Vikv10 at 16:25, 10 September 2025

2025-09-10T16:25:57Z

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{{Short description|Term for natives of Southern India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
|group = Adi Dravida
|popplace = c. 7.25 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/Tamil_Nadu/6.Figures_Glance_Tamil%20Nadu.pdf |title=Census of india 2011 |publisher=Government of India}}</ref> (2011 census)
|languages = [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|religions = [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]], [[Islam]], [[Christianity]]
|related = [[Paraiyar]]
}}
'''Adi Dravida''' (or '''Adi Dravidar''') is a term that has been used since 1914 in [[South India]] to denote [[Paraiyar|Paraiyars]], a [[Jāti|caste]] group.{{sfn|Bergunder|2004|p=69}} At the time of the [[2011 Census of India]], they made up about half of [[Tamil Nadu]]'s Scheduled Caste population.

== Origin ==
[[Iyothee Thass]], a leader of the [[Paraiyar]] community, believed that the term "Paraiyar" was a [[pejorative|slur]]. He attempted a reconstruction of Tamil history, arguing that the Paraiyars were the original inhabitants of the land, who had been subjugated by upper-caste invaders. Another Paraiyar leader, [[Rettamalai Srinivasan]], however, advocated using the term "Paraiyar" with pride, and formed the Parayar Mahajana Sabha ("Paraiyar Mahajana Assembly") in 1892.{{sfn|Srikumar|2014|p=357}} Thass, on the other hand, advocated the term "Adi-Dravida" ("Original Dravidians") to describe the community. In 1892, he used the term ''Adidravida Jana Sabhai'' to describe an organisation, which was probably Srinivasan's Parayar Mahajana Sabha. In 1895, he established the "People’s Assembly of Urdravidians" (Adidravida Jana Sabha), which probably split off from Srinivasan's organisation. According to Michael Bergunder, Thass was thus the first person to introduce the concept of "Adi Dravida" into political discussion.{{sfn|Bergunder|2004|p=69}}

In 1918, the Adi Dravida Mahajan Sabha also requested the Indian government use the term to replace the current but pejorative term "Pariah" (Paraiyar) used for the community.<ref name="Jaffrelot2003">{{cite book|author=Christophe Jaffrelot|title=India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJZp5tDuY-gC&pg=PA169|year=2003|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-12786-8|pages=169–}}</ref>

Another Paraiyar leader, M C Rajah — a [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] councillor — made successful efforts for adoption of the term "Adi-Dravidar" in the government records.{{sfn|Srikumar|2014|p=357}} In 1914, the [[Madras Legislative Council]] passed a resolution that officially censured the usage of the term "Paraiyar" to refer to a specific community, and recommended "Adi Dravidar" as an alternative.{{sfn|Bergunder|2011|p=260}} In the 1920s and 1930s, [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy|Periyar]] ensured the wider dissemination of the term "Adi Dravida".{{sfn|Bergunder|2004|p=69}}

== Reservation ==
In [[South India]], Adi Dravida are considered as [[Scheduled Castes]], under India's [[Reservation in India|positive system of Reservation]].
{| class="wikitable"
!Status
!Notes
![[Reservation in India|Reservation status]]
!Ref.
|-
|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|mostly concentrated in bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu<ref>{{Cite web |title=India - A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix), Andhra Pradesh - 2011 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/42907 |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
|[[Scheduled Castes|SC]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) {{!}} Lopol.org|url=https://www.lopol.org/article/list-of-andhra-pradesh-scheduled-castes-sc-and-scheduled-tribes-st|access-date=2022-01-05|website=www.lopol.org|archive-date=29 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329012806/https://www.lopol.org/article/list-of-andhra-pradesh-scheduled-castes-sc-and-scheduled-tribes-st|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|[[Lakshadweep]]
|only the native citizens
|[[Scheduled tribes|ST]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Controversy over ST-Muslim category for Lakshadweep students|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2021/nov/22/controversy-over-st-muslim-category-for-lakshadweep-students-2386470.html|access-date=2022-01-05|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>
|-
|[[Karnataka]]
| rowspan="3" |Counted along with [[Adi Andhra]], [[Adi Karnataka]] and Ajila.
| rowspan="3" |[[Scheduled Caste|SC]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Karnataka Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) {{!}} Lopol.org|url=https://www.lopol.org/article/list-of-karnataka-scheduled-castes-sc-and-scheduled-tribes-st|access-date=2022-01-05|website=www.lopol.org}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kerala]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Scheduled Castes in Kerala|url=https://keralapsc.gov.in/list-scheduled-castes-kerala-state|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111162720/https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/list-scheduled-castes-kerala-state |archive-date=11 January 2020 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Tamil Nadu Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) {{!}} Lopol.org|url=https://www.lopol.org/article/list-of-tamil-nadu-scheduled-castes-sc-and-scheduled-tribes-st|access-date=2022-01-05|website=www.lopol.org}}</ref>
|}

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}
'''Bibliography'''
{{Refbegin}}
*{{citation |first=Michael |last=Bergunder |url=http://www.theologie.uni-hd.de/rm/online-artikel/bergunder-2004-contested-past.pdf |title=Contested Past: Anti-brahmanical and Hindu nationalist reconstructions of early Indian history |journal=Historiographia Linguistica |volume=31 |issue=1 |year=2004 |pages=95–104 |doi=10.1075/hl.31.1.05ber }}
* {{citation |first=Michael |last=Bergunder |title=Ritual, Caste, and Religion in Colonial South India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcEM2IsnA1AC&pg=PA260 |year=2011 |publisher=Primus |isbn=978-93-80607-21-4 }}
* {{citation |first=S. |last=Srikumar |title=Kolar Gold Field: (Unfolding the Untold) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QrWEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA356 |year=2014 |publisher=Partridge Publishing India |isbn=978-1-4828-1507-8 }}
{{refend}}
[[Category:Tamil society]]
[[Category:Dalit communities]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Kerala]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Scheduled Castes of Telangana]]

Adi Dravida - Revision history

Vikv10 at 16:25, 10 September 2025