Adi

Fourth month in the Tamil solar year,
corresponding to the northern Indian
solar month of Karkata (the zodiacal
sign of Cancer), which usually falls
within July and August. The existence of
several different calendars is one clear
sign of the continuing importance of
regional cultural patterns. One way that
the Tamils retain their culture is by
preserving their traditional calendar.
Tamil is one of the few regional
languages in India with an ancient,
well-established literary tradition. See
also Tamil months, Tamil Nadu, and
Tamil language.