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His fee is a Fanam and a half (11żત.) In cases of sickness, the Toreas frequently vow Dáséri one day in the week; that is to say, to live upon what they can procure by begging.

The Palli are a very numerous cast in all the countries where the Tamul language, their native tongue, is prevalent. They pretend to be Súdras, but are looked upon as rather a low tribe. They have many subdivisions, none of which intermarry with each other; but all can eat in common. Those from whom I have my information are called Arisha Pallí, and act as cultivators of fields, and of gardens watered by machinery, both as farmers and servants, and also as porters. They have hereditary chiefs, called here Ijyamára. On all public ceremonies these receive Betel first; and, with the assistance of an assembly of the people, settle disputes, when the members of their tribes are willing to refer the matter to their decision; but a reference to the officers of government is in general preferred. Some of this tribe are able to read and write accompts. They can lawfully eat animal food, and drink spirituous liquors. They are permitted to marry several women, and pay to the father of each from nine to eleven Pagodas. The father pays one-third of the marriage-expences, and the bridegroom the remainder. Girls continue to be marriageable after the age of puberty; but after that period sell lower than while children. A widow may marry again without disgrace. In cases of adultery within the cast, the husband in general flogs the woman, and takes her back, giving a small fine to his relations; but sometimes he turns her away; in which case

the man who seduced her keeps the woman as his wife, and pacifies his relations by a small fine. All this produces no disgrace, either to the woman or to her children. A woman loses cast by criminal communication with any man except a Palli; a man may without disgrace indulge himself with any woman, except those belonging to the Panchama, or impure casts.

The gods peculiar to the Pallis are a male named Manar Swámi, and Pachumma his mother. In the temples of these deities the priests are Pallis. They are represented by stone images, and, as usual in the province of Coimbetore, have placed in the yard belonging to their temple a great many figures in potter's work, which represent horses, elephants, and Munis, or devils, who are supposed to be the attendants of these gods. When a person is sick, he frequently vows to place some of these images of potter's work at the temple of the spirit who is supposed to be the cause of his disease. None of these are ever presented to the great gods of the Brahmans, but only to the deities peculiar to the casts of the lower tribes. No sacrifices are offered to Mannar, or Pachumma; but they are frequently presented to the attendant Munis, of whom a great many have appropriate names and characters; such as Val, Shem, Car, Vayda, Muttu, &c. They are all males. The Pallis frequently offer sacrifices to Marima, Putalima,and the other Saktis, and pray to Siva, Vishnu, or any thing which they meet, that is called a god.

The Panchanga, or astrologer of the village, acts as Puróbita for the Pallis, and reads Mantrams at their births and marriages, at the annual commemorations of their deceased

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parents, and at the building of a new house.

Some of the Pallis are of Siva's side, and others of Vishnu's. The former have a Guru peculiar to themselves, who is called Palli Swámi, and lives at Andeuru. His office is hereditary, and he wears the Linga. He receives the charity of his followers, and gives them consecrated food, and holy water. On such as choose to wear the Linga, he bestows an Upadésa; but very few apply for this, as ever afterwards they must abstain from animal food. The Pallis who wear the mark of Vishnu have for Gurus the Sri Vaishnavam Bráhmans.

Account of the Goalas, or Cow

keepers, of Madhu-giri.

[From the same.]

10th August. In the morning I went three cosses to Madhu-giri. The road led through pretty vallies, surrounded by detached rocky hills. These vallies showed marks of baving once been in a great measure cultivated, and contained the ruinous villages of their former inhabitants. Ever since the devastation committed by Purseram Bhow, aud the subsequent famine, they have been nearly waste; and many of the fields are overgrown with young trees. A few wretched inhabitants remain, and a few fields are cultivated; and it is said, that this year greater progress would have been made toward the recovery of the country, had not the season been remarkably dry and unfavourable.

On my arrival at Madhu-giri, and questioning Trimula Nayaka on the subject, I found, that every town and village in this hilly country had berds of breeding cattle. One of

the herds I had met on the road; but they were so fierce, that, without protection from the keepers, it would have been unsafe to approach them. I determined, therefore, to remain a day at Madhu-giri and examine the particulars.

11th August.—I went with Trimula Náyaka, and examined three herds of breeding cows, one of them chiefly his own property. From him, and from some of the most sensible Goalas, I afterwards took the following account.

- In this country the Cadu Goalas, or Goalaru, are those who breed cattle. Their families live in small villages near the skirts of the woods, where they cultivate a little ground, and keep some of their cattle, selling in the towns the produce of the dairy. Their families are very numerous, seven or eight young men in each being common. Two or three of these attend the flocks in the woods, while the remainder cultivate their fields, and supply the towns with fire-wood, and with straw for thatch. Some of them also hire themselves to the farmers as servan's. They are a very dirty people, much worse than even the generality of the people of Karnáta; for they wear no cloathing but a blanket, and generally sleep among the cattle; which, joined to a warm climate, and rare ablutions, with vermin, itch, ring-worms, and other cutaneous disorders, render them very offensive.

In criminal matters relating to cast, the Goalas are under the jurisdiction of a renter, who in the lauguage of Karnáta is called Beny Chavadi, or in the mussulman dialect Musca Chavadi, which signifies the head of the butter-office. He resides at the capital, and pays to go. vernment an annual revenue. He

goes

goes to every village where any regular families of Goalas are established, and from each levies the tax which they pay to government for liberty to pasture their flocks on its property. In this neighbourhood, every family, whether it consists of many persons or of few, or whether it be rich or poor, pays the same tax; which is indeed a mere trifle, being only six Fanams, or about 4s. a year. For this small sum they are exempted from any tax or rent for grass, and may feed their cattle in whatever woods they please. In some villages there is often only one family of privileged Goalas, in others there are two. If a family change its place of abode, it must always pay its tax, and also certain dues owing to the temples, at its original village. The same happens to the individuals of a family, which sometimes may occupy ten houses; the whole of them, wherever settled, must send their share of the tax to the head of the family. The head man of the family is generally the eldest son of the last man who held the office; but in case of his being incapable, from stupidity, of transacting business, the Beny Chavadi appoints an acting chief, or Ijyamána. There are some Goalas, who are not privileged, nor under the authority of the Beny Chavadi, who in proportion to the extent of their flocks pay a rent for the grass to the Gydda Cavila, or keeper of the forest. This also is very moderate; 100 cows paying annually five Fanams, or 38. 4d. The Ijvamánas, or hereditary chiefs of Goala families, settle all disputes; but the Beny Chavadi punishes all transgressions against the rules of cast. When the flocks of any family have perished, either by war or pes

tilence, the sufferers go and solicit a new stock from the other persons of the cast, each of whom will give a beast or two for that purpose. Should they be so unreasonable as to refuse this bounty, the Beny Chavadi will compel them to assist their distressed neighbours.

There are a great many different races of Goalas, with whom the Cadu Goalas neither eat nor intermarry. These last are a tribe of Karnáta; and persons, who consider themselves as of any rank, marry into such families only, with the purity of whose origin they are well acquainted; for in this tribe there is a very numerous race of Cutigás, or bastards. Widows who prefer disgrace to celibacy, and women who commit adultery, connect themselves with the bastard race, who also keep Hadras, or concubines; a practice that is not permitted to Goalas of a pure descent. These, however, may keep as many wives as they please. A woman who is incontinent with a man of any other cast, is inevitably excommunicated. If the adultery has been committed with a Goala, she will be received as a Cutiga; and both the man who seduced her, and her husband, are fined in twelve Fanams, or about 8s. The Goalas are not permitted to drink spirituous liquors, nor to eat fish, or hogs; but they may eat sheep, goats, deer, and fowls. They bury the dead, and have no knowledge of a future life, except believing that those who die unmarried will become Virigas, whom they worship in the usual manner. The gods peculiar to their cast are, Jinjuppa and Ramuppa. The Bráhmans say, that the former is the same with Lechmana, the younger brother of Ráma; but of this the

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Goalas,

Goalas are ignorant. These poor people have a small temple, containing two shapeless stones; one of which they call Jinjuppa, and the other Ramuppa. The Pujari, or priest, is a Goala, whose office is hereditary; but who intermarries with the laity. Sacrifices are not offered to these idols; they are worshipped by offerings of fruit, flowers, and the like. There is a forest called Gyddada Mutraya, to which the Goalas repair, and sacrifice animals to Mutraya, who is represented by the first stone which the votaries find in a convenient place. On this occasion there is a great feast; and any Dáséri (religious mendicant) that attends obtains the head of the sacrifice, and some bread. They sacrifice also to the goddess Marima. Some of the Cadu Goalas take the vow of Dáséri; but none of them can either read or write. Their Guru is a Sri Vaishnavam Brahman; but they neither know his name nor where he lives. He comes once in two or three years, admonishes them to wear the mark of Vishnu, and gives them holy water. Each person presents him with a Fanam; and, if he happens to be present at a marriage, he gets a measure of rice. Although these people call their Guru a Brahman, it is more probable that he is a Vaishnavani or Satanana; for the Panchanga, or astrologer of the village, does not act as Purohitra at any of their ceremonies, and they are not a tribe that can claim to be of Súdra origin. The race of oxen in this country may be readily distinguished from the European species, by the same marks that distinguish all the cattle of India; namely, by a hump on the back between the shoulders, by a

deep undulated dewlap, and by the remarkable declivity of the os sacrum. But the cattle of the south are easily distinguished from those of Bengal by the position of the horns. In those of Bengal the horns project forward, and form a considerable angle with the forehead; whereas in those of the south the horns are placed nearly in the same line with the os frontis. In this breed also, the prepuce is remarkably large; and vestiges of this organ are often visible in females; but this is not a constant mark.

Of this southern species there are several breeds of very different qualities. Above the Ghats, however, two breeds are most prevalent. The one is a small, gentle, brown, or black animal: the females are kept in the villages for giving milk, and the oxen are those chiefly employed in the plough; their short thick make enabling them to labour easily in the small rice-plots, which are often but a few yards in length. This breed seems to owe its degeneracy to a want of proper bulls. As each person in the village keeps only two or three cows for supplying his own family with milk, it is not an object with any one to keep a proper bull; and as the males are not emasculated until three years old, and are not kept separate from the cows, these are impregnated without any attention to improvement, or even to prevent degeneracy. Wealthy farmers, however, who are anxious to improve their stock, send some cows to be kept in the folds of the large kind, and to breed from good bulls. The cows sprung from these always remain at the fold, and in the third generation lose all marks of their parents degeneracy. The males are

brought

brought home for labour, especially in drawing water by the Capily; and about every village may be per ceived all kinds of intermediate mongrels between the two breeds.

In the morning the village cows are milked, and are then collected in a body, on the outside of the wall, with all the buffaloes and oxen that are not employed in labour. About eight or nine in the morning the village herdsman, attended by some boys or girls, drives them to the pasture. If the flock exceeds 120, two herdsmen must be kept, and their herds go in different directions. The pastures are such waste lands as are not more than two miles distant from the village, and are in general poor; the tufts of grass are but thinly scattered, and the bare soil occupies the greater space. This grass, however, seems to be of a very nourishing quality, and the most common species is the Andropogon Martini, of Dr. Roxburgh's manuscripts. At noon, and at four o'clock, they are driven to water, to raise which the Capily is often employed. At sun-set they are brought home; aud in the rainy season the cow-house is smoked, to keep away the flies. In the back yard of every house stands a large earthen pot, in which the water used for boiling the grain consumed by the family is collected; and to this are added the remains of curdled milk, of puddings, and a little flour, oil-cake, or cotton seed. This water becomes very sour, and is given as a drink to the cows in the evening, when they are again milked. At night, in the rainy season, the cattle get cut grass, which is collected in the woods, and about road sides: this last is the most nutritious, the very

succulent roots being cut up with the leaves, and the situation preventing the harsh stems from growing. In dry weather, the cattle at night have straw. Those who can afford it, chiefly Bráhmans, give their milch-cows cotton-seed and Avaray. The working cattle ought to have Horse-gram. After the milk for the family has been taken, the. calves are allowed to suck; and unless they be present, as is usual with all the Indian race of cattle, the cows will give no milk. The. cows here go nine months with calf, begin to breed at three years of age, and continue until 15 years old. They breed once a year, but give milk for six months only. A good cow of the village kind gives twice. a day from four to six Cucha Seers, or from about 2 to 3 pints, ale

measure.

The cattle of the other breed are very fierce to strangers, and nobody, can approach the herd with safety, unless he be surrounded by Goalas, to whom they are very tractable ; and the whole herd follows, like dogs, the man who conducts it to pasture. The bulls and cows of this breed never enter a house; but at night are shut up in folds, which are strongly fortified with thorny bushes, to defend the cattle from tygers. At 5 years old the oxen are sold, and continue to labour for twelve years. Being very long in the body, and capable of travelling far on little nourishment, the merchants purchase all the best for carriage. To break in one of them requires three months labour, and many of them continue always very unruly. The bulls and cows were so restless, that, even with the assistance of the Goalas, I could not get them measured; but the dimen3 P4

sions'

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