PLACES IN TANJORE, 



47 



(5.) That there is a remarkable absence of tanks and reservoirs 

 in the deltaic portion of the country, these 

 ficial tanks and Dein g generally quite unnecessary for irriga- 



reservoirs for irri- tion on account of the numerous river channels 

 gation or storage. _ . . . ' _ 



and canals. This is shown by the absence of 



the following names meaning tank ; reservoir, &c. : — Sndal, eri, 



kammay, kulam, kuttai, samudram, tadagam, tangal, uruni. 



There are many tanks in the towns, but few places are named 



from them. 



II. — Population and Eeligion. 



(1.) The presence and preponderance of Brahman influence in 



Brahman preva- tne best P arfc °^ tne district is shown by the 

 lence - following adjuncts : — agaram, agraram, aiyan, 



Isvara, kovil, mangalam, pappan, Perumal, puram, svami, Tiru. 

 Also by the familiar Brahmanical proper names : — 



Chandraipsi&i, Harisckandran&di, Gopdl^uram, Kalydana^\xmm f 

 KiHtndyweom t (for Krishna^voc^m,) Kuttdlam, 

 names. U pr0I>er Mahddevi-ipait&nam, Mahdlingam, PdpanaSam (or 

 Pdvavindti), Perumal, Pushpavanam, Baghundtha- 

 puram, Bdmasvamt, BameSvaram (also called Tiruva BdmeSvaram), 

 Bangandthapuram, Some£varapuram, Srirangam, Tenkdsi, 

 Tirupalturai Tirupuvanam, Veddranyam, many of which are to be 

 found in the most fertile parts of Southern India, in the great 

 river basins and deltas where the chief Brahman communities 

 are found, in Tinnevelly and Madura, on the rivers Tamraparm 

 and Vaigai, as well as on the Kaveri. 



(2.) A number of cow-names seem to point to a prevalence of 



n a" commit ; " a few of these are as follows : — 



Cow-names. - . . — ' . _ n __ 



Atalaiyur, Avur, u-opalsamudram, Komal, 



Kovindagudi, 1 Kovur, Pattisvaran, (and? Konur). 3 



(3.) A relic of the former prevalence of tree and serpent 



worship is to be found in a remarkable group 

 Trace of tree and » XT _ , . i . , • « 



serpent worship. °* Naga names, which runs in a line from 



Nagur and Nagapattanam (" Nag ore " and 



3 Some names should also he referred to Krishna, who is worshipped as a 

 cowherd. — O. 



