Caste system was introduced into Tamilnadu by Brahmins using religion to justify division through birth - refer Purusha Sukta, Bhagavad Gita and Manu Dharma etc. Now its time for Tamils to reclaim their identity.
http://www.devendrakulam.org/wst_page6.html
This is Dravidianism for you
you are missing the point made by the pontiff - Cholas or Pandyas etc never identified themselves as Hindus, in no Tamil religious works is it mention that Tamils were Hindus or followed the Sanatana dharma etc. Thats is what Tamils are working on, to delink themselves from Indians Hinduism
Sankaracharya of Kanchi thanked the British for introducing the ‘Legal Hindu Religion’ and saving the brahmins from becoming minority
‘in the own land’ “Had they [ the British ] not given us the name ” Hindu ” we could have divided ourselves into various religion – like Saivites, Vaishnavites, Sakthas, Muruga Bhakts and as devotees of Ellai Amma – in every town . Is there a common God for Saivites and Vaishnavites? No, Siva is not the God of Vaishnavites; the militant Saivites say that Vishnu is not a God at all, but only a devotee of Lord Shiva. Can anyone consider these two as belonging to a single religion? The British gave a common name – HINDU, and we are saved. The name that they christened saved us.” – Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi, Kanchi Paramacharya, Voice of God ,Volume 1, Page: 266. [Tamil Edn]