Dr. U. V. Swaminatha Iyer - that great and ardent lover of Tamil - laboriously collected the available works in Ōlai (manuscript) and edited them. From place to place he moved, toiling, probing and rummaging to discover the Tamil literary masterpieces, hidden away. While this brilliant scholar edited critically these works, he found to his great surprise that often the name of the author in two copies of the same work was different. The disadvantage of the ōlai stands out glaringly.

The Europeans brought the printing press to India and with it completely revolutionised the above conditions.

About 1710 Tamil letters were cut in Halle for the printing press. It was only three years later i.e., in 1713 that the press commenced work in India. The first Tamil book ever printed in Europe (at Halle) was “Grammatica Damulica” by Ziegenbalg.²⁶

There is one version which says that Tamil books were printed as early as 1577 and 1579. The book called “Flos Sanctorum” was held to be printed at Vaippukkottai by a Spanish Missionary by name Jones Gonslaves.²⁷ The latter book supposed to have been printed is “Doctrina Christiana” by Father Anrique Arriquez²⁸ at Cochin. Another belief is that in the same year 1579 at Ambalakkadu, a Portuguese Tamil vocabulary is supposed to have been printed. It is also believed that European scholars, to enable their Tamil study to propagate their religion, printed books.²⁹

In 1578 at Punnaikkayal in Tirunelvely District, Joao-de-Faria is believed to have cut the Tamil letters in wooden blocks and printed books. We are not sure of the list of books printed. Some think that the two books given above were printed here. There is another version which says that Ignatius Aichamani cut Tamil letters and printed books at Ambalakkadu.

26. Kamil Zvelebil. Tamil culture, Vol. IX, No. 2, P. 182.

27. Mayilai Seeni Venkadaswamy, Kiristavamum Tamilum, P. 35.

28. Kamil Zvelebil. op. cit. P. 182.

29. Mayilai Seeni Venkadaswamy, op. cit. P. 55.