Nadar (caste) - Genetic Study

Genetic Study

Recent genetic studies on the antigenic variations among south Indian populations suggest Nadars share several genotypic characters with East Asian populations, consistent with the demographic history of South India, and also revealed that there are several genetic markers unique to the Nadars, which are rare or absent in other populations of India and the world. The study suggested a distinct evolutionary lineage with lesser admixture in the gene pool among groups of Tamil Nadu. The gene pool of the Nadars show more similarity to the East Asian populations. The study reveals that a relatively lesser degree of genetic admixture occurred between the South Indian and North Indian racial groups than that between South Indian and East Asian groups. Also the presence of shared HLA genome between the Nadars and Fulani people indicates that a genetic relationship may have existed between them. This finding supported the linguistic and archaeological evidence. Researchers believe that primitive communities like the Nadar are the purest form of Dravidians. They also suggest that Dravidian speakers actually came from Africa. The study also suggests that the ancestors of the Nadar and Fulani people may have migrated to West Africa and India, when the Saharan region and Sahel of Middle Africa experienced a hyper arid climate.