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In that classic of Tamil literature—the Kural—Tiruvalluvar describes "Numbers” and "writing" as the two eyes of humanity. எண்ணென்ப வேனை யெழுத்தென்ப விவ்விரண்டுங் கண்ணென்ப வாழு முயிர்க்கு.—Kur. So high was the importance attached to these two “Rs.” In Tamil 'ezhuttu' includes letters as well as picture, and as a mark of distinction writing or alphabetic letters have been called கண்ணெழுத்து or signs for the eye. It is also called நெடுங்கணக்கு or the 'long account' in contra-distinction to numbers, எண் or கணக்கு. Kanakku is a vague term meaning account, letters or knowledge, as in 'Samaya-kanakkan', a thelogian.

Pavanandi, the popular grammarian of the thirteenth century treats the subject of Tamil letters or orthography under twelve-heads, namely,—number, name, order, origin, form, quantity, initial, middle and final letters (in words), similarity in sound, 8