Badaga

/bəˈdɑː.ɡə/ noun

Definition

A member of an ethnic group inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills in southern India, or the Dravidian language they speak.

Etymology

From Tamil and Kannada roots; 'Badaga' literally means 'stranger' or 'newcomer' in those languages, referring to their historical migration into the Nilgiri Hills region.

Kelly Says

The Badaga people have a fascinating linguistic story—they speak a Dravidian language but migrated to the hills in the 1600s, and their language shows influences from Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam!

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