Baḍugu Geo-Linguistic Atlas: Baḍugu Toponyms as Fossilized Dravidian Linguistic Evidence

Toponymy constitutes one of the most conservative and linguistically informative strata of evidence in historical linguistics. Baḍugu toponyms preserve archaic phonological forms, morphological structures, and ecological semantics that often predate literary documentation. This article examines Baḍugu toponyms as a resource for the reconstruction of the Proto-Dravidian toponymy with particular focus on oronyms, hydronyms, and other toponymical and microtoponymical elements from the Nilgiri region. Drawing on comparative Dravidian etymology, the study highlights Baḍugu toponyms as fossilized Dravidian linguistic evidence in reconstructing Dravidian prehistory and conclusively proves that Baḍugu is a Proto-Dravidian language and also establishes that the Baḍuga tribe is indigenous to the Nilgiri region.