Today, an estimated 3 million Eelam Tamilars is living in Sri Lanka and many more abroad. Yet, it preserved the ancient Eelam Tamil culture and tradition even after Sri Lanka gained sovereignty. The island of Sri Lanka underwent several social power shifts by numerous foreign groups over time. Given the proximity to India, Eelam always had a strong relationship with their counterparts in India, reaching far back to various ancient Tamil empires such as the Cholas and Pandyas.

Several mentions of Eelam were discovered in Sangam literature from the 1 st Century BCE onwards. Archaeological evidence, stone inscriptions, and foreign records show that the ancient civilizations and kingdoms of Sri Lanka, primarily in the northern parts, were of Dravidian Tamil origin and were referred to mainly as Eelam Tamilars. The Tamil Brahmi inscription described a man from Eelam bringing a gift. The term “Eelam” was used as early as 2 nd – 1 st BCE and was found inscribed in a cave at Thirupparankunram in Tamil Nadu, India. Figueroa Scholarship EndowmentĮelam/ ஈழம் (Pronounced: īḻam) the ancient Tamil name of the teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, known in modern times as Sri Lanka. Kalai Mathee Endowment for the MMC Campus Student Food Pantry.Francis Hondal First Generation Women in Business Scholarship Endowment.Destiny Lawson Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment.The Silvana Massolo Entrepreneurs Grant.Bellelli First Generation Scholarship Endowment Earlene and Albert Dotson Scholarship Fund.Ruth Andrade – Jose Alberto Maldonado Zavala Scholarship Endowment.Jacqueline Cecile Williams Accounting Scholarship.Tamil and Tamilar Diaspora Studies Initiative.Duran Memorial First Generation Scholarship Endowment

Harold Walter Rodriguez Dreams Memorial Scholarship.The Alberto Garcia Marrero First Generation Scholarship.Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences.Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work.Green School of International and Public Affairs College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts.Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

Eelam maps