MANUAL OF THE NILAQIRI DISTRICT. 



25- 



for it is improbable that this black, ungainly, wallowing animal CHAP. XI. 

 could have become an object of aifectionate regard to a people "^ 



who knew and used the Brahmani ox, the horse, and the elephant. 

 But this very peculiarity would connect them with the builders 

 of the cairns and cromlechs, for whilst among the earthenware 

 figures collected by Mr. Breeks there is only one figure resembling 

 an ox, though it may also represent a bison, which has the distin- 

 guishing hump elongated, the makers of these figures seemed 

 to have loved to linger over the forms of the buffalo, and 

 though they also made figures of horses, elephants, and wild 

 animals, their most successful representations are those of tho 

 buffalo. The sacred animal is never represented as bearing 

 a burthen, but he often wears a bell. This love of the 

 buffalo must have been common to a tolerably civilized race, for 

 not only are bell-metal vessels of chaste design found along with 

 such figures, with armed warriors, horse and foot, and also the 

 representation of what may be a pillar of victory, but Dr. Shortt 

 informs me that he has in his possession two artistic representa- 

 tions of the buffalo in bronze, which were dug up at Coimbatore. 



Early 

 History. 



LID OF URN WITH P/kLAR 



It seems therefore not an unnatural inference that though abori- 

 ginal, this curious people was on very intimate relations with au 

 Aryan race. The names of their deities, it will be remembered, 

 are of Sanskrit origin, fairly direct, whilst their language 

 has been but slightly influenced thereby. Can this be explained 

 on any reasonable theory ? It seems very doubtful ; but we 

 may perhaps find, in tho history of the Dekhan, a clue which, 



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