[citation needed] The earliest Tamil immigration into France can be traced back to since the 17th Century, from the French-administered colony of Puducherry in India.

[citation needed] The majority of the Tamil French population are either Hindus or Christians, and a minor number of them have faith in Islam as well.

[8] The Parisian quarter of La Chapelle, a stone's throw from Le Gare du Nord is popularly known as “Little Jaffna”.

Centring on three of four streets where the famous annual Ganesh Festival and its crowd drawing processions of dancers, rituals and floats has been celebrated at the end of August each year since the late 1990s the quarter is thriving and undeniably Tamil.

[citation needed] There is a wide variety of stores, restaurants and businesses catering to Paris Tamil community; There are numerous boutiques selling saris, restaurants specialising in Tamil, Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine, halal butchers and spice stores; there are shops selling models of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian deities; trinkets and jewellery for all tastes and wallets – bangles for one Euro, rings for a thousand; all tastes in Indian film and music are catered for in various media outlets and many less stand -out stores, offering translation, visa, educational and other services also line the streets.

Little Jaffna is a bustling village, offering a perspective on Tamil culture which has been noted by visitors that is seemingly isolated from larger French influences.