I20 Wilber Theodore Elmore 



and should not be injured, but that they should become asadis. 

 The present Madiga horn-blowers accept this tale and claim to 

 be the descendants of these children. 



This legend is attached to almost every one of the local deities.^ 

 It certainly gives no hint of a totemistic origin for the buffalo 

 sacrifice.* Here is another story, not nearly so common, how- 

 ever. 



There was once a village king who did not worship Poleramma. 

 She reproved him for his neglect, and he made an agreement with 

 her that the matter should be decided by a fight between her and 

 the king's buffalo. If she should be successful in the fight he 

 promised to worship her, but if she were defeated she must wor- 

 ship the king. 



Poleramma now took human form, and the fight began. The 

 buffalo was getting the best of the fight, and so Poleramma fled to 

 an ant-hill and took refuge there. The buffalo followed with its 

 lumbering gait, but by the time he arrived at the ant-hill Pole- 

 ramma could not be seen. He put his front feet on the ant-hill 

 and peered into it, but could see no one. He now asked some 

 sheep and lambs which were grazing near by, to tell him what had 

 become of Poleramma. They informed him that she had gone 

 into the hill. 



The buffalo waited with his feet on the ant-hill, but Poleramma 

 did not come out. Finally the time set for the battle was up, and 

 Poleramma appeared and claimed victory for what would seem at 

 least to be a drawn battle. She maintained that the fight was to 

 be to the death, and the buffalo had not killed her within the 

 allotted time. 



Poleramma now reiterated her demand for worship, and gave 



^ Ktirnool District Manual, sec. 6, pp. 100-103, gives this story with some 

 variations as applying to Sunkulamma. Oppert, Original Inhabitants of 

 India, p. 485, attaches the story to Ankamma. Madras Government Mu- 

 seum, Bulletin, V, no. 3, pp. 119, 120, says the story is told of Ur-Amma as 

 well as other gods. 



* This story is given in the Mural Mahathmam. It is much as related 

 here up to the death of the woman, who was then honored by becoming 

 Vishnu's flute. The account of her appearing as a ghost and demanding 

 the buffalo sacrifice is entirely Dravidian. 



120 



