Tamil-Seychellois are people of

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

ethnic origin living in the island nation of

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

. Their population is approximately 4000, making them one of the country's significant minorities.

History

Tamil immigrants arrived in Seychelles as early as 1770, and were among the first settlers to the originally sparsely inhabited island nation. Traders from the French colony of

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

and later traders from present day

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

visited the islands for trade in timber. A trading community was established and many of the Tamils integrated into the local population. In 1901, there were roughly 3500 Tamil-speakers out of the country's population of 19,237.

Language, religion and culture

The Tamils constitutes the majority of the

Indo-Seychellois __NOTOC__ Indo-Seychellois are inhabitants of Seychelles with Indian heritage. With about 10,000 Indo-Seychellois in a total Seychellois population of nearly 100,000, they constitute a minority ethnic group in Seychelles. Origins The first Indo-S ...

, who form 6% of the total population. Overall, it is believed that over 10% of the population of Seychelles has some Indian roots.

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

continues to thrive as an important religion among the Tamil-Seychellois; according to the 2001 census there were 1600 Hindus in the country. The Seychelles Hindu Kovil Sangam was founded in 1984. The annual

Kavadi Kavadi Aattam (Tamil: காவடி ஆட்டம், Malayalam: കാവടിയാട്ടം) ("Burden Dance") is a ceremonial sacrifice and offering practiced by devotees during the worship of Murugan,Kent, Alexandra. ''Divinity and Di ...

festival is a major event and a government holiday for all Hindus. Cultural troupes are invited from time to time to enhance cultural values and links. The organization of the Seychelles Hindu Council, national celebration of the

Deepavali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is on ...

festival and the setting up of a crematorium with government support are events worthy of note. There is also a Hindu Council of Seychelles established and maintained by the community. The Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar Temple in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, the first and only Hindu temple in Seychelles, has

Lord Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

as the presiding deity. In addition, icons of

Murugan Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

, Nadarajah, Durga, Sreenivasa Perumal, Bairava and Chandekeswarar are enshrined in the inner mandapam of the temple. Prayers are performed for the different deities on special occasions. Seychelles Tamil Mandram was registered in 2002. Since then it has grown through the support of the Tamil community and dedicated committee members. The association promotes interactions of the Tamil community, Tamil language and literature and cultural and social functions. Two programmes are organized annually by Tamil Mandram. The

Pongal Pongal may refer to: * Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival * Pongal (dish) Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...

festival in January brings scholars from Tamil Nadu for speeches and exhibits and local international cultural performances. Aadi thiruvizha is celebrated in September to commemorate the month of Aadi, which is important for agriculture. Drawing, essay and oratorical competitions and traditional games are conducted. Tamil Mandram organises Tamil classes. Active participation in Tamil classes, debates, dramas and other cultural events including Tamil publications has increased over the years.

References

{{Tamil diaspora Asian diaspora in Seychelles Tamil diaspora in Africa Seychellois people of Asian descent ta:சீசெல்சுத் தமிழர்

History

Language, religion and culture

See also

References