The similarity and confusion between Tamil script and Malayalam is widespread. One reason for this is that Tamil is a direct descendant of the script Vattezhutu, which for centuries was used in Malayalam. Their careers in print stumped too, but it is interesting to note that of all the Indian scripts, the first to be printed was Tamil in 1578 in the region of Kerala, a Portuguese colony at that time. The book in question is Doutrina Cristiã, printed with types cast by John Gonsalves a year earlier. Malayalam, as we know it, was only printed about 250 years later by the efforts of Rev. Benjamin Bailey sent by the Church Mission- ary Society to Kottayan. At the time of Doutrina Cristiã, it was said that the types cast by Gonsalves were in Malabar language, which led to confusion regard- ing the language in question. After all Malabar is also the name of the north region of Kerala. Today it is known that it was Tamil, but the confusion around the term malabar persisted for several centuries.

The similarity and confusion between Tamil script and Malayalam is widespread. One reason for this is that Tamil is a direct descendant of the script Vattezhutu, which for centuries was used in Malayalam. Their careers in print stumped too, but it is interesting to note that of all the Indian scripts, the first to be printed was Tamil in 1578 in the region of Kerala, a Portuguese colony at that time. The book in question is Doutrina Cristiã, printed with types cast by John Gonsalves a year earlier. Malayalam, as we know it, was only printed about 250 years later by the efforts of Rev. Benjamin Bailey sent by the Church Mission- ary Society to Kottayan. At the time of Doutrina Cristiã, it was said that the types cast by Gonsalves were in Malabar language, which led to confusion regard- ing the language in question. After all Malabar is also the name of the north region of Kerala. Today it is known that it was Tamil, but the confusion around the term malabar persisted for several centuries.

The similarity and confusion between Tamil script and Malayalam is widespread. One reason for this is that Tamil is a direct descendant of the script Vattezhutu, which for centuries was used in Malayalam. Their careers in print stumped too, but it is interesting to note that of all the Indian scripts, the first to be printed was Tamil in 1578 in the region of Kerala, a Portuguese colony at that time. The book in question is Doutrina Cristiã, printed with types cast by John Gonsalves a year earlier. Malayalam, as we know it, was only printed about 250 years later by the efforts of Rev. Benjamin Bailey sent by the Church Mission- ary Society to Kottayan. At the time of Doutrina Cristiã, it was said that the types cast by Gonsalves were in Malabar language, which led to confusion regard- ing the language in question. After all Malabar is also the name of the north region of Kerala. Today it is known that it was Tamil, but the confusion around the term malabar persisted for several centuries.

The similarity and confusion between Tamil script and Malayalam is widespread. One reason for this is that Tamil is a direct descendant of the script Vattezhutu, which for centuries was used in Malayalam. Their careers in print stumped too, but it is interesting to note that of all the Indian scripts, the first to be printed was Tamil in 1578 in the region of Kerala, a Portuguese colony at that time. The book in question is Doutrina Cristiã, printed with types cast by John Gonsalves a year earlier. Malayalam, as we know it, was only printed about 250 years later by the efforts of Rev. Benjamin Bailey sent by the Church Mission- ary Society to Kottayan. At the time of Doutrina Cristiã, it was said that the types cast by Gonsalves were in Malabar language, which led to confusion regard- ing the language in question. After all Malabar is also the name of the north region of Kerala. Today it is known that it was Tamil, but the confusion around the term malabar persisted for several centuries.