.NO. 26. — 1883.] THE PANIKKANS OF MUCHALAI. 



15 



propitiate the demons who accompany each elephant. The 

 demons are five in number, and are called Kali, Karuppan 

 Kaderi, Kancha Vi'rapattiran, Narasinka Vayiravan. 



(I have not been able to find out any particulars as to 

 these demons, and do not know whether they are recognised 

 in Hindu mythology. Kali is not, as far as I can ascertain, 

 identical with the goddess of the same name. The 

 Panikkans are all Muhammadans, as far as they have any 

 religion at all.) 



The sacrifice to these demons consists of a cocoanut, 

 some sandalwood dust, benzoin, three arecanuts, and three 

 betel leaves. These are placed in a heap, and the Annavi 

 offers them to the demons, reciting certain prayers or 

 charms over them. A circle is then formed with a piece of 

 jungle creeper called pirandaik-kodi, and the Panikkans 

 and their men take their stand within the circle. 



The Annavi breaks the cocoanut, and the result of the 

 expedition is foretold by the position in which the two 

 halves rest on the ground. If the nut breaks into two 

 equal halves, and rest with their convex sides on the 

 ground, a tusker will be caught ; if one half has the convex 

 side on to ground, and the other the concave, a female will 

 be caught ; and so on. When these ceremonies are over, 

 the party is ready to start, but, in spite of all precautions, 

 the expedition may prove a failure through the machinations 

 of enemies. 



It seems that formerly the Annavis alone were able to 

 work charms and counter-charms, but now-a-days they say 

 that any one — man, woman, or child — can frustrate all the 

 efforts of Panikkans and Annavis combined. Owing to this, 

 a Panikkan will not even punish his child for juvenile offences 

 when he is about to start for the jungle. This change is 

 easily accounted for. Before elephant-catching was stopped 

 by Government, the Panikkans were so expert that the 

 Annavi was rarely called on to account for failure, but 

 during the years that elapsed before the restriction was 

 removed, the Panikkans lost their skill, and during the last 

 two or three years the Annavis have been hard put to it to 

 find excuses for their erroneous prognostications. It was 

 obviously easy for them to lay the blame on counter-charms. 



