Kannadiga DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India (Karnataka) · South Asia
Karnataka lies on the Deccan plateau of southwestern India, and Kannada, a Dravidian language with inscriptions going back more than 1,500 years, is its main language. The ruins of Hampi, capital of the Vijayanagara empire, stand in the north of the state. This page uses a North Karnataka average. Iranian Neolithic farmers (6.0%) and steppe herders (4.0%) barely register beside 90.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related ancestry (Irula proxy). That is the largest hunter-gatherer related share of our language-group pages for southern India and Sri Lanka, higher than the Telugu (73.8%) and Tamil (77.3%) averages, and it shows how much ancestry varies between communities within one region. The closest modern averages include another North Kannadi sample (0.0115) but also the Kotwalia of Gujarat, Chakkiliyan and Pallan from Tamil Nadu and Yanadi and Madiga samples from Andhra Pradesh. Ancient genomes from southern India are still lacking, and the nearest in our data, Roopkund about 800 AD, is far away (0.0832).
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 90.0%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 6.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 4.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: North (Kannadi), distance 0.0115
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0832
This page sums up what the DNA of the Kannadiga sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in India (Karnataka), listed in the G25 sheet as "Kannadiga_North_Karnataka", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Kannadiga average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Kannadiga average comes out as 90.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 6.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 4.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.022), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Kannadiga
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts North (Kannadi) first for Kannadiga, at 0.012, then Kotwalia (Gujarat) and Chakkiliyan. Even the tenth closest, Malayali (Pulaya Kerala), is only 0.017 away: Kannadiga belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North (Kannadi) | 0.0115 | Very close |
| 2 | Kotwalia (Gujarat) | 0.0125 | Very close |
| 3 | Chakkiliyan | 0.0132 | Very close |
| 4 | Yanadi | 0.0148 | Very close |
| 5 | Telugu (Madiga Andhra Pradesh) | 0.0150 | Very close |
| 6 | Kurumba (Kerala) | 0.0155 | Very close |
| 7 | Pallan | 0.0155 | Very close |
| 8 | Telugu (Mala Andhra Pradesh) | 0.0166 | Very close |
| 9 | Bhil (Tadvi Bhil Gujarat) | 0.0172 | Very close |
| 10 | Malayali (Pulaya Kerala) | 0.0173 | Very close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Kannadiga
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Kannadiga average is India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD), at 0.083. Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama come next. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0832 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.1329 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.1491 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.1564 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.1643 |
| 6 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.1683 |
| 7 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.1726 |
| 8 | Laos Hoabinhian | Hoabinhian foragers (pre-Neolithic) | 0.1832 |
| 9 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.1863 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.1865 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Kannadiga population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Kannadiga
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Kannadiga average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Kannadiga and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Kannadiga individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Kannadiga. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Kannadiga average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Kannadiga?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Kannadiga average is about 90.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 6.0% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 4.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Kannadiga?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Kannadiga average are North (Kannadi), Kotwalia (Gujarat) and Chakkiliyan. The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Kannadiga?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Kannadiga average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Kannadiga ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Kannadiga average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.