HYDERABAD is a principality in the centre of the plateau of Peninsular India. It is ruled over by a Muhammadan sovereign, whose ancestral title, Nizam of the Dekhan, was bestowed on the founder of the family by the emperor of Dehli, but the dynasty is known as the Asof Jahi. The territory has been gathered under one sway from portions of four great nationalities,—Telingana in the east, Karnatica in the south, Maharashtra in the N.W., and Gondwana in the N.E., all of them peopled by non-Aryan races, amongst whom are some Aryans, with Muhammadans, and many fragments of broken, homeless, wandering tribes. The area is 81,807 square miles, and its popula tion 9,845,594, being 120 to the square mile, the great bulk of them professing some form of Hinduism.
Hindu, . . . 8,893,181 Jain, 8,521 Muhammadan, . 925,929 Parsee, 638 Christian, . . . 13,614 Jew, 47 Sikh, 3,664 The dominion has been formed only since the middle of the 18th century, and there is not yet any approach to a fusion of the masses into one nation, the rulers mid their officers and their army being all alike foreigners. There has never yet been any Teling, Mahratta, or Canarese who has been placed in a high office of the State, although 85 per cent. of the population belong to these three races. The existing position of the races will be seen from the languages now spoken : Telug,u, . . . 4,279,108 Panjabi 2 126 Mahrati, . . 3,147,746 Pushtu, . . . . 1,041 Canarese, . . 1,238,519 Persian, 349 lIimiushni 998,241 Bengali, G5 Ilindi,. . . . 58,268 Uriya, 64 Mar wari, . . . 40,064 Baluchi, 36 Gondi 39 224 Turki, - 20 Tamil, . . . . 16,340 Chenchu, 17 Arabic, 6,959 Kashmiri, 3 Gujerati, 5 987 Others, 473 Kaikari, Since 1784, an ambassador, styled a Resident, has been to this court, but they have been fre quently changed ; from 1 784 to 1797 inclusive, there were 4 ; 1805 to 1853, 17 ; and 1856 to 1884, 15.
Since the middle of the 19th century, the Berar portion of the Nizam's dominions of 17,711 square miles has been assigned to the British, in order to provide from its revenues funds for the pay of the Hyderabad contingent of artillery, cavalry, and infantry, which the Hyderabad State by treaty enrol for mutual defence. A census has been taken in 1881 of each of these two portions of the Hyderabad territory, but only that for Berar is to hand. Mr. Plowden, however, in his general report for all India, has given the following as the castes and races of the Hyderabad part : Al& , 3,904 Kunbi, . . . 1,658,685
Banya, . . 392,184 Kayasth, . . . . 3,427 13hoi, . . . . 92,170 Kumhar, . . . 90,835 Beder, . . . . 121,803 Kahar, 391 Banjari, . . . 108,644 Kori, 130 Bhat, 6,630 Koli, 213,966 Bhandari, . . . . 356 Mali, 83 806 1:hil, 8 470 Matraj, . . . . 104,671 Brahmans, . . 259,147 Mhar, . . . . 806,853 Chamar, . . . 447,312 Mhang, . . . . 315,732 Kalal, . . . . 233,201 Muhammadans, . 925,929 Khatik or Kassab, 9,384 Parit, . . . . 162,062 Khatri, . . . 11,290 Pawar, 5 Mununvar, . . 187,458 Tell, 67,564 Kosh ti, . . . 79,142 Sale, 185 008 Dhangar, . . . 482,035 Teling, . . . . 327,338 Gawali, . . . . 223 Sonar, 88,769 Gond, 39,513 Reddi, 32,014 Gujar, 562 Komati, . . . . 194,284 Golla, . . . . 212,608 DIalirati, . . . 389,636 Jat, 278 Lingaet, . . . . 97,836 Kach'hi, . . . 537 Vellalar, . . . . 188 ___ ._ Khatik, . . . . 9,384 The Cadaria, Jogi, Kamma, Pasi, and Uriya make an additional number, On the boundary lino in the middle course of the Tumbudra and the Kistua rivers, and in the valleys of their affluents, the Bhima, the Gat purba, and Malpurba, are several chiefs meriting notice. Until the year 1839, a family of Pathan Muhammadans ruled at Kurnool on the right bank of the Tumbudra, with the title of Nawab. In that neighbourhood a Syud family still rule as nawabs of Banaganapilly. Farther west are the Reddi chief of Gadwal, the Mahratta chief of Sundur, one of the Ghorpura family ; the Kshat riya raja Narapati of Anagunda, claiming to be a descendant of the great king Rama of Vijaya nagar, who was overthrown by the combined armies of the four Muhammadan kingdoms of Golconda, ICulburga, Bijapur, and Ahmaduaggur ; the Pathan nawab of Shahnur, the Gliorpura chiefs of Gujundargarli and Akalkot, and at Gurgunta and Beder Sorapur are descendants of that Beder sold ier I'id -Naek, to whom A urangzeb, for aid given at the siege of Bijapur, granted a small territory in the Raipur Doab, and who are now feudatories of the Hyderabad Government. The Beder of Sorapur drink spirits, eat the hog, crocodile, porcupine (sarsal), mania (uli), iguana (ghorpara), cow, buffalo, cat, rat, bandicoot (Mus gigantea), and jerboa rat. Eminently pre datory, they gave their name to the Pindara who for nearly a century kept all India in commotion, and in the mutiny and rebellion of 1857 the Beder of Sorapur rose, but were suppressed, and r...1.nd, • rnA