54 



The Neilgherry Mountains. 



[No. U, 



has a certain number of gallants, who reside with her at pleasure and 

 by turns. To such practices as these it is doubtless to be attributed 

 that this race does not increase in numbers, and is evidently deterio- 

 rating in physical endowments. 



The great mass of the Todas inhabit the vallies and woods to the 

 westward of the plateau, being confined with the exception of five in- 

 habited munds in Parunganaad, and two in Meykenaad, to the division 

 called Todanaad — and it will be seen by the map, that in this portion 

 of the plateau their munds are principally congregated to the west- 

 ward, apart from the villages of the Burghers, only a few in the neigh- 

 bourhood ofOotacamund and to the northward being interspersed 

 among'st their cultivated lands. 



'to' 



Desirable if possible -^^^ ^^is portion of the Hills, viz. to the 

 ^arfto'thl wGstm; extreme westward, it would be highly desira- 

 coufines oftheHiUs. ^hat the whole tribe should be restricted ; as 

 they would have the benefit of abundance of excellent pasture land 

 for their cattle, and being there entirely apart from the other inhabi- 

 tants of the Hills, would be free to carry on their rites and supersti- 

 tious observances, without hindrance from others, and without the 

 possibility of causing annoyance to the rest of the population. It has 

 been distinctly stated to me by the Todars, Burghers and the talook 

 Civil authorities, that the Burghers whose villages are situated in 

 Todanaad have to support, by payment of the " goodoo," all the 

 Todars who occupy munds in that division, without aid from the 

 Burghers of the other two naads, who are only bound to maintain the 

 Todars who actually reside within their respective limits. Hence an 

 apparently palpable injustice to the Burghers of Todanaad, since, as 

 will be seen by the census returns, the tribe are pretty equally distri- 

 buted throughout the three naads; whereas out of a total of 337 souls, 

 of which the tribe of Todars at present consists, only 42 are located 

 in Parunganaad and 10 in Meykenaad, while all the rest, amounting 

 to 285, are located in Todanaad. This seeming difficulty in equaliz- 

 ing the infliction of the " goodoo" impost is overcome in the follow- 

 ing manner. As soon as harvest is over, and the " goodoo" collect- 

 ed in Todanaad, the Todar men of that division pay visits to the 

 munds in Meykenaad and Parunganaad, and take up their abode with 

 the women of the community (to the temporary exclusion, as is their 

 Levying contributions custom, of the legitimate husband.) They then 

 on the Burghers. ^,-gj^g ^j^^ surrounding Burgher villages 



