OF BHABATAVARSA OR INDIA. 
117 
them at first. The degraded condition into which some sank 
was, therefore, due to subsequent events. 
The word Pula must be regarded as a corruption of Palla. 
This change from a to u is easily accounted for. Not only 
is the letter a changed into ti, as in the Sanskrit which 
in Tamil becomes pulai, but the vowel a is often, especially in 
the North India, pronounced as n. 
It is even possible that the names of the demon Ilvala, 
who was destroyed by Agastya, and of his son Balvala con- 
tain another reference to the original Pallas. At all events 
the similarity of the names of Pulaha, Pidastya, Puloman, 
&c., with that of the Pulayar, as well as the connection 
which the near relationship between the Sage Agastya and 
the Raksasa Ravana suggests as existing between the Brah- 
manical civiliser of Southern India and the representative 
ruler of the aborigines, should command in future researches 
the attention of the scholar. 
CHAPTEE VI. 
On the PalliSj Agnikulas^ Pandyas, Vellalar, &c. 
The Agnikulas. 
Another portion of the aboriginal South-Indian popula- 
tion is represented by the Pallis. The Pallis form at this 
moment on the whole a highly respectable class, living partly 
as agriculturists in the country and partly as citizens in towns. 
They belong to the caste of the Vanniycw {(ou skresi^uj it). 
The word Vanniyan is generally derived from the Sanskrit 
s'* This caste includes also the Annppar, Bailagar, Devadigar, Kallar, 
Maravar, Masadikar, Bantar, Muppar, Nattambadis, Padaiyaccis, Pariva- 
rams, Sudras, Uppiliyar, TJdayar and Vanniyar. According to the last Census 
Eeport the Pallis number 1,300,733 souls, of whoni 1,295,049 live in the 
Madras Presidency, which number is only exceeded by the Shanar with 
2,028,546, of whom 1,478,660 dwell also in Madras, by the Vellalar with 
1,683,100, and by the Pariahs with 3,223,938 persons, and the whole of the 
other unclassified population consisting of 3,934,990 individuals. The 
last two figures refer to the Madras Presidency alone. 
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