Dravidian

Where did the Dravidians come from?
Genetic evidence suggests that the Dravidians originally came from the Horn of
Africa. Dravidian peoples lived in India before Indo-Aryan language speakers arrived.
What is the difference between Dravidians and Aryans?
Dravidian peoples primarily speak one of more than 80 different Dravidian languages
found mostly throughout South India and Sri Lanka, like Tamil. Indo-Aryans spoke
one of the Indic languages, such as Sanskrit, and likely established linguistic
dominance after the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The Dravidian Peoples

Dravidians are an ethnolinguistic family of people with a unique culture and history
who primarily live in the Southern Indian states and parts of Sri Lanka in South Asia.
They speak one of several Dravidian languages and are also found in parts of
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Iran. There are currently over 80
different Dravidian languages spoken by about 200 million people around the world.
A map of India and parts of South Asia showing the distribution of Dravidian languages.
Become a member to unlock this lesson Create an account
Dravidian Languages
The origin of Dravidian languages remains controversial, but linguists and historians
confirm that they likely influenced ancient Sanskrit, as evidenced by numerous
Dravidian loanwords that appear in the Rig Veda, which is written in Sanskrit, an
Indo-Aryan language. India recognizes four Dravidian languages, namely Tamil,
Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, as classical, literary languages and the official
languages of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. Most people who
speak a Dravidian language speak one of these four South Indian languages. In
addition, nonliterary languages are subclassified into south, south-central, central,
and north categories based on region.
History of the Dravidian Peoples

Historically, Dravidians comprise a fundamental part of India's diverse fabric and
culture. For instance, Tamil societies heavily promoted the worship of Shiva as their
primary deity, popularizing and propagating the Shaivism sect of Hinduism.
Dravidian independence movements in South India also played a vital role in fighting
for India's independence against British colonization during the 20th century.
The origin and history of the Dravidian peoples are complex, multifaceted, often
controversial, and under much debate by scholars, such as historians, archeologists,
and linguists. There are numerous scientific theories and data about the origin and
migration of Dravidians in India, which include:
 Genetic evidence suggests that Dravidian peoples originally migrated to India

from the Horn of Africa.
 Genetic evidence also suggests that around 5000 years ago, farmers from the
Fertile Crescent, in what is now Iran, migrated to India and likely mixed with
existing Dravidian communities.
 The Indo-Aryan Migration theory suggests that prehistoric groups of Steppe
pastoralists from outside of India who spoke Indo-European languages settled
in the continent of India sometime between 1700 to 1300 BCE.
 Linguists believe the Dravidian language is at least 4,500 years old, dating
back to 2,500 BCE, and that people who spoke the Dravidian languages were
present across India prior to the appearance of people who spoke the Indo-
Aryan languages.
The term Indo-Aryan describes speakers of one of the Indic languages, a category of
Indo-European languages in India with Iranian or European roots. Some examples of
Indic languages include Vedic Sanskrit, Hindi, Konkani, Assamese, and Maithili. In
modern India, approximately 75% of the population speaks an Indic language, with
most of the remaining people speaking Dravidian languages.
Summary
The Dravidian peoples, also known as Dravidians, represent an ethnolinguistic
family of people who primarily live in Southern India and parts of Sri Lanka. There
are numerous Dravidic ethnic groups classified into subgroups based on geographic
regions, such as the north subgroup Brahui and the central subgroup Gond. In
addition, India recognizes the languages of four Indian Dravidian ethnic subgroups as
literary languages, which are the Telugu, a south-central subgroup located in Orissa,
Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu; the Kannada, a south subgroup located in
Karnataka and Kerala; the Malayalam, a south subgroup located in Kerala; and
the Tamil, a south subgroup located in parts of South India, Sri Lanka, South Africa,
Malaysia, and Singapore.
Dravidians have significantly influenced India's diverse history and culture. For
instance, Tamil societies heavily promoted the worship of Shiva and the Shaivism
sect of Hinduism. The origin of Dravidians is considered complex and controversial
by historians, archeologists, and linguists. However, genetic evidence suggests
Dravidian peoples originally migrated to India from the Horn of Africa and lived in
India before Indo-Aryan language speakers. Ancient Dravidian civilizations include
the Pandya dynasty and the Chola dynasty, centered around Tamil Nadu in South
India. In addition, genetic and linguistic evidence suggests the sophisticated Indus
Valley Civilization, which existed between 3300 and 1300 BCE, was likely
Dravidian.

Dravidian

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dravidian

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dravidian

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Where did the Dravidians come from?

What is the difference between Dravidians and Aryans?

The Dravidian Peoples

History of the Dravidian Peoples

 Genetic evidence suggests that Dravidian peoples originally migrated to India

You might also like