Tamil (Hindu traditions) in Myanmar (Burma)


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Additional PDF Profile

Identity

Tamil is not the name of a specific ethnic group but is a regional language spoken as the first language by over 200 different people groups in India alone, and as a second language by another 370 groups.3 Despite being the descendants of farm laborers brought to Burma by the British two centuries ago, the Tamils and other South Asian groups have never been accepted as one of the country’s indigenous “ethnic races.” An Indian government report says: “The younger generation of Tamils eats Burmese food, speaks the Burmese language in their homes, and in many cases prefers to wear traditional Burmese costumes. Unlike the previous generation, they have very little emotional connection with the land of their ancestors. This trend is giving way to fears of total assimilation.”

Location: Approximately 158,000 Tamil-speaking people live in Myanmar. They are found in most urban centers of the country, including the five regions of Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, and Sagaing. Others live in Mon State including Mawlamyine, the fourth largest city in Myanmar. As many as 87 million Tamil-speaking people live throughout the world, with 77 million in India, 5.5 million in Sri Lanka, and two million in Malaysia. Others are scattered in at least 30 countries around the globe.1 The number of Tamils in Myanmar has changed little in a century, with 149,888 Tamils reported in the 1931 census, rising to 200,000 in 1966.

Language: Tamil is one of the great languages of India and lends its name to the state of Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Dravidian language family and bears no resemblance, in either its spoken or written forms to north Indian languages like Hindi and Bengali. Most Tamil people in Myanmar can speak fluent Burmese since the government imposed the Burmese language as the medium of instruction and closed Tamil schools in the 1960s.


History

Tamils first arrived in Myanmar in 1824 after being recruited to labor in rice fields and rubber plantations. Their numbers gradually increased, but anti-India sentiments and riots in the 1930s caused many Tamils to move back to India, where they often struggled to gain acceptance among their own people.6 Their fortunes “took a huge downturn during the Second World War and subsequent political upheavals. After the Japanese invasion of Burma, many thousands of Tamils who worked in urban areas for the British colonial administration returned to India.” The Tamil population in Myanmar has fluctuated since, with many families fleeing across the border into Manipur only to find their hopes of returning to Myanmar dashed after not being allowed to re-enter the country.


Customs

Since the upheavals of the 1960s, “many Tamils have maintained their deep roots in the country. They kept a low profile and slowly improved their fortunes by mending their relationship with the majority community and staying away from politics.” In 1911, missionary William Purser described the Tamil as “employed as domestic servants, coachmen, money-lenders, coolies, laborers, etc., and as they are thrifty, most of them save up enough money to enable them to return to their own country and spend their old age in comparative opulence.”


Religion

Over 90 percent of Tamil people in Myanmar are Hindus, and they have constructed their own temples in all the large cities. Small numbers of Christians and Muslims are also found among them. The percentage of Tamil Christians has fallen sharply since the 1931 census, when 21,787 (14.5%) identified as Christians.


Christianity

Mentions of any missionary work among the Tamils of Myanmar are exceedingly rare. One worker wrote in 1911: “The work of the Church in Burma has been to tend to those Tamils who are already Christian, and very little attempt has been made to evangelize those who are Hindus.” The Tamil Bible was first translated nearly 300 years ago in 1727, but copies are not available in Myanmar, and tensions with India means it is nearly impossible to import printed material into the country.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the South Asian Tamil (Hindu traditions) in Myanmar (Burma).


Profile Source:   Asia Harvest  

Additional PDF Profile


People Name General Tamil (Hindu traditions)
People Name in Country South Asian Tamil (Hindu traditions)
Natural Name Tamil (Hindu traditions)
Pronunciation TAH-mill
Alternate Names तमिल (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स); Damulian; Tamal; Tamalsan; Tambul; Tamili
Population this Country 158,000
Population all Countries 2,890,000
Total Countries 20
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 18211
ROP3 Code 113732
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Ayeyarwady Region: Pathein, Hinthada, Myaungmya, Maubin, and Pyapon districts; Yangon Region: Insein Township; Mandalay Region: Myungyan and Meiktila districts; Bago Region: Taungoo, Pyay, Bago, and Tharrawaddy districts;   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Ayeyarwady Region: Pathein, Hinthada, Myaungmya, Maubin, and Pyapon districts; Yangon Region: Insein Township; Mandalay Region: Myungyan and Meiktila districts; Bago Region: Taungoo, Pyay, Bago, and Tharrawaddy districts;.   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 3.81 %)
10.99 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
86.01 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
3.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Tamil (158,000 speakers)
Language Code tam   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Burma Tamil
Dialect Code 17158   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Tamil (158,000 speakers)
Language Code tam   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Burma Tamil
Dialect Code 17158   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Tamil

Primary Language:  Tamil

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1714-1956)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1715-1998)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1727-2024)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings General Ministry Resources General / Other
Audio Recordings Love letter to you from scripture Father's Love Letter
Audio Recordings Online Audio Scripture Talking Bibles
Audio Recordings Recorded oral Bible Oral Bibles
Film / Video Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Tamil Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Rivka video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Bible in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Comprehensive list of Tamil Resources General / Other
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel website in this language General / Other
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General Voice of the Martyrs resources Voice of the Martyrs
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
General Zume Resources Zume Project
General Zume Training Zume Project
Mobile App Android Bible app: Pastors Study Bible Tamil Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals
Mobile App Android Bible app: Tamil YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible App: Tamil Bible (தமிழ் பைபிள்) Indian Revised Version (IRV) Operation Agape
Mobile App Android Bible app: Tamil Study Bible Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals
Mobile App Android Bible Radio app: Tamil Bible Radio Shalom Design S2dio
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Tamil YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible Radio App: Tamil Bible Radio iOS Revive India
Text / Printed Matter Children and youth resources One Hope
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Tamil Literacy & Evangelism International
Text / Printed Matter tools for gospel conversations Cru
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Photo Source Asia Harvest-Operation Myanmar 
Map Source Asia Harvest-Operation Myanmar  
Profile Source Asia Harvest 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.