Telugus of the north call the Tamil Brahmans 'Dravidlu' or 'Dravidas' while the Tamil non-Brahmans are called Sudralu or Dakshanâdi-Sudralu. These clearly show that in practice the ethnological application of the name Dravida was restricted and limited to a particular class, namely, the Tamil-speaking Brahmans.
The significance of the word Dravida in the expression Pancha Dravida has now to be explained, At a very early period in the history of the IndoAryan people, the Tamil-speaking Brahmans had developed a system of social and religious customs and practices which became a marked feature of that community.[1] They had a separate ritualistic system; their social code was different from that of the northern Brahmans ;[2] and their laws also were :
- ↑ Baudhayana, Dramidachar and other early commentators on the Brahmasutras, some Aryan reformers and law-givers belonged to the Dravida Brahman community.
- ↑ The religious ceremonies of the five Dravida Brahmans are more numerous and elaborate. Omission to perform any of thein entails degradation or even excommunication. A Dravida Brahinau cannot eat fish or meat, and cannot accept food or water from the hands of a non-Brahman without losing his caste. A married woman cannot wear white cloth, and when tying it she must pass it between her legs. A widow should remove not only her ornaments but also her hair, a custom prevalent in the Tamil country at least from the second or third century A. D. as will be seen from the collowing lines of Kalladanar :
- ஒண்ணுதல் மகளிர் கையை கூர
- வயிரால் கடுக்குமம் மென்
- குவையிருங்கூந்தல் கொய்தல் கண்டே.
