordarshan Kendra

Doordarshan began television broadcasts from Madras, the first TV station in South India.

India and Sri Lanka sign the 1976 maritime agreement

A further agreement on the maritime boundary restricted fishermen of each country from fishing in the other's exclusive economic zone.

Valluvar Kottam inaugurated

The Valluvar Kottam memorial to the poet Thiruvalluvar, begun under the DMK government, was inaugurated in Madras during President's rule.

Annakili released; Ilaiyaraaja's film debut

Ilaiyaraaja's first film score, for Annakili, carried rural folk music into the Tamil cinema mainstream.

Bharathiraja's 16 Vayathinile released

Bharathiraja's first film, 16 Vayathinile, with Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Rajinikanth, moved Tamil cinema from studio sets to real village settings.

First Madras Book Fair held

Organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India, the first Madras Book Fair later developed into the yearly Chennai Book Fair.

Fifth World Tamil Conference held in Madurai

The fifth World Tamil Conference, a gathering of Tamil scholars from many countries, was held in Madurai.

Tamil University founded at Thanjavur

The Tamil University was established in Thanjavur as a research university devoted to the Tamil language and culture.

Bharathidasan University established in Tiruchirappalli

The state government established Bharathidasan University at Tiruchirappalli, named after the Tamil poet Bharathidasan.

Bharathiar University established in Coimbatore

Bharathiar University, named after the poet Subramania Bharati, was established as a state university in Coimbatore.

Operation Poomalai: Indian airdrop over Jaffna

Indian Air Force transport planes dropped relief supplies over the besieged city of Jaffna, halting a Sri Lankan army offensive against the Tamil militants.

Mani Ratnam's Nayakan released

Mani Ratnam's Nayakan, with Kamal Haasan in the title role, reached cinemas and was later named by Time as one of the greatest films of all time.

Investigative magazine Nakkheeran launched

The Tamil biweekly Nakkheeran, founded and edited by Nakkheeran Gopal, published its first issue.

Indian Peace Keeping Force withdraws from Sri Lanka

In March 1990 the final contingents of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, deployed under the 1987 accord, departed from Sri Lanka.

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University founded at Tirunelveli

A state university for the southern districts, named after the Tamil scholar Manonmaniam Sundaranar, was established at Tirunelveli.

Roja released, A. R. Rahman's debut as composer

Mani Ratnam's Roja, the first film scored by A. R. Rahman, was released and its soundtrack transformed Indian film music.

Sun TV launched

Kalanithi Maran launched Sun TV, a Tamil general entertainment channel that grew into the Sun TV Network.

Raj TV launched

Raj TV, a Tamil general entertainment channel based in Chennai, was launched, adding to the new private satellite channels in the state.

Eighth World Tamil Conference held in Thanjavur

The eighth World Tamil Conference was hosted in Thanjavur by the Tamil Nadu government.

Rajinikanth's Baashha released

Baashha, Suresh Krissna's gangster drama with Rajinikanth as an auto-rickshaw driver hiding his past, opened and became one of the actor's most famous films.

Shankar's Indian released

Shankar's anti-corruption vigilante film Indian, starring Kamal Haasan, became the highest-grossing Tamil film on release and India's Oscar entry.

Sivaji Ganesan receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Sivaji Ganesan received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the top film honour in India.

Rajinikanth's Muthu becomes a hit in Japan

Shown in Japan as 'Muthu: The Dancing Maharaja', the 1995 Tamil film earned more there than any other Indian film, holding that record for 24 years.

Jaya TV launched

Jaya TV, a Tamil satellite channel founded by AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa, was launched in Chennai.

Thiruvalluvar Statue unveiled at Kanyakumari

A 133-foot stone statue of the poet Thiruvalluvar was unveiled on a rock off Kanyakumari on the millennium day.

Tamil Virtual University established

To provide internet-based Tamil learning around the world, the Tamil Nadu government created the Tamil Virtual University, now the Tamil Virtual Academy.

Tamil declared a classical language

The Government of India declared Tamil the first classical language of India.

Central Institute of Classical Tamil moves to Chennai

The Union government's Centre of Excellence for Classical Tamil moved from Mysore to Chennai and became the Central Institute of Classical Tamil.

World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore

The state government hosted the World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore to mark Tamil's classical status.

Keezhadi excavation report dates Sangam-era settlement

The Tamil Nadu archaeology department reported that finds at Keezhadi near Madurai date to about the 6th century BCE.

Passenger ferry between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai begins

A high-speed passenger ferry began sailing between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district.