The DMK today is restoring two central tenets of movements for justice in Peninsular India. The first is the central principle of the Justice Party, which connects the self with respect through the idea of swayam mariyatai. Mariyatai has been a crucial part of Tamil history since at least the Chola period, and sees its major expression in temple honors in Tamil history. Temples were also the primary basis of cultural connectivity between what are today the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. In both these regards, the Justice Party and today’s DMK draw on a vital tradition which makes justice and respect crucial elements of a wider Dravidian geography.