2G4 



MANUAL OF THE KILAGIRI DISTRICT. 



Early 



UlSTORY. 



Kadamba 

 dynasty. 



pertinacity of their race, held to the best portions of the low- 

 lands, whilst at the beginning of this period they gained a reli- 

 gious victory by the conversion of the Bellala king Varddhana 

 from Jainism to the faith of Vishnu through the preaching of 

 Ramanuja Achdrya. It is possible that it was during these cen- 

 turies that the earliest Kanarese colonists pushed forwards into the 

 Nflagiris and on to the ranges to their south towards the Palghdt 

 Pass. Driven back by immigrants from the south-east, and then 

 by new-comers from the north-east, the Kongu Kanarese would 

 naturally retire to the highland part of their territory, and wait 

 for better times, which came to pass during the empire of 

 Vijayanagar. 



The Kadamba ^ dynasty, which was of great antiquity, ruled 

 over North and South Canara and the western portions of ancient 

 Karndta, Their capital, Banawasi, is mentioned by Ptolemy .^ 

 The date of the first king, Trinctra Kadamba, is fixed by Wilson as 

 A.D. 168, and the kingdom appears to have lasted 1,168 years 

 until the foundation of the Vijayanagar empire, but with probably 

 greatly diminished power. Early in the fifth century a daughter 

 of the house was married to Madhara, king of Kongu, and, until the 

 rise of the Bellala kings, they may be said to have divided the 

 greater portion of Kdrnata between themselves and the Cheras. 

 {Des. Cat., p. cvii.) 



" Up to the fifth centui'y, " says Mr. Rice, " they were independent, 

 but being then subdued by the Chalukya king Kartti Varmma, they 

 were reduced to the condition of feudatories. Their jurisdiction seems 

 to have been thence limited to the province of Hanagal or Parangal 

 until the tenth century, when they appear as lords of Banawasi as 

 well as of Hanagal and other places. * # * Their capital was later 

 established at Goa. The connection of the founders of Vijayanagar 

 with the Kadambas has not been established, but the former were 

 certainly descended from a Tuluva family of ancient origin and 

 power,, whose dominions extended towards the western sea,^ and 

 the Kadamba grants, which continue up to the time of the rise of 

 Vijayanagar, then cease." 



It is the unascertained connection of the rulers of Banawasi— 

 with the Kiirumbas, pei-haps prior to the rise of the Kadamba 

 dynasty — which renders the history of this people interesting 

 as regards the Nilagiris ; but as notes * on the point will be found 

 in Mr. Breeks' chapter on the Klirumbas, it will not be discussed 

 further here. 



1 Said to be so named from the Kadamba tree, a species of naxiclea, one of the 

 Chinchoniacece. See note 4, page 208, Chapter IX. 

 ^ Descriptive Catalogue, p. ci. 

 ' Wilson, McA. Coll. 1, civ. 

 * See Cahr's Set-en Pagodas ; Ellis' Mir&si Right. 



