took possession of B†dinƒyakan‡r in the fourteenth century. It has also been suggested that the Muduvars were driven to the hills by the Muhammadan invaders in the latter part of the eighteenth century.

     “Judging from the two distinct types of countenance, their languages and their curious mixture of customs, I hazard the conjecture that when they arrived on the hills, they found a small tribe in possession with whom they subsequently intermarried this tribe having affinities with the West coast, while the new arrivals were connected with the East.”

     The oldest inhabitants on the Nilgris at present are the Todas. But, they too have migrated to the summits only from the plains of the Tamil country.

     Dr.Aiyappan writes, “The Todas claim that they were the first on the soil and that the Badagas came and occupied these lands with their permission. The ‘gudu’ grain which the Badagas give the Todas is often called a tribute in recognition of such vassaldom. But the Toda begs it and pays respects to the Badaga, which he will not do, were he the over lord. The Badaga makes gifts of grain to the Kurumba too which is ascribed to the fear of the Kurumba's necromantic powers. Necromancy is suggested in the case of the Toda too. The Badaga pays the Kota in grain and coin for his services.

     “The language of the Todas is definitely connected with Tamil rather than with Kannada. Advocates of Turanian descent have attempted to trace a home in the Kannada country for the Todas prior to their advent on the Nilgris. The reason for considering the Todas as non-indigenous to these hills appears to be the discovery of certain cairns and dolmens which the modern Toda does not own. It is surmised that another race now extinct had been on the hills before the Todas came. But it has been noticed that the Toda funeral ceremonies are very similar to what this extinct race might have practised as seen from the relics in the cairns and dolmens. It seems more likely that there was a thorough change in the Toda at some stage in history when he gave up arms, agriculture and other occupations and contented