MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 205 



localities which enabled them to pursue their handicrafts and to CHAP. IX, 

 find a ready sale for their wares. PART II. 



\ Every Badaga village has a number of Muttu Kdtas (said to be Ethnology. 

 from Midtava, Kanarese, to touch) living in the nearest Kotagiri. 

 Each Badaga also has a particular individual among the Muttu 

 Kotas who works for him^ and who is repaid in grain at harvest 

 time. They work in the same way for the other tribes, who pay 

 them in the produce they possess. Todas pay them in dead 

 bufPaloes and ghee, the Kurumbas in grain, and the Irulas in 

 plantains and grain. They are also well paid for their music, 

 and often receive \ rupee each for playing at a feast. On their 

 part they pay the usual tribute in grain, gudu, to the Todas. 



It is said that the Todas as well as the other tribes have a Habits. 

 great contempt for the Kotas on account of their filthy custom 

 of eating carrion. They ar^ not allowed to enter a Badaga 

 temple or to join in their annual feast to Hette, to which the 

 Todas are invited. They once, the story goes, attempted to sell 

 milk, but the Todas scouted the idea of such unclean people 

 taking to so sacred a pursuit, and they were obliged to give way. 

 Strange to say, their disgusting food seems to agree with them, 

 for they are stronger and of a finer physique than any of the 

 tribes, except the Todas, and Mr. Metz observes, '^ at no time 

 do they thrive so well as when there is a murrain among ihe 

 herds of the Todas and Badagas.''' They justify themselves by 

 saying that when the three most ancient Hill-tribes, the Todas, 

 Kurumbas and Kotas were formed by Kamatardya out of three 

 dro))s of perspiration which fell from his forehead, he commanded 

 the Todas to live on milk ; the Kurumbas he allowed to eat meat, 

 such as the flesh of buffaloes, calves, &c. ; the Kotas had liberty to 

 eat carrion if they could get nothing better. They are also 

 addicted to drinking and opium-eating. 



Their villages are large and generally contain sixty houses or Habitations. 

 more. Their houses are of mud and thatch, not by any means so 

 regularly arranged as those of the Badagas, and only saved from an 

 utterly poor and squalid appearance by the patches of cultivation 

 which surround them. Though the houses are entirely devoid of 

 ornament, the pillars of the verandah are sometimes of stone 

 sculptured by cutters from the low country. In each village one 

 or two houses are set apart, to which the women retire during 

 seasons of purification. 



^ The Kotas had, it is said, formerly but one deity ^ Kama- Religion, 

 tardya, but they also worship his wife ; ^ each is represented 

 by a silver plate. The god is also called Kambata and 

 Kamata. If Kamata is correct, it is probably the same as 



^ Siva. ^ Kahaaumna or Kalikai. 



