58 *
guides or meffengers, and as the keepers of inns or choultries. Much of the land isrented by them ; but, like the Jews , they feldom put their hand to actual labour, andon no account will they hold the plough. Their farms they chiefly cultivate by flavesof the inferior calls, called Sudra, arid Panchum Bundum.
The Panchum Bundum are by far the moll hardy and laborious people of thecountry, but the greater part of them are flaves. So fenfible of their value wasHyder, that in his incurfions it was thefe chiefly whom he endeavoured to carryaway. He fettled them in many diftricts as farmers, and would not fuffer them tobe called by their proper name, which is conlidered opprobrious ; but ordered, thatthey lhould be called cultivators. The Panchum Bundum confift of four tribes ;the Parriar, the Baluan, the Schecliar, and the Toti. The Shecliars drefs hides ; andfrom among the Toti is chofen a particular clafs of village officers.
There are a few muffulman farmers, who polfefs flaves ; but the moll numerousclafs is compofed of the different tribes of the Sudra call. Some of thefe polfefsflaves, but many of them cultivate their farms with their own hands.
In this Carnatic payin ghat, or Carnatic below the mountains, there are no fairslike the hauts of Bengal ; but the ffiop-keepers purchafe the articles in demand fromthe farmers and manufacturers, and retail them daily in the bazars or towns. Milkand its preparations are commonly fold by women, who lit by the road fide.
ill May.—I went from Vellore to Paligonda. The valley is in general very fine,much of it having water for two crops of rice ; fome part, however, is covered withrocks of granite. The villages are very poor ; and the two towns, Verimchepurum,and Paligonda, are full of ruins ; at each of them is a confiderable temple ; that ofPaligonda is within the remains of a fort. The name of the place is derived from aTamul word, which fignifies fleeping. It arifes from the image in the temple, whichreprefents Ranganath, one of the forms of Viffinu, in a fleeping polture.
A proceffion, that took place to-day at Paligonda, gave me an opportunity oflearning, that only the three pure calls of Brahmans, Vailhyrs, and Sudra, areallowed to attend on fuch occafions. The fourth pure call (the fecond in rank,) theKfhatriyas, are conlidered by all the Brahmans here, as having been for many cen*turies quite extinct The Parriar, and other impure tribes, compofing what are herecalled the Panchum Bundum, would be beaten, were they to attempt joining in aproceffion of any of the gods of the Brahmans, or entering any of their temples.The Brahmans, indeed, defpife thofe poor people fo much, that they will give them onreligious advice, nor perform for them any religious ceremony ; and, what is Hillmore extraordinary, will not even receive money from them as charity. The Parriarshave among themfelves a kind of prielts, named Velluan, who polfefs books in theTamul language. They have alfo fmall temples, in which the only image is faid toreprefent the head of the mother of Parafu Rama Avatar,. This, according* to thelegend, was taken up by the Parriars, when it had been cut off.by her fon..
I have already mentioned the three grand feds prevailing among the Brahmans ofthis country, and which are faid to prevail alfo over all the five nations of Brahmans,called colledively Panlh Dravada, who occupy the fouthern parts of India . Thereare, however, many other divifions among thefe Brahmans, arifing from their various
occupations. __ ... ...
The proper duty of a Brahman is meditation on things divine, and the proper mannerof his procuring a fubfillence is by begging (Bhiklha.) This mode of living is con-fidered as very agreeable to the gods ; and all indullry is deemed derogatory to therank of a man, and more efpecially to that of a Brahman, The lower claffes of
focietyj