Ancient south India.

[Joydeep Mitra]

Dear Indologists,

I am curious about the inhabitants of the Deccan plateau (southern India)
during the  period when the Indus Valley civilization was at its peak. If
you know anything about the culture, etc, could you please let me know?

I would also like to find out about the time and circumstances which gave  
birth to the language Tamil in southern India. I have heard that Tamil is
older than Sanskrit and follows significantly different grammer rules. Of
course, over the years some Sanskrit words have gotten incorporated  into
Tamil. If you might know the above, please be kind enough to let me know.

Sincerely,
Joydeep Mitra.