HISTORY / ORIGIN:
According to Tamil Tradition, the Dravidians originally came from a submerged island Kumari Kandam in the south of India. The name Dravidian is given to the people of Southern and Central India including Northern Sri Lanka who speaks Dravidian languages. They are known by this name mostly due to Linguistic reasons and the people are of different racial types. According to some historians, the Dravidians existed and were spread in the Indian Subcontinent even before the Aryan Invasion.
The term Dravidian first arose in the Nineteenth century when the Western scholars began to realize that Dravidian speakers were a distinct race within India. Researchers thought that the darker skinned people from Southern India were a distinct race and were more ancient than the lighter skinned people. Researchers claim that the darker skin of the Dravidian people is due to hotter and sunnier climate in Southern India. Dravidians have been partially displaced and subordinated by the more advanced Aryans.
LANGUAGES:
There are about 23 languages that come under the banner of Dravidian languages. About 200 million people speak these languages, living mostly in Southern and Central India including Northern Sri Lanka. The four chief Dravidian languages are Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. All the four languages had rich literature at every age. Researchers claim that these languages are derived from a language spoken in India before the Aryan Invasion in 1500 B.C. These languages have their own alphabets which relate back to common source linked to the Devanagri alphabet used for Sanskrit. The only single Dravidian language spoken outside India is Brahui, mainly spoken in Pakistan’s province of Baluchistan and Afghanistan. Of these languages, Tamil is the most widespread language spoken with the richest and most ancient literature of all. It is thought that before the Aryan Invasion, the Dravidian languages were more widespread covering a larger geographical area.
FESTIVALS:
Festivals are the essential part of the Dravidian culture and heritage. Pongal is one of the most important festivals which is celebrated at the time of full harvesting and rearing for four consecutive days. The 14th of April is celebrated as the New Year day in Dravidian States. The 18th of Tamil month is celebrated as the high water rise of Cauvery River which is known as Aadi Perukku. Apart from this every Dravidian villager celebrate different festivals to offer praise deity Mariamman, at different times and places.
ARTS AND MUSIC:
Dravidian Culture boasts of its own music called Carnatic music. Until the 12th Century AD, the Indian Music was considered as one in Indian History. Under the influence of Muslims, the Indian Music divided into two systems which were the north Indian "Hindustani Music“ and The south Indian Carnatic or Dravidian music. Dravidian music continued to flourish without any external influences and today it is totally unified with different schools based on same instruments such as flute, violin, the mridangam and the ghatam.
Tamil culture and traditions are the most important part of Dravidian culture. It is incomplete if the music and dancing styles remain apart. The towns such as Trichy are known for its temple treasures expressing spiritual fervor as well as delicate artworks and architecture. Music mostly expresses the devotion and spiritual fervor of the region. The singers in temples hum the religious songs of devotion to religion. Folk music is also delicate and exquisite. Women in villages sing popular folk music Villuppa. One of the most integral parts of Indian classical dance is known as Bharatnatyam. Karakattam is the most famous dance style performed in front of idol of Goddess Mariamman. Among other popular dances Mayilaa special dance where the artists bind a thread of peacock features round their waist.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE:
Due to the ancient history and culture of Dravidian states which is about 2500 years old, people of various religions and beliefs inhabited in the region. The main religions in the state are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism. Buddhism is highly followed in Norther part of Sri Lanka. After that Hinduism and its various sects, is the most ancient and primeval religion in the state. Like most parts of India, the Brahmin community in Tamilnadu is very pious. Besides Hinduism, other important religions that are practiced in the state are Christianity, Islam and Jainism. The history of Christianity and Islam is also very old in these states. The largest concentration of Christians is in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts of the Tamil state. The followers of Jain religion are confined to North and South Arcot and Chennai city.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Dravidian Culture.Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL of this page.If you are somehow related to Dravidian culture, your feedback is much appreciated.
California Chronicle
2008 South India Tourism : Exploring the Dravidian Culture. Electronic document, http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/view/62023, accessed September 12, 2009.
Global Oneness
2005 Dravidian People. Electronic Document, http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Dravidian_people/id/465052, accessed September 12, 2009.
The Free Dictionary
Dravidian Languages. Electronic Document, http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dravidian+languages, accessed September 12, 2009.
Image Reference:
http://www.indianetzone.com/5/tamil_culture.htm
http://www.bharatonline.com/tamilnadu/tamilnadu-culture.html
Written by
Salman Hakim, 2009