38 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
CHAPEER 
IV aluru. 
Shicai , or 
Mimosa sa - 
ponaria • 
Sandal-wood . 
Waluru is a town containing about five hundred houses, and by 
far the richest, and best built, that I have yet seen above the Ghats. 
Most of the houses are white-washed within, and painted red and 
white without ; many of them are terraced with mud, and several 
are roofed with tiles ; but these, as usual in Mysore , are very 
clumsily put on. The houses are in general clean, and, had they 
any windows, would be comfortable. The town consists of a castle, 
of a fort or city, and of a Petta or suburb. The castle is occupied 
by a Rajput and fifteen of his family. The ancestors of this man 
were formerly Jaghirdars of the place, and of villages in the 
neighbourhood, to the annual value of eleven thousand Pagodas , 
(3432/. 9s. 11 d.) They were expelled by Hyder; but, during the 
war carried on by Lord Cornwallis, they were again put in pos- 
session of their territory by Colonel Read. After the peace they 
were a second time expelled by Tippoo, and then the place suffered 
considerably, as may be known b) r the ruins of many houses that 
were burnt on the occasion. The present Mysore government has 
granted the heir of the family an annual pension of four hundred 
Pagodas , (124/. Ids. 3f.), and allows him to live in the Castle. 
The outer wall is surrounded by a strong hedge of the Mimosa 
saponaria ; the fruit of which, called Shicai , is used as soap for wash- 
ing the hair. The leaves, which are acid, serve the poor instead of 
tamarinds, which are much used in the cookery of the southern 
Hindus. The hedge is rented at 20 Pagodas (61. 4 s. 7d.) a year; for 
the fruit is an article of trade, that is carried even so far as Madras , 
where three pods are said to cost 1 dub, or small pice. In the same 
hedge about twenty years ago were planted some Sandal-wood trees, 
which, although surrounded by the Mimosa , a strong scandent 
shrub, seem to be very healthy ; but, as none of them have yet been 
cut down, it is impossible to ascertain how far they will be 
valuable. 
The town is badly supplied with water. The reservoir is dry, 
and the few wells are attended by a great concourse of people. So 
Water. 
