Tamilakam

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Tamilakam (Tamil: தமிழகம், romanised: Tamiḻakam), also known as ancient Tamil country, was the geographical region inhabited or dominated by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam occupied today's Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Traditional accounts and the Tolkāppiyam referred to these territories as a single cultural area, where Tamil was the natural language and permeated the culture of all its inhabitants. The ancient Tamil country was divided into kingdoms. The best known among them were the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Pallavas. During the Sangam period, Tamil language and culture began to spread outside Tamilakam. Ancient Tamil settlements were recorded in the Maldives, in Sri Lanka, and in few coastal locations of Southeastern Asia. Modern populations such as the Giravarus, or the Sri Lankan Tamils, derive some of their roots from these waves of migration and cultural diffusion. During the Classical ages, the region of Tamilakam mostly remained unconquered by dynasties and centres of power established in the northern part of the subcontinent, such as the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire while having exchanges with them. In contemporary India, Tamil politicians and orators often use the name Tamilakam to refer to Tamil Nadu alone.