656

Buchanan’s journey through

family formerly poffeffed, he preferred retiring to the countries ceded to the Nizam,■where there is a kind of licence for all manner of diforder.

The town is now beginning to revive ; and I am told, that both it and the countryround are more populous, and better cultivated, than they were under Tippoo ’sgovernment; the vicinity of the Nizam’s dominions aifording excellent means of ob-taining a fupply of inhabitants. The trade is entirely confined to the purchafe and faleof articles produced in the neighbourhood, except that they get fome cotton-woolfrom the Nizam’s country, and fend thither fome lugar and jagory. The manufac-ture of fugar of a fine quality is in great perfection, but on a very confined fcale, andis kept a profound fecret by a family of Brahmans. Weavers of white cotton cloth arebeginning to affemble, and fifteen houfes of them are now at work. The place contains400 houfes, of which no lefs than 100 are occupied by Brahmans. Formerly they hada great extent of charity lands; but, thefe having been all returned, they are very poor.Mott of them are Vaidika, and therefore few choofe to follow' any ufeftil profellion.Thirty of the houfes are of fuch high rank, that they live entirely upon charity.

16th July.—I remained at Chica Bala-pura, where I find that a large proportionof the inhabitants fpeak, as their native dialect, the Telinga language ; yet theNarayana family were of Karnata extradion. At this place the regulations of KrifhnaRayalu were never received, owing perhaps to its having been in poffeffion of theNarayana family before it became fubjed to the yoke of the Anagundi Kings, whowere of Telinga defeent.

The Brahman, who is here reckoned the moft learned of the Sri Vaifhnavam feet,fays, that Rama Anuja Acharya made 700 Sannyafis, each of which had a urata, orcollege, and 74 hereditary chiefs. The Sannyafis are now reduced to five that arecalled thrones (SinghafanasJ ; but the whole of the hereditary chiefs remain. About500 years ago a fchifm arofe in the feet concerning the interpretation of certain oftheir books. Some of the Sannyafi and fome of the hereditary chiefs followed oneinterpretation, and fome another ; and each was followed by the whole of the difciplesbelonging to his college, or houfe. Hence the Sri Vaifhnavam are divided into Tan-galay and Wadagalay, who will neither eat together, nor intermarry. The Sri Vaifh-navams of the country fouth from the Krifhna river will not intermarry with eitherSmartal or Madual; but thofe from Golconda are not fo fcrupulous ; and many whooriginally came from that country are now fettled in thefe parts. The differencesbetween the two feds of Aayngar confifl in fome ceremonies : for inftance, at prayers,the Wadagalay ring a bell, which the Tangalay hold in abhorrence. Befides, theWadagalay think, that in order to obtain future blifs, it is very neceffary to be re-gular in their devotions, and liberal in their charity to pious Brahmans. Their op-ponents attach lefs importance to thofe duties. This man denies that his fed everbeftow proper upadefa on their Sudra followers, or ever read proper mantrams tothem. Thefe ceremonies are referved for the three higher caffs only; and of thefethe fecond is entirely extind. Thofe who are pretenders to this rank are by theBrahmans treated merely as Sudra. On folemn occafions the panchangas, or villageaflrologers, read fome prayers to the Sudras; but they are not taken from the Vedas,and are confidered as of very little efficacy. Thefe Brahmans do not confider them-felves as at all bound to inffrud the Sudras, nor to prevent them from offering bloodyfacrifices to evil fpirits.

According to my informer, the Aayngar always exifted; but before the time ofRama Anuja, from the want of charity, they had fallen into a low ftate; for at that

3 tiipe