588 Political Events in the Carnatic, from 1564 to 1687. [No. 152. 



their grants, (for we find that inconveniences were very soon felt and 

 complained of,) and the necessity of conciliating the Deckan chiefs, 

 many of whom maintained high pretensions, also increased the evil in 

 the Beejapoor government. Indeed it had previously proceeded to an 

 extent that was supposed, from the overgrown power vested in the 

 great landholders,* to have accelerated the fall of that government ; 

 since latterly the Sovereign could be only considered as the head of an 

 arrogant aristocracy, who were more disposed to dictate than to obey. 

 In Golconda, their power was controlled by the influence of the Bra- 

 min ministers, who yet committed a fault the reverse, by attempting 

 to manage by corruption and the influence of wealth, which in time 

 of great national distress, is never found to improve public virtue. 

 The great influence conceded to the Mahomedan munsubdars in the 

 Mogul system, perhaps contributed to much of the disorders that soon 

 after ensued in the Carnatic, which was further increased by the num- 

 ber of Hindoo chieftains (self- erected,) zemindars or polligars, that 

 were dependent on the province, and attached themselves to one or 

 other of the several parties that soon after arose on the death of 

 Aurungzebe. 



20. Upwards of thirty polligarsf are enumerated, who were depend- 

 ent on the Southern parts of the Carnatic some little time previous to 

 the Mahomedan invasion, but they were probably still more numerous, 

 unless that title be restricted to a certain description of Hindoo 

 petty chiefs and polligars, who were still permitted from various motives 

 to hold their more remote, or less productive districts, on paying a fixed 

 tribute or condanee under a constrained allegiance, and were classed 

 as zemindars dependent upon the province of Carnatic. This tribute 

 was always collected with difficulty, and frequently by force of arms ; 

 but exclusive of these zemindars, whose weakness kept them in a state 

 of undoubted dependence, there are others enumerated in the list of 

 27 Hindoo^ chiefs dependent on the Carnatic Beejapoor, (in the Duf- 



* See Universal History, Vol. 6, p. — . 



f See Bagalore Memoir for these poligars enumerated, also the Memoirs of Serah, 

 Bednore, &c. The famous Sevajee's new-formed fleet extended their ravages to the 

 coast of Canara at this time, and he himself in person commanded it, when Baruloo 

 was plundered of a very considerable booty. See Marhatta Memoir of Sevajee. 



X See list of zemindars of Sera in the Appendix No. 7, but these are only the zemin- 

 dars registered iu 1742. 



