Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka are
Tamil people of Indian origin in
Sri Lanka. They are also known as
Hill Country Tamils,
Up-Country Tamils or simply
Indian Tamils. They are partly descended from workers sent from
South India to Sri Lanka in the 19th and 20th centuries to work in
coffee,
tea and
rubber plantations. Some also migrated on their own as merchants and as other service providers. These
Tamil-speakers mostly live in the central highlands, also known as the Malayakam or Hill Country yet others are also found in major urban areas and in the
Northern Province. Although they are all termed as Tamils today, some have
Telugu and
Malayalee origins as well as diverse South Indian
caste origins. They are instrumental in the plantation sector economy of Sri Lanka. In general socio-economically their standard of living is below that of the national average. In 1964 a large percentage were repatriated to India, but left a considerable number as stateless people. By the 1990s most of these had been given Sri Lankan citizenship. Most are
Hindus with a minority of
Christians and
Muslims amongst them. Politically they are supportive of trade union derived political parties that have supported most of the ruling coalition since the 1980s.