Tit e Ethnology of India. 75 



In the centre of this tract, in Malabar, the Bramins, owing to political 

 circumstances and hostile rule, have been to a great extent driven 

 away, but they are very numerous in Travancore and Cochin ; and in 

 the Palghaut valley (a little inland, where the break takes place in the 

 line of the ghats) the Bramins seem to be very numerous as cultiva- 

 tors, and are industrious and good in that capacity. The principal 

 class of Bramins on the South Coast are called Namberees, and they 

 have some very peculiar customs. They affect, however, much of 

 the sacerdotal character, and seem to be very influential in Travancore 

 and Cochin. Throughout the South Western Coast, however, wherever 

 the Nairs and allied tribes are or have been politically dominant or 

 are now numerous, the Bramins have by no means a monopoly of 

 office, even among Hindus ; for the Nairs themselves are frequently 

 educated and hold very many public offices. 



The Nambcree Bramins are described as very like the Nairs and 

 general Hindu population of the South Coast, but as not unfrequently 

 fairer. 



It remains to notice the Tamil country. There also the Bramins 

 are numerous, but it appears that throughout the extreme South, they 

 again lose that literary predominance, or almost monopoly, which they 

 enjoy in the Maratta and other countries in the middle zone of India 

 as well as in the extreme North. I have mentioned that the Nairs 

 of the Malayala and Talava country by no means resign the pen to 

 the Bramins ; and so also it appears that throughout the Tamil country 

 offshoots of the dominant tribes, under the names of Modelliars, 

 Pillays, &c, do much of the clerkly work, and the Bramins have not 

 generally the office of village accountant and collector — the posses- 

 sion of which is the greatest test of predominance in that respect. I 

 gather that the Lingamite sect is less numerous in the Tamil than 

 in the Canarese country, and consequently the Bramins are in a 

 sacerdotal point of view more important. They also push their 

 fortunes in many secular ways. They rent much land, but will not 

 hold the plough, and are extensively employed in the public offices 

 as hurkaras (messengers or process servers) and in such like capa- 

 cities, also as keepers of choultrees and in many other occupations. 

 With reference to what I have said of them as renters rather than 

 cultivators, I should add that, though the Palghat country is included 



