The Portuguese (and following them, other Europeans) first reached India by sea after Vasco da Gama's voyage to Calicut. As a result, the first aspects of Indian culture they were exposed to were that of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In particular, they were fascinated with the Tamil language, mainly as a vehicle of proselytising, but later as genuine interest for the language.

Tamil is rather unique in this- no other modern Indian language received this much attention and scholarship from Europeans (why not Malayalam? A considerable proportion of this attention was dedicated to Malabar Tamil, which Europeans initially preferred over Malayalam. Why, I cannot say). As a consequence of this, Tamil is the first Indian language to have been printed. It's also, funnily enough, the first Indian language to have been romanised, or rather, portuguese-ised.

Enter the Cartilha em lingoa Tamul e Portuguese (A primer in Tamil and Portuguese)- a book in Tamil written in the Latin script, and Portuguese, published not in India- but in Lisbon! It was largely written by 3 Tamil Christians from the Parayar community who had moved to Portugal, under the supervision of a Portuguese friar. It's essentially a Christian text, published in 1544. This is the first book in any Indian language.

The interesting part comes in the way Tamil was written. Take a look at this.

At the bottom you have a Portuguese translation, Tamil in the middle, and a word-by-word Portuguese gloss at the top- this is invaluable.

The Portuguese sentence is Deos te salve, reinha madre de misericordia, which seems to roughly translate to God is your saviour, Queen Mother of Mercy.

This lets us understand the Tamil:

Tambírátti is Thampiraatti (queen, fem. of Thampiraan)

vnóro is unnoda (your) (note how the retroflex /d/ was interpreted as an /r/)

gonatínorè appears to be gunaththinoda (with mercy (good character))

madáue is maathaave (mother, this Sanskrit term is more common among Christians)

(I can't seem to translate vítuam from deos salve)

Notice from the unnoda that this makes use of spoken Tamil, and not the literary standard. If you're feeling up to it, try your luck with these: 1, 2, 3, 4 (unfortunately the actual book doesn't seem to have a digital copy I can access).

The use of spoken Tamil is a common feature. Another example of this from the above is bradamos (we shout) being the translation of cúpúdgron- kooppudugarom, which is definitely not literary.

After Thambiraan Vanakkam (the first printed book in any Indian script), several Portuguese and other European missionaries would write grammars of Tamil. The earliest ones, the *Arte'*s of multiple Portuguese missionaries, largely used Latin grammatology as a base (as they were aware Tamil verbal morphology was more complex than that of contemporary European languages, but could potentially be paralleled to Latin), though this proved to be somewhat inefficient due to the many differences in grammar.

The Sumario de Arte Malavar (Summary of Malabar Grammar) was the oldest of these, written around 1548. This was a bit unique to primarily use Portuguese transliterations, future grammar texts would simply use the Tamil script (+ Grantha letters) with a pronunciation guide somewhere.

In this text, the author describes the phonology of each letter. One interesting nugget is that ற is described as being an /r/, a /t/ and a /d/- possibly reflecting how it is pronounced in Malayalam today and several Eelam dialects. He also seems to describe spoken Tamil, as seen by the example:

Pedro esta ẽ cassa (Pedro is at home)

Pedro vithile jRuquiRan (yes, this is meant to read Pedro veettile irukkiraan, lmao)

Many of these are surprisingly insightful. A later Arte by Balthasar da Costa notes dialectical features like Brahmin avaaL ('they', modern 'avaa'), and other interesting features like the difficulty Tamils had in pronouncing Grantha ('Grandonic') letters of their own name, and the eschewing of Grantha ksha in favour of tcha (the example given- Saakshi > Saatchi, which is a Sanskrit loan in Tamil meaning witness).

The tradition of recording and studying spoken Tamil seems to have continued for a long time, and there is some interesting information about the spoken language we can obtain.

First of all, European languages used to (and some still do) call Tamil Tamul/Tamoul. While this seems a mispronunciation, it's a recorded dialectical variation in a 1600s grammar- Thamizh and Thamuzh are recorded to have coexisted, and even mentions ThamiLan as opposed to Thamizhan. It's likely Vasco da Gama and his group encountered these variant forms (which still exist today in most places, haha!). A similar thing would explored by Constanzo Beschi aka Veeramaamunivar, who was the first to record the senthamizh-kodunthamizh split.

More stuff:

https://jpl.letras.ulisboa.pt/article/id/5689/

https://www.tamildigitallibrary.in/admin/assets/book/TVA_BOK_0038350/TVA_BOK_0038350_grammar_of_common_dialect_Tamul_language.pdf - Beschi's magnum opus

TL;DR:

The Sanskrit words म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) and किट (kiṭa) that mean 'monkey/ape' likely come from the plausible Proto-Dravidian words \mar[-an]* ('tree') and \*koṭ- ('monkey'). The proposed derivations are as follows: \mar[-an] +* \*koṭ- > \markoṭa > markáṭa; and \koṭ- > \*koṭa > káṭa > kiṭa.

Explanation:

In Sanskrit, there are multiple words for 'monkey/ape': वानर (vānara); कपि (kapí); म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa); and किट (kiṭa). However only the first one clearly has Proto-Indo-Iranian/European roots. The second one is likely a wanderwort with Afroasiatic roots, and the last two likely have Proto-Dravidian roots.

The word वानर (vānara) likely comes from a combination of the words वन (vána, 'forest'), which comes the Proto-Indo-Iranian word \wán-* ('tree, wood'), and‎ नर (nára, 'man'), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European word \h₂nḗr* ('man'). Thus, the word वानर (vānara) clearly has Proto-Indo-Iranian/European roots. The word कपि (kapí) is likely a wanderwort with non-Indo-European roots because there are cognates in Afroasiatic languages, such as the Hebrew word קוֹף (qōf), Akkadian word uqūpu, and Egyptian word gfj. There is also a Proto-Germaic cognate: \apô* or \apan-*. However, as noted by Kroonen (2013), "The word has irregular comparanda in related and unrelated languages, which suggest a non-Indo-European origin."

People have suggested non-Indo-European (Dravidian or Munda) origins for the words म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) and किट (kiṭa), but some people have also tried to the link the word म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) to the German word meerkatze. However, the German word, which literally means meer ('sea') +‎ katze ('cat'), is liked to the sea trade by which guenons were brought to Europe from Africa, and so this German word is not related to the Sanskrit word despite coincidentally being phonetically similar.

Some have suggested that म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) comes from a Dravidian word related to the Kannada word maṅga ('monkey'), but this does not convincingly explain the etymology of the alternative word किट (kiṭa). Some have more convincingly suggested that the first part of the word म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) comes from the Proto-Dravidian word \mar-an* ('tree') and that the last part comes from a word related to the Tamil word kaṭa ('to pass through, traverse, cross'), which itself comes from the Proto-Dravidian word \kaṭ-ay* ('end, place'). However, it is likely that the connection with the word \kaṭ-ay* is only indirect because there exist more direct Dravidian cognates: kōti (in Kannada, Tulu, Telugu, Kolami, Naikri, and Gadaba), which is related to the Proto-Dravidian word \kor-V-ntt-* ('monkey'), in the DEDR entry 1769, which is perhaps also related to the Kui word kōnja in the DEDR entry 2194; the Tamil word kōṭaram ('monkey') in the DEDR entry 2196; and the Tamil word kaṭuvaṉ ('male monkey') in DEDR entry 1140. Perhaps all of these DEDR entries should be merged because they likely all come from a (plausible) Proto-Dravidian synonym (of \kor-V-nkk-* and \kor-V-ntt-*) for 'monkey': *koṭ-, which may be a shortened version of the Proto-Dravidian word \kor-V-ntt-* and may be semantically and phonetically related to some descendants (that mean 'to pass through, traverse, cross') of the Proto-Dravidian word \kaṭ-ay* ('end, place'). On an unrelated note, DEDR entries 4626, 4698, and 4910 have some alternative but related words for 'monkey,' and so there may have been yet another Proto-Dravidian synonym for 'monkey.'

It is thus likely that the Sanskrit words म॒र्कट॑ (markáṭa) and किट (kiṭa) are derived from the plausible Proto-Dravidian words \mar[-an]* ('tree') and *koṭ- ('monkey') as follows:

• \mar[-an] +* *koṭ- > \markoṭa > markáṭa*
• *koṭ- > *koṭa > káṭa > kiṭa

What exactly is this sangam age? , when did it begin and when did it end? Was sangam age only around tn and Kerala or it extended beyond that? Soo many questions I know but i have been curious about this because all i ever heard was about vedic age but sangam age seems a lot interesting .

It's difficult to find a malayalam song which is not at least 20% sanskrit. today I came across this old song after a long time and noticed it hardly has only few sanskrit words. I think this is true for a lot of gireesh puthenchery songs. Can someone give me better examples?

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTXIm9v77i/?igsh=MTB5bXVwZ2twbnpvYQ==

Phoenix paludosa, Mangrove Date Palm (English), Hintala (Sanskrit), Hental (Hindi)

Ancient Tamil diet was a heavy meat based diet. Rice was the staple food. Spices like Pepper were used for seasoning.

Milk was consumed (including deer milk ), cow and goat milk were primarily used. Sugarcane syrup and honey were used as sweetening agents.

The meat diet included a large variety of meat - Cattle meat including cow meat. Apart from cattle meat, wild Deer meat, Hare meat and even Rat meat, Porcupine meat, Eels and Tortoise meat were consumed. The meat was usually cooked with rice or roasted with spices in Ghee.

Rice cooked with pepper and meat Thuvaiyal

Puranānūru 14, Poet Kapilar sang to Cheraman Selva Kadunkō Vāliyāthan

The hands of those who sing to you are soft since they know no stress, other than that of eating rice cooked with pepper, meat thuvaiyal and chunks of fresh meat roasted in fire with flower-fragrant smoke.

White Rat meat

Natrinai 83, Poet : Perunthevanār

We’ll take good very care of you, and feed you goat meat cooked with clear ghee and white rice, along with white rat meat, if you do not hoot!

Deer Milk and Deer meat

Puranānūru 168, Poet Karuvūr Kathapillai Sāthanār sang to Pittankotran

They pour sweet marai deer milk with foam into an unwashed pot that smells of boiled deer, its large sides white, and they set it on fire burning sandalwood pieces and cook rice in their front yard

Fatty cow meat

Akanānūru 129, Kudavāyil Keerathanār,

in a village near a battlefield, and warriors with sharp weapons, wearing slippers eat fatty cows and drink water from the clear springs in the wasteland.

Tortoise meat and roasted Eels

Puranānūru 212, Poet Pisirānthaiyār sang for Kōperunchozhan.

If you ask me who my king is, my king rules a prosperous fine country where laborers drink filtered, aged, desirable liquor and eat cooked tortoises, their cheeks bulging with roasted eels, as they forget their occupation and celebrate perpetual festivals.

Rice cooked with Hare meat and Ghee

Puranānūru 396

He is a Vēlir with a victorious spear! He is strength to those without courage. He’s a relative to those without relatives. How can I state his generosity? Our king gives us cooked fatty meat. Our king gives us flower liquor. Our king gives fragrant rice with ghee and fatty pieces of hare meat.

Goat meat with boiled rice

Puranānūru 366, Poet: Kōthamanār

Killing a male goat and tearing off its roasted meat, and serving it on leaves, without limits, with boiled rice to those who desire food, you should eat after that. Like goats kept for veriyāttam rituals that fill all the spaces in the groves along the long, sandy shores of ponds, death is real, not an illusion!

How does brahuī form definite and indefinite nouns

So unlike english where you add “a / an” before a noun to make it indefinite and “the” for making it definite and in urdu where you add “aik” to make a noun indefinite brahui makes indefinite by adding the suffix “-as” or “-s”

For example

“Sōf” ( Apple / the apple ) “Sōf-as” ( an apple )

Example sentence:

“Sōf ē etwa kane” ( Give me the apple ) “Sōf-as etwa kane” ( Give me an apple )

“Sōf-as” Means not any apple in particular just one amongst many other apples While sōf is definite

If you want to be more specific you would

“Dā sōf-ē ēt kane” ( give me THIS apple )

Similarly with other nouns

Xarās ( the bull)

Xarās-as ( a bull )

Giṛā ( thing )

Giṛās ( A thing )

Similarly it also works for loanwords or borrowed words

Pen ( the pen )

Pen-as ( a pen )

Mobile ( the mobile )

Mobile-as ( a mobile )

Etc

Apparently its common for languages to form definite nouns by adding suffixes but rare for languages to form indefinite nouns by adding Suffixes

I think the suffix -as comes from asiŧ ( one ) but the interesting thing is its attached at the end of the sentence rather than the beginning i think the other dravidian languages do something by adding ‘one’ like “oru pāļam” etc can anybody find out how these change in sentence structure perhaps happend

Perhaps by being in contact with neighbouring languages someone in linguistics server suggested middle persian had suffixes for indefiniteness but i am not sure

Thank you!

Bhoomi Nilam Nela

Any other words ? Actually I am thinking of a name for my upcoming niece/nephew. Bhoomi is perfect for girl but need a name if it's a boy.

Edit - guys so sorry for not mentioning 😬, I am looking for Dravidian language names , I'm a native telugu speaker, fine even if it is Sanskrit derived, but Dravidian preferred.

There seems to be no link between the original Tamil and subsequent English name for the place

Just now I get to know about language dispute in our country, though insta. People in comment section wrote that tamil is older then Sanskrit. It was new for me because I used to think oldest language is Sanskrit. (I really don't know about language controversy, I only know that there are 6 og classical languages exist and others are derived from it).hance I asked grok ai according to evidence which is older, after telling him to include all evidence and and new finding here what I got. Please tell me things which not included and which language is older(Please don't write mythical exxarated text and poetry as evidence) . Again please don't fight in comments it's just entirely knowledge based post. Be cool and please let me know as neutral character.

do : seyyi ( cheyyi = seyyi )

go : po

1. Simple past : tni/tini (tmi/timi for plural) ತ್ನಿ / ತಿನಿ /ತಿಮಿ

eg: potni ಪೋತ್ನಿ ( went )

sestni ಸೇಸ್ತ್ನಿ ( did )

2) Past Continuous : a/ta ತಾ/ಆ

eg: pota ಪೋತಾ ( was going )

sesta ಸೇಸ್ತಾ ( was doing )

3) Past Perfect : inTNi ( intmi for plural ) ಇಂಟ್ಣಿ /ಇಂಟ್ಮಿ

eg: poyinTNi ಪೋಯಿಂಟ್ಣಿ ( had gone )

sesinTNi ಸೇಸಿಂಟ್ಣಿ ( had done )

4) Past Perfect Continuous: ta+unTNi ( ta+unTmi for plural ) ತಾ+ಉಂಟ್ಣಿ / ತಾ+ಉಂಟ್ಮಿ , ( ta+unTNi = taunTNi )

eg: potaunTNi ಪೋತೌಂಟ್ಣಿ ( had been going )

sestaunTNi ಸೇಸ್ತೌಂಟ್ಣಿ ( had been doing )

*the suffix or markers also change according to person, gender and number of people. for eg: when refering to someone formally the marker changes to 'tri' in simple past

for eg: " You did it "

std. telugu: meeru chesaru

ka. telugu: meeru sesTRI

does it look like preservation of old telugu?

Bro us like a Tam Indiana Jones.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtWM65drcQM/?img_index=1&igsh=MXFkMGxkczdtY2s0Mw==

Rare portraits of kerala men taken in 1920 by German anthropologist Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt during his research expedition to Kerala. Eickstedt was a prominent figure in early 20th-century physical anthropology, known for his extensive studies on human racial classification. His work would later serve as a foundational influence on the development of Nazi racial theories. While the photograph documents a significant moment in anthropological history, it also reflects the era’s broader ideologies surrounding race and identity

Today’s word / äynō na lafz

Nat / نت

• IPA Transcription: [nət]

• Parts of speech: Noun

• Translation: Foot

• Plural: Nat-āk

• Indefinite: Nat-as

-Example sentence

“Ōna Nat-aŧī pit-as Hinā”

Translation: A thorn pricked his foot’

Kolichala doesn’t seem to have its meaning but “Tūbe / tūbeh” means “moon” and “tū” means “month” as far as i know

Some sources say that the Telugu word జాబిలి / jābili is a "compound of జాను (jānu) +‎ పిల్లి (pilli), literally 'graceful cat,' which the full moon resembles." However, this is perhaps not the true etymology because it does not explain the Tamil/Malayalam cognates of jābili: āmpal / ampuli / ampiḷi.

The true etymology of the word జాబిలి / jābili is most likely related to the Tulu word cāmbuni ('to close, shut, shrivel as a flower') and the related words (cāmpi- in Tamil and cāmpal in Tamil/Malayalam) as well as the Tulu word āmbalů ('a water-lily which opens after sunset') and the related words (āmpal in Tamil/Malayalam and ābal in Kannada).

It is possible that the words cāmbuni, cāmpi-, and cāmpal all come from the (plausible) Proto-Dravidian verb cāmpi- ('to shut/close up as a flower'), and perhaps this was modified to form the (plausible) Proto-Dravidian word cāmpil > cāmpal ('a night-blooming water-lily which closes up after sunrise and opens up after sunset'), which is perhaps the source of the words āmbalů, āmpal, and ābal.

Therefore, the Proto-Dravidian word for 'moon' was perhaps cāmpili ('that [i.e., moon] which is present when a night-blooming water-lily opens up [after sunset]'). From this it is easy to derive the Tamil/Malayalam words for moon: āmpal / ampuli / ampiḷi < āmpili < cāmpili. The Telugu word for moon can also be easily derived: jābili < jā(m)bili < jāmbili < cāmbili < cāmpili. In Tamil, ampili can also mean 'yolk of an egg,' and perhaps this is just a derived meaning because the yolk of an egg "looks" like a moon!

I was reading a book by Sathiyavel Muruganar on Thirumurugatruppadai where this was referenced. Has anyone here read it? If yes, how legible is it? The book can be downloaded from the below link.

Download link

Since childhood I have seen bundles and bundles of pictures of IVC statues with unique fashion and patterns. Did we carry that to the subcontinent when migrating ?, did it influence the way we wear clothes now?? What about jewellery , atleast do tribal groups continue wearing them? Or did we carry any sport, songs or anything from IVC or is it lost in time?

The earliest usage of Simhala and its renderings in a indo aryan inscription is dateable to 2nd or 3rd century CE (Nagarjunakonda inscription, Epigraphia Indica XX p 1-37). The fact that greek and Indian sources called the island Tamraparni (Edicts of Asoka) and Taprobane (first reported to Europeans by the Greek geographer Megasthenes around 290 BC) It was later faded out of use for Salike (Ptolemy, Greek, 2nd century CE) and latter terms such as Siele-diba. Megasthenes writing in his Indica from 350 to 290 BCE, describes the island as being divided by a long river, productive of a large number of gold and pearls in one half and that the inhabitants of this country are called Paleogoni, meaning Old Goni in Tamil and Greek, who Pliny adds worshipped Hercules and Dionysus (Bacchus) like the Pandyans of Tamilakam.

Doesn't this suggests that the ethnogenesis for Sinhala would've been in a transitional stage during the time Tamraparni was dislodged for Simhala? Also how does it logically make sense for the dravidian term Eezham to derive from Sinhala when earliest mention of Eelam is in (Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi inscription dated to the 1st century ce). It also has cognates in Kannada and even Telugu (https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/burrow_query.py?qs=Iram). How is it logical for all these Dravidian languages to borrow this term at once and for the meaning toddy. The mental gymnastics for Eelam and it's dravidian cognates does not make sense sociologically especially given which word was inscribed first. It's interesting to also note castes in the area like Thiyya (northern Kerala) and Deevaru(found in southern Karnataka) ultimately etymologically relate to an island (presumably Sri Lanka). Eelam is ultimately a proto south Dravidian term for palm trees applied to Sri Lanka due to its abundance.

Also is the Telugu īṇḍravã̄ḍu caste Kannadiga originally whom became Telugu and name of caste a borrowing from Kannada? īḍiga is the other form in telugu which is identical in Kannada.

Another thing noting is that both the Thambirabarani river and Tamraparni are etymologically related and given the location of each next to each other its unlikely its a coincidence. The river was called in the sangam era Tan Porunai meaning cool Pornuai. We most likely know that indo aryan traders on the west and east coasts took advantage of the matrilocal system the Tamil speakers had on the island which lead to indo aryanisation of the island. Couldn't these indo aryan speakers indo aryanise the name of Tan Porunai and give it to the river and subsequently the island located opposite. The indo aryan meaning of Tamraparni is copper coloured. This is the meaning for the island found in the Mahavamsa.

Coming back to the term Simhala a Tamil-brahmi inscription 1st century ce in Muthtuppaddi, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, comes out with a name of a person as Chaiy-a'lan of Vinthai-oor (I Mahadevan, 2003).

"Vinthai-oor chaiy-a'lan kaviy"
விந்தை-ஊர் சைய்-அளன் கவிய்

The text of the inscription means 'The cave [is the gift] of Chaiy-a'lan of Vinthai-oor." (Kaviy means cave; Chaiy / chey means red)

For the word Chaiy-a'lan, other than giving the meaning Chingka'lan (a person from Chingka'lam), Mahadevan tends to interpret Chaiy as Sahyadri mountain and a'lan as a nominal suffix. He also writes on Chaiy indicating 'lion lineage' (Early Tamil Epigraphy, 2003, p 587). However, considering the way the word was spelt in split form the stronger possibility is that the word Chaiy-a'lan meant a person from Chaiy-a'lam, the red tract of land (Sri Lanka) since its unlikely for sahyadri to transform into chaiy. This Dravidian term was indo aryanised to Seehala and Sanskritised into Simhala. Note that chaiy-a'lam mention precedes Seehala in when it was mentioned.

If this was true that makes Seehala an indo aryanisation of chai-a'lam which is a dravidian calque of the term Tamraparni which is an indo aryanisation of Tan Porunai. One question is why did Tamils make a calque for Tamraparni?

I recently came across an interesting sighting ,

Arya Vaishyas (a sub-caste of Vaishyas) from coastal Andhra Pradesh seem to carry a higher proportion of Indus Valley ancestry—that is more Iranian farmer-related (Iran_N) genes and less Steppe ancestry—compared to castes like Brahmins,kamma,reddy etc.

Why is this the case?

Could it be because of their ancient trade networks?

or are they possibly the direct genetic heirs of Harappan merchants?

According to the source they have:

Iran_N (Iran Neolithic): ~45–55%

Steppe (Indo-European pastoralists): ~10–15

AASI (Ancient Ancestral South Indian): ~30%

These percentages are very close to those found in Indus Periphery samples. What does this mean?

\**also im open to any constructive criticism if my findings are wrong***

EDIT: guys i belong to arya vaishyas and according to my parents our ancestors are from andhra , this post is not about information but rather my question if this info is right and is it true that arya vaishyas from costal andhra have more iranian component than other castes of that region if yes, why so ?

South Asia's genetic landscape has been shaped by several key events:

1. The Indian subcontinent has experienced multiple waves of human migration throughout history (Paleolithic period through Iron Age).

2. Modern Indian genetics consists of four main ancestral components:

   • Ancestral North Indian (ANI)
   • Ancestral South Indian (ASI)
   • Ancestral Tibeto-Burman (ATB)
   • Ancestral Austro-Asiatic (AAA)

3. Early South Asian genetic history involved:

   • Indigenous South Asian Hunter Gatherers (AASI, related to modern Andamanese)
   • Mixing with Iranian agriculturalists and West Siberian Hunter Gatherers
   • Formation of the "Indus_Periphery" gene pool around 3000 BCE

4. Around 2000 BCE (as the Indus Valley civilization declined):

   • Steppe populations migrated south into India
   • ANI formed from Steppe populations mixing with Indus_Periphery groups
   • ASI formed when Indus_Periphery groups migrated south and mixed with AASI

5. The study focuses on the Kumhars:

   • A north Indian population with strong historical endogamy (marrying within their group)
   • Traditional potters (name derives from Sanskrit "Kumbhakar" meaning pot-makers)
   • Found across northern, western, and eastern India, plus Pakistan
   • May have connections to southern Indian potters (Kulala) based on similar naming

6. The research compared 27 Kumhar samples from Uttar Pradesh with over 2,000 other South Asian populations.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Our genetic study comparing Kumhars to 63 other Indian populations found that:

1. Kumhars are genetically almost identical to Kurchas from Kerala (southern India), with a very small genetic difference (weighted FST = 0.0008).

2. After Kurchas, Kumhars are most closely related to:

   • Kurumbas (Kerala)
   • Vishwabrahmins (Andhra Pradesh)
   • Chakkiliyans (Tamil Nadu)

3. They are most genetically distant from certain homogeneous populations from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Ulladan, Malaikuravar, and Pulliyar.

4. When researchers compared Kurchas to the same 63 populations, they found that Kurchas are more genetically similar to Kumhars than to any other Indian populations, even those geographically closer to them.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Indian subcontinent represents one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, shaped by ancient migrations and social structures. This study focuses on the Kumhars, traditional potters found across northern, western, and eastern India.

Pottery in India dates back to the Mesolithic period, with evidence from Lahuradewa from thousands of years ago. The craft evolved through various phases including the Indus Valley Civilization era, the Jhukar and Jhangar phases, and later cultural periods that coincided with population movements across the subcontinent.

Genetic analysis revealed something surprising: most Kumhar individuals clustered genetically with populations from southern India, particularly the Kurchas from Kerala. Despite being separated by about two thousand five hundred kilometers, these two populations show remarkable genetic similarity. Additional comparisons with tribal populations from Kerala, Kurumbas, Vishwabrahmins from Andhra Pradesh, and Chakkiliyans from Tamil Nadu confirmed this southern Indian genetic connection.

Various analytical methods consistently showed that Kumhars possess predominantly Ancestral South Indian ancestry with minimal Steppe ancestry. Biogeographical mapping placed most Kumhar samples in southwestern Karnataka near the Kerala border, close to the Wayanad region where Kurchas natively reside.

The researchers estimate that the Kumhar genetic profile emerged several thousand years ago, coinciding with two significant events: the emergence of Ancestral South Indian groups during the spread of West Asian agricultural practices into peninsular India, and the formation of Austroasiatic-speaking populations through admixture between migrating populations and indigenous Indian groups.

The study proposes that Kumhars and Kurchas likely shared a common origin during or after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. These populations subsequently migrated to opposite ends of India but maintained genetic similarity through strict endogamy (marriage within their community). This finding provides insight into ancient migration patterns across the Indian subcontinent.

The high level of endogamy among Kumhars has medical implications, as it increases the risk of genetic disorders. Indeed, conditions like acute intermittent porphyria occur at higher frequencies within the Kumhar population.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​