No. 29. — 1884.] PADDY CULTIVATION CUSTOMS. 



333 



himself eating all the cakes named, by fixing to the mouth of the 

 effigy mud or clay cakes made by the field-servants. Sometimes 

 an ola and a stick are put into the hands of the effigy, to repre- 

 sent the " I odi " takiug an account of the crop reaped. The 

 denial on the part of the " Podi " is followed by a virtual denial 

 of obedience to the orders of the Podi," under the pretence of 

 being sick from th a surfeit of the repast given by the " Podi," 

 which is ironical language. 



If the " Podi " does not give the demanded repast, he, to main- 

 tain his respect with the field-servants, must by all means give 

 five marakkals of paddy to each field-servant ; otherwise his 

 stinginess will be thrown in his face in public, and kept up. 



After the paddy is removed from the threshing-floor to the 

 Podi's house, the field-servants must fetch straw from the 

 threshing-floor, thatch the house of the Podi, and repair the fence 

 of the garden, and then they get their discharge. 



E. SOMANADA MtJTALIYAR, 



Chief Mutaliyar. 



A. D. Zylva, 



Irrigation Mutaliyar, 



Batticaloa, 24th February, 1871. 



