Dravidian

1. A large family of languages spoken especially in southern India and northern Sri Lanka that includes Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
2. A member of any of the peoples that speak one of the Dravidian languages, especially a member of one of the pre-Indo-European peoples of southern India.

[From Sanskrit drāviḍaḥ, a Dravidian.]

Dravidians are people who speak non-Indo-European languages, primarily in Southern India and Northern Sri Lanka. These languages include Tamil and Malayalam. When we speak of Dravidian culture, we generally refer to an indigenous pre-Hindu culture such as the one described in the Tamil Tolkāppiyām, written in the first and second centuries CE, Dravidian culture in all likelihood developed from the Indus Valley culture in south India in the Neolithic period and, in terms of religion, was probably earthcentered and possibly dominated by a goddess cult (see Tamil Mythology and Indus Valley Mythology).

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Dravidian may refer to the following about southern South Asia:

• Dravidian languages, a language family comprising about 21 languages including the four literary languages (Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu) spoken mainly in South India and North-Eastern Sri Lanka
• Proto-Dravidian, a model of the common ancestor of the above languages
• South India, the region which is called Dravida in the Indian anthem
• Dravidian people, a member of any of the peoples that speak one of the Dravidian languages
• Dravidian architecture, a style of Temple construction
• The Self-respect movement, sometimes called the Dravidian movement or the Periyar movement, a Tamil Nadu political movement that appeals to speakers of the Tamil language
• Dravidian parties, a collective term used for political parties in Tamil Nadu that trace their ideologies and origin from Dravidar Kazhagam
• Dravidian martial arts, a style of martial arts
• South Indian Cuisine, the cuisine of South India

See also:

Dravid redirects here:

• Rahul Dravid, a professional Indian cricket player.
• Dravid (Surname), surname found in Deshastha Brahmin community in Maharashtra and adjoining western, central & southern parts of India

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Common misspelling(s) of Dravidian

• Dravadian