The majority of Mysore Brahmans belong to one or other of the Pancha Dravida or five southern tribes, viz.--(1) Karnataka i • (2) Telinga or Andhra ; (3) Dravida or Tamil; (4) Mahratta ; and (5) Gujerati. These names in dicate the countries from which the various sects originally came ; and they still use their native languages as their house-tongue. The Brahmans are of three sects, the Smartta, Madhava, and Sri Vaishnava. The first of these hold to the Adwaita (non-dual) philosophy ; the Madhava are of the dwaita (dual) school ; and the Sri Vaishnava entertain the Vasisht-adwaita belief.
The most numerous cultivators are the Waka liga ; they numbered 695,215 at the census of 1881. They are divided into more than 50 sub classes ; they form the backbone of the population, and for skill and industry are unsurpassed by any agriculturists of India. Other- cultivators are the Reddi (54,593), and some of the Gaudaru. The more prominent castes are as under :— The right-hand castes of Mysore are The Banajiga, trader. I Kuruba or shepherd.
Wakeliga, farmer. Kumbara, potter.
Ganign, oilman, who yokes washerman.
only ono bullock to the Bests, fisher, palki-bearer.
mill. Padmasale, weaver.
Ilangari, dyer. Nainda, barber.
Lads, Mahratta trader. Uppara, saltmaker.
Gujerati, merchant. Chitriga, painter.
Kamati, labourer.I Go11a, cowherd.
Jahn'. Holaya.
Buddhist.
The tradition is that the goddess Kali at Con jeveram placed certain castes on her right hand, and others on her left, and ever since these have contended for precedence.
• The left-hand castes are Panchala, five artisans; Bheri, traders of the Nagarat caste ; Devanga, weavers ; Ilegganiga, oilmen using two bullocks at the mill ; Golla or Dhanapala ; I3eda, hunters ; Wakalu, farmer ; Palli or Tiglar ; Madiga, leather Workers.
Betta or Hill Kurubar live in the woods in small communities called hadis, in sheds made of branches of trees. They are credited with pos sessing magical powers. They are dark in colour, and short in stature. The women are rarely seen, and do not work with the men. The Jenu (Honey) Kurubar subsist almost entirely on forest pro ducts, and occupy themselves in collecting honey in the jungle. Their features are coarse and irregular, and their hair hanging in a dishevelled mass. The other Kurubar named are the Kada or wild ; the Halu or milk ; the Handi or swine herd; and Kamli Kuruba or weaver. In the Mal nad, the aboriginal Holayaru (from the Canarese word Hola, a field) are rural serfs, attached to the farms of the feudal headmen. The Munnalu (from Munna, land, and Alu, a slave) used to be sold with the land, and were specified in the leases.
Domain (from Hone, gold) were transferable with or without the soil. The price of a man and woman was from £4 to .£5 ; and it was calculated that these, with a pair of bullocks, could cultivate 10 acres of land. Their owner maintained them, giving them 2 lbs. of rice daily, with double this
amount on feast-days, and an annual supply of clothes and blankets, to which were added presents on marriage. Children belonged to the lord of the soil. The Holayaru live in huts in the neigh bourhood of the farms, and generally possess small gardens for kitchen produce. They are a stout and healthy race, with broad features and flat faces, and generally carry about with them a wood knife: The Koracha (16,591) have mat huts, and are notorious thieves. They associate with the Lum bani, whom they join in dacoity and burglary. They know Tamil and Telugu, but have also their own language. Their women hang round their necks, and falling over their bosoms, numerous strings of small white and red beads.
The Soliga (1596 in number) live in the dense forests of the Bilikalrangam Hills, where there are besides themselves only wild animals. They are in small communities of six or seven huts, and cultivate with the hoe small patches of ground with plantain, vegetables, and a little ragi, which with forest produce and wild animals form their food. They avoid civilised men.
The Holeya (225,348) are regarded by the Hindus as unclean. They are in the Canarese speaking country in the same position as the Dher of the Dekhan, the Mhar of the Mahratta country, the Mala of Telingana, and the Parayan of the Tamil provinces. A Holeya having to deliver anything to a Brahman, places it on the ground, and retires to a distance. When meeting in a street or road, the Holeya moves as far as possible away from the path of his superior.
The Madaga are leather dressers like the Tamil Chakili, the Mahratta Mhar, and Northern Chamar.
Religion.-681,745 of the aboriginal population have not yet accepted Hinduism. They comyrise the Doomar, Holeya, Irular, Jogi, Koracha, kuru bar, Lumbani, Madaga, Mala, and Soliga. Besides these are the non-Hindu Muhammadans, 200,484; Christians, 30,249 ; Jains, 10,760. Buddhist emissaries appear to have visited the country in the 3d century B.C. ; while the Jains established their supremacy here, and maintained it during many successive ages, leaving behind them several richly-wrought temples, and other memorials.
The language spoken throughout Mysore, except in Kolar and the eastern side of Chittuldrug. is Canarese, which is the vernacular of 9 millions of people (8,335,859) in different parts of India. There are three dialects of Canarese—(1) Purvada Hale Kannada, or the archaic Canarese of inscrip tions earlier than the end of the 7th century ; (2) Hale Kannada, or old Canarese, up to the end of the 14th century, in which were written the older sacred books of the Jains and the majority of the Mysore stone inscriptions ; and (3) Hose Kannada, the existing language. The Kannada speakers, 3,095,647; Telugu, 637,230; Tamil, 130,569 ; Tulu, 8941; Arleen, 332 ; and Kodaga, 21.