Tamiḻakam or the Ancient Tamiḻ country refers to the Sangam period (3rd century BCE - 4th century CE) territory of old South Indian kingdoms covering modern Tamil Nadu, Kerala and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka. Historians use the term synonymous with South India to refer to the Tamil-speaking regions of India, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Tamilakam was mentioned as Dravida in the ancient Sanskrit and Prakrit literatures.