The term Adi Dravida implies 'original inhabitants of Dravida' where the region of Dravida includes states and union territories in south India. Coined by Periyar Ramasami, the Tamil social activist, it is commonly used in Tamil Nadu to refer to Dalits. The community of Adi Dravida speaks Tamil as their primary language and follows any of the religions from Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Some of the ethnic groups related to Adi Dravida group are Arunthathiyar, Parayar and Sambavar.
