The debate over which language is older, Tamil or Sanskrit, has been a topic of discussion among linguists and historians for many years. Both languages have ancient origins, but they belong to different language families and have distinct characteristics.
Tamil is considered one of the oldest living languages in the world. It belongs to the Dravidian language family and has a history that dates back over 2,000 years. The earliest known Tamil inscriptions are from around 300 BCE, and the language has a rich literary tradition that includes classical works like the Sangam literature.
Sanskrit, on the other hand, is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that is considered the mother of many modern Indian languages. It has a history that dates back to around 1500 BCE, with the earliest known texts being the Vedas. Sanskrit has a highly structured grammar and has been used extensively in religious and philosophical texts.
While both languages are ancient, Tamil is often considered older in terms of its continuous usage and living tradition. Sanskrit, although older in terms of its earliest texts, is no longer a spoken language in the same way Tamil is. Therefore, Tamil is generally regarded as the oldest living language, while Sanskrit holds the title of one of the oldest classical languages.