or BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA. 
123 
of self-esteem and independence the Pallis have not been 
backward in denying such a statement as the one jxist 
made concerning their alleged condition of serfdom, and in 
urging their claims. They have thus lately presented to 
Grovemment a petition in order to obtain certain concessions 
at Kancipuram, Srirangam and Madras. They claim to be 
the descendants of Manimahamuni and^ as what formerly 
belonged to them, dema,nd the Dharmakartaship of the 
Ekarhbaresvarasvami-kovil in Kancipuram, and the censor- 
ship over the nine classes of people there, including in it 
even the chiefs of the Itahkai and Valankai, i.e., of the 
left and right hand people. The Jdtisahgrahasdra and the 
JdtibhSdan fil contain much valuable information on this topic, 
though no critical acumen has been exercised in arranging 
and verifying the evidence. 
It is very unfortunate that hardly any question of his- 
torical interest which concerns the various classes of the 
population of this country is considered with impartiality. 
Class interest and caste pride prevent unbiassed inquiries and 
even-balanced decisions. The relations of the various agri- 
themselves from the bondage of the landlord. In all respects, these people 
have the characteristics of aboriginal tribes. They are, as a rule, a very dark- 
skinned race, but good field laborers, excellent farm servants, and cultivators. 
They abound largely in the Tamil districts of Trichinopoly and Tanjore. 
The Vunnias, like so many of the Stidra castes in the south, are stiiving to 
prove that their position in the caste sj'stem is a wrong one. In 1833 they 
attempted , in Pondicherry, to get a legal decision that they were not of a 
low caste ; but the administration refused to deal with the question, on the 
ground that the Hindu law did not refer to the Vunnias at all. There can be 
no doubt that when the aboriginal tribes ruled in South India, many Vunnias 
raised themselves to the position of Fohjgars, or independent chiefs. The 
term Naick is usually affixed to the names of the Vunnias, and the Naicks of 
Madura and Tinnevelly were great men not very long ago. There are about 
thirty sub-divisions of the PtiUies, named chiefly after their diiferent occupa- 
tions, but they may all eat together and some intermarrjf." The Census of 
1881, in vol. I, p. 104, says : " The PaUi, once the VeUala's slave, is still 
working on the soil as a laborer and often as a proprietor. But the work of 
divorce between occupation and caste has not only begun, but has advanced, 
and is advancing." 
