| Dravidians | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia, mainly South India and Sri Lanka | ||
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families | ||
| Proto-language | Proto-Dravidian | ||
| Subdivisions |
| ||
| Language codes | |||
| ISO 639-2 / 5 | dra | ||
| Linguasphere | 49 = (phylozone) | ||
| Glottolog | drav1251 | ||
 Distribution of subgroups of Dravidian languages:
| |||
 Dravidian speakers in South Asia | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| approx. 250 million | |
| Languages | |
| Dravidian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Hinduism, Dravidian folk religion and others: Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism |
| Part of a series on |
| Dravidian culture and history |
|---|
|
The Dravidian peoples, Dravidian-speakers or Dravidians, are a collection of ethnolinguistic groups native to South Asia who speak Dravidian languages. There are around 250 million native speakers of Dravidian languages.[1] Dravidian speakers form the majority of the population of South India and are natively found in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,[2] Bangladesh,[3] the Maldives, Nepal,[4] Bhutan[5] and Sri Lanka.[6] Dravidian peoples are also present in Singapore, Mauritius, Malaysia, France, South Africa, Myanmar, East Africa, the Caribbean, and the United Arab Emirates through recent migration.
Proto-Dravidian may have been spoken in the Indus civilization, suggesting a "tentative date of Proto-Dravidian around the early part of the third millennium BCE",[7] after which it branched into various Dravidian languages.[8] South Dravidian I (including pre-Tamil) and South Dravidian II (including pre-Telugu) split around the eleventh century BCE, with the other major branches splitting off at around the same time.[9]
The third century BCE onwards saw the development of many great empires in South India like Pandya, Chola, Chera, Pallava, Satavahana, Chalukya, Kakatiya and Rashtrakuta. Medieval South Indian guilds and trading organisations like the "Ayyavole of Karnataka and Manigramam" played an important role in the Southeast Asia trade,[10] and the cultural Indianisation of the region.
Dravidian visual art is dominated by stylised temple architecture in major centres, and the production of images on stone and bronze sculptures. The sculpture dating from the Chola period has become notable as a symbol of Hinduism. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple located in Indian state of Tamil Nadu is often considered as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. The temple is built in Dravidian style and occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m2).[11]
- ^ Steever, S.B., ed. (2019). The Dravidian languages (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 1. doi:10.4324/9781315722580. ISBN 9781315722580. S2CID 261720917.
- ^ Louis, Rosenblatt; Steever, Sanford B. (15 April 2015). The Dravidian Languages. Routledge. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-136-91164-4. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Razaul Karim Faquire (2010). "Language situation in Bangladesh". The Dhaka University Studies. 67 (2): 7. ISSN 1562-7195. OCLC 11674036.
- ^ "Dhangar Oraon in Nepal".
Dhangar Oraon people of Nepal speak Kurukh, also Kurux, Oraon or Uranw, as their native language. Which is a Dravidian language
- ^ "ORAON OF BHUTAN".
Oraon people of Bhutan speak Kurukh as their native language. Which is a Dravidian language
- ^ Swan, Michael; Smith, Bernard (26 April 2001). Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and Other Problems. Cambridge University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-521-77939-5. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Krishnamurti 2003, p. 501.
- ^ History and Archaeology, Volume 1, Issues 1–2 p.234, Department of Ancient History, Culture, and Archaeology, University of Allahabad
- ^ Krishnamurti 2003, p. 501-502.
- ^ Angela Schottenhammer, The Emporium of the World: Maritime Quanzhou, 1000–1400, p.293
- ^ "Tiruvarangam Divya Desam".