Pariah encounter in a forest in India, 19th-century illustration. The man at right is a member of the caste group known as paraiyar (usually Anglicised as pariah or paree). They are also known as Adi Dravida (Ancient Dravidians). Traditionally, this outcast group were thought to have magical powers. They were shunned and made to live apart from the rest of society. Here, a group of royals or nobles have encountered this pariah in a sacred forest in Varanasi. Artwork published in 1886.