The native Jains of the Tamil land are called Samanar. Since time immemorial, they have shown deep devotion and affection for the Tamil language and their contribution to all aspects of Tamil is inestimable.
In addition to making original contributions in Tamil, they have also brought in valuable literary and ethical works from outside and presented lofty ethical ideals in concise verses. They have gifted the script to the Tamil language.
Jains have produced masterpieces, written great grammatical works to safeguard Tamil & to maintain its purity, intrinsic value, identity, great classical tradition, antiquity & glory. They have laid a sound grammatical basis on which the Tamil language has evolved over the years.
#Jainism influence in #Tamil country. The subject is so vast that an attempt is made now to indicate, only in rough outlines, the nature of such a contribution and its permanent influence in Tamil literature, gramme aspects, Tamil culture and the language itself.
It is well known that, among the Dravidian tribes of South India, the Tamils were the first to possess a literature. Unfortunately, most of the pre-Sangam works are either lost or destroyed or not known to us.
If they are available, we will be able to know something about the religion, the morals and the civilization of the pre-Sangam age in the Tamil land. Poems like AhaNaanuru & PuraNaanuru which have been published late 19th century show that the earliest tribes were a warlike race.