74 The Ethnology of India: 
do not seem to be very conspicuous in Madras itself, which, though m 
the Tamil country, is not far from the Telagoo frontier. 
In the Canarese country (comprising Canara, Mysore and parts of 
the Bombay Southern Districts and adjoining Nizam’s country) the 
Bramins are not rivalled by a specific writer class, and have a large 
share of literate office, very generally (Gt appears) occupying that of 
Shanbogue or village accountant, besides many higher offices. But a 
very large proportion of the Canarese people are of the ultra-Sivite 
or Lingayet sect, who altogether ignore Bramins in their sacerdotal 
character ; and there are energetic mercantile and other classes. The 
rule of the Marattas in one quarter, and of the Mahommedans in another 
was also unfavorable to the power of the Canarese Bramins, and thus 
they are by no means dominant. Maratta Bramins, Mahommedans, 
East Indians and others have a large share of the higher offices and 
occupations. 
In the North Western part of the Canarese country, in the district 
of North Canara, in the high and hilly country above and about the 
ghats, and the adjoining parts of Mysore, there is a large population 
of Bramin cultivators who are on all hands represented as exceedingly 
industrious, thriving, and in every way good. Most of these people 
are called ‘ Haiga’ Bramins, and they seem to be of pure race and of 
no bastard or doubtful caste. They especially affect the cultivation 
of the betel-nut, and both own and cultivate the land over a large 
extent of country. In the Canara District they constitute one of 
the most numerous castes, being given by a census taken some years 
ago as 147,924, to 146,309 Banters (corresponding to Nairs), and 
151,491 of the inferior class called Billawars. In the Nagar district 
of Mysore they are also numerous, and they are there described as 
“very fair, with large eyes and aquiline noses,” a description which 
would seem to imply for them a derivation from an uncorrupted 
and little intermixed northern source. They are stated not to be 
very literary or highly educated, being more devoted to agriculture. 
In South Canara and what is called the Talava country, there are 
again many Bramins who do much cultivation, and on the whole 
West Coast, down to the extreme South of India, the country is said 
to have been extensively colonised by the Bramin colony led from 
Calpee by Parasram, who caused the sea to retire for their convenience. 
