MANUAL OP THE NILAaiRI DISTRICT. 251 



were probably led by Kshatriya chiefs, though it may be their chap, xi 



advent had been preceded by that of some holy rishi or sage, who e ^ k7y 



sought seclusion in the forests of the south or escape from the Histuky. 



religious dissensions of his native country. To these pale-faced ' 



j immigrants the wild and black tribes of the country appeared 



I monstrous and horrible. Hence with romantic exaggeration they 



have been handed down to us as giants (Asuras)/ monkeys 



I (Vanaras), and demons (Rakshasas). Indian legend and poetry 



! are full of the conflicts, with varying fortune, between the incomers 



and the people of the soil, and again between these settlers and 



still later comers, who were often inspired by the reforming zeal of 



the Brahmans. For as the warlike Kshatriyas prevailed over the 



i aborigines, so they in their turn yielded to the power of these religi- 



j ous enthusiasts ; but gradually they brought the Kshatriya chiefs 



I and the leaders of the aboriginal races under their power and, 



! whilst leaving to such the headship of their people, succeeded in 



giving to prince and subject alike their civilization, such as it was, 



; but along with it imposing the yoke of Brahmanical law and 



! religion, whilst those who would not bow before the invader, 



I whether Kshatriya or Brahman, became outcastes, or if they 



i preserved their independence it was in isolation and retirement. 



A remarkable instance of such independence occurs in the case 



of the Coorgs, who, aided by the physical peculiarities of their 



j country, not only repelled for long ages the invasion of armies. 



but also the subtle inroads of the Brahmans, who up to this day 



have never been able to found a colony in Coorg. Here and 



there chiefs of the wilder Dravidian races who had succumbed 



to the invaders, as for example the Kurumbas, rose again to 



power, but this they obtained, or at least retained only in so far 



as they sought the aid of the church of the immigrant Aryan 



sacerdotalists and brought their people under its influence. At 



times probably the Brahmans made use of such converts to 



overthrow the hated Kshatriyas, and along with them their 



Buddhist or Jaina rivals. 



What was the religion of the peninsula prior to the arrival of Early reli. 

 the Aryans from the north there is little to show, but it was pro- penlLtil^^ 

 , bably rude and similar to those still prevailing among aboriginal 

 tribes who have come but little into contact with these immi- 

 grants, viz., veneration for the Lingam, the emblem of life and 

 power ; reverence for household and village divinities ; and also 

 among some tribes respect for the serpent. This serpent worship 

 was especially prevalent in Mysore; "there is scarcely a village 



t ■ 



f 'This name still lingers in wild hill tribes, Malsir's Lords of the Hills; in 

 liiMalabar, Buchanan's Journey, Vol. II, p. 6. 



