The Nair women do not cover their bosoms when at home, and, in North Travancore, not even when abroad. With the well-to-do Nairs, reading and writing are essential in the educa tion of the women, and singing and instrumental music are accomplishments. Eighty per cent. of the educated native women are of the Malealam Sudra (Nair) and native Christian classes.
Religion.—In Travancore, the superior divinities are Vishnu, Siva, Bhagavati, and their incarnations. The inferior objects of worship are in the Paikoil or devil-temples and other places. But all the latter, and many of their female gods, owe their origin to Tamil immigrants, the true Malealam population invariably resorting to the higher idols. There have been white and black Jews in Travancore from very ancient times, and Christians from the earliest days of Christianity. At present there are—of the church of Rome, 153,815 ; Pro testants, 57,318 ; Syrians, 287,409. Muham madams are 146,909 in number.
The Ambalavasi (Ambalam, pagoda or temple, and Vasi, he who lives), 7078 in number, arc peculiar to Malabar. They have fourteen large and numerous small subdivisions, but all are employed in the Hindu temples, of which there is one to every 248 of the population. They abstain from animal food of every kind.
Amongst the Sudra castes in Travancore are the Vellalar, the Mudali, and the Pandi Sudra.
The Vellalar in 1872 were 24,125 in number, and in every district in the kingdom. In the ad joining provinces of British territory, where Tamil is spoken, the great body of the cultivators claim to be Sudras of the Vellala stock, and when well to do they receive the honorific suffix of Mudali.
The Idayan, Edaga, or Yadava is the shepherd race scattered over Southern India. In Travan core they are known as the Konan, Kangayen, Valayadaiyen, and Vaduk-idayen, and are 6319 in number. The Gopa, Gaola, Goiakh, and Sat gop of Northern Ind, Bengal, and Orissa, and the Gaoliga of Mysore, and some of the Dhangar, are cowherds, but are not identical with the Kurubar, and some of the Dhangar of the Dekkan, and some of the Ahir of Northern India. The shepherd race of Southern India are spreading out into all available employments. They are classed as Sudra Ilinclus, and usually styled l'illai, in distinction to the Vellalar cultivators, who add Mudali, or first man, to their names ; and the shepherds, Idayan, take a lower social position.
The races in Travancore who were held in servile positions aro upwards of 30 per cent. of the population, and may be shown as under :— Chemman or 8bannan, . . . 128,600 Chaklor 1 042 Mookooven or fisher Kshowraken or men, 29 342 barber, . . . 14,578 Malayaraen, . . .17,627 Kanian or Booth- Vaden and Oolladen, sayers, . . . 8,330 hunters, . . . 6,155 Paraven 959 Puller, 5,438 Thundan, . 21,814 Koravar, 54 , 828 Noolian, . . . . 2,185 Pariah, 66 , 454 Eleven, . . . 387,176 Pullayar, . . 196,539 The Pullayar or Pulian are a hard-working and extremely useful race, noted for their truth fulness and integrity. Until recently they were bought and sold like other property, but they all have been freed by the present maharaja. They have remained on the lands they were cultivating. In socitil life they are lower than the Pariah. They speak Malealam. They are unknown in the British provinces.
The Elavar or Elaven are numerous. They aggregate 387,176, and are engaged in cultiva tion and in manufacturing the produce of the cocoanut tree, which forms a staple of the country.
The Shanar or Channan race, in number 1`28,600, are also found in the neighbouring British districts. They are chiefly engaged in the manufacture of the produce of the pahnyra palm, Borassus flabelliformis, which is only in ferior in value to the cocoanut tree.
Some of the Elavar and Paravar are amongst the most respectable cultivators in the Travancore kingdom. The Shanar of S. Travancore are even a more enterprising class; and the Pariah, through out Southern India, is the chief labourer in the fields, and in other out-door work.
The Kummalar, or artisans of Travancore,—the goldsmith, the coppersmith or brazier, the stone mason, the blacksmith, and the carpenter. In Travancore, however,the Chembu-thatti or copper smiths claim to be a distinct caste, but this is not conceded to them.
The Chetty of Travancore, of whom there aro fifteen subdivisions, most of which seem mere nationalities.