Tamil, with a literary history of more than two thousand years, is the oldest living language in the world. Evidence of literature had been found from the 3rd century BC, though some historians claim that the language is well over three thousand years old. The fact that Tamil was deemed a ‘Classical Language’ by the government of India comes as no surprise, owing to the maturity of concepts even in the oldest of works found in the language. The history of Tamil literature was deeply influenced by the social and political situation in India through the ages. The invasions and the rule changes in Tamil Land had at least one positive outcome—exchange of ideas. Tamil people were exposed to Jain and Buddhist traditions from the time of the Kalabhras to the ideology of European rulers in the 19th century. This broadened the outlook of the scholars, thus broadening the range of Tamil literature. The political changes not just influenced the literature but brought in contributors for it as well. There have been sizeable contributions from Jain, Buddhist, and later Muslim and European authors to the growth of Tamil literature.