A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
4 
Si6 
CHAPTER 
July 12. 
Appearance 
of ihe coun- 
try. 
*r 
monly used by the Hindus; but in the southern parts of India* 
these birds are not at all domesticated, except by Europeans. It is 
not usual for the weavers of this cast to take more than one wife, 
unless the first prove barren ; but there is no law to prevent them 
from taking as many as they please. Parents that are poor, take 
money for their daughters, when they give them in marriage ; those 
that are in easy circumstances do not. Widows cannot marry again, 
but are not expected to kill themselves. A woman can only be 
divorced for adultery. The Gurus of these weavers are hereditary 
chiefs of file Adyngar , who, in return for the contributions of their 
followers, bestow Upadha and Chakrdntikam ; of course they are 
worshippers of Vishnu. The Panchdnga, or village astrologer, 
whether he be a follower of that God, or of Siva , attends at births, 
marriages, funerals, at the ceremonies performed in honour of their 
deceased parents, and at the building of a new house ; and on each 
occasion gets a fee of one fanam , or eight-pence. On other occasions, 
when a weaver wants to pray, like other Sudra, he calls in a Satdnana, 
who reads something in an unknown language, and gives the votary 
some holy water, which he consecrates by pouring it on the head of 
a small image that he carries about for the purpose. A similar 
ceremony when performed by a Brahman , from the charity that 
accompanies it, is called j Ghana, and is supposed to be much more 
efficacious in procuring the favour of the gods. 
13th July. In the morning I went three cosses from Calura to 
Silagutta. The rains having become heavy, the people are now 
busy sowing their Ragy. The showers are frequent, and the winds 
from the westward are strong. A great part of the country is 
overgrown with stunted bushes, even where the soil appears to be 
tolerably good, and has never been in a state of cultivation. Perhaps 
one half is rated in Krishna Rdyalu’s accompts, and of that two thirds 
may be in actual cultivation; for the country is in a better state 
than that through which I passed yesterday. It does not contain so 
many small rocky hills; but I have in front, Nandi-durga; on my 
i 
