(2005) claim R1a's diverse presence including even Indian tribal and lower castes (the so-called untouchables) and populations not part of the caste system. (2005) questioned the concept of its Indo-Iranian origin. The above statement of "origin" is further diluted based on the examination of R1a1 in South Indian tribals and Dravidian population groups Saha et al. Hence this has been suggestive of the fact that the badagas are of an Eurasian origin. A good percentage of people in Central Europe,East Europe,Scandinavia and the people of Punjab also belong to this R1a1 Haplogroup. a Y-chromosome DNA marker test on the badagas have resulted in the badagas belonging to the broader R1a and specifically R1a1 Haplogroup. To somehow show they are closer to European to spread Christianity. The same theory has been put forward in neibhouring kodagu to successful effect in conversion.
But this theory is put up to convert badagas to Christianity. The date of the second migration from present Karnataka is probably said to be around 1500 AD - 1600 AD. The badagas hence adopted the language for verbal communication and did not accept the Script as it was Foreign to them. Hence this seems to be a justification that the badagas were completely an indegenous people to due to the absence in their script, but an ancient indegenous group would have a higher population or would have been completely extinct which questions the validity of this theory.īadaga ethnic group from Central/East Europe for survival had to accept the local language after migration to southern India and then to the Nilgiri Hills (the nilgiris then belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire), hence the dialect of Kannada. Philology states that in the beginning languages existed without scripts and only later scripts were developed. This is the correct representation of Badaga people ,let us see why there is confusion. Their language is Badaga, a dialect of Kannada. Many have relocated to towns and cities of the region, and earn income from urban-style employment. They are an agricultural people and far the most numerous and wealthy of the hill tribes. Research has indicated they migrated to the Nilgiris from the Mysore region, sometime around 1600 after the break-up of the kingdom of Vijayanagara. They are most likely Dravidian by descent and they are by religion Hindus of the Saiva sect. In general, neither stereotype of caste or tribe can be readily applied. However, they are also known to have paid tribute in grain to other groups, such as the Todas. Their aspirations to be recognized as a tribe, rather than a caste, is complicated by their historical and contemporary social relations with other Nilgiri peoples, from whom they have asserted some differences and even a social precedence.įor example, the Badagas have traditionally hired musicians from other Nilgiri groups (such as the Kota and Irula) to play at their social functions, which is symbolic of submission and control in that region. They are registered as a Backward Caste, (now referred to as other backward caste(OBC) caste). They form the largest indigenous community in the Nilgiri region, with a population of approximately 150,000 encompassing some 370-odd villages and smaller settlements. The Badagas(Kannada:ಬಡಗ ಜನರು) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India.The term 'Badagu' in old Kannada means 'North',so 'Badaga' should mean 'Northener'.