Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 8.djvu/197

 BEDUR, OR VEDDAR. (454)

HE Bedurs, or Beydurs, form a large and powerful military class, which is found from the north-west boundary of the Canarese-speaking people in Dharwar and Belgama, all through Mysore, and, under the name of Veddar, as far as Travancore to the south, and the vicinity of Madras to the east. To the north they speak Canarese and Teloogoo, to the south and east Tamil; but in both languages their dialect is harsh and, unlike that of the people of their locality, abounding with strange words and idioms, which are very probably the remains of an older and primitive tongue. The Bedurs have had a history, though it is only traceable by broken fragments now. They were the most ancient military class of the whole of Southern India, and seem to have been in perpetual warfare with the Hindoo, perhaps Aryan, conquerors of the south, the rulers of the Pandyan, Chola, and Chera dominions, and, as Veddars, were driven westward into the forests of Mysore and Travencore. They are considered identical with the Kurumbars of the Neelgerries, who preserve their wild secluded character unchanged, while the Bedurs, as professed converts to Hindooism, have become in some degree a more civilized though still a rude people. After the pillage and fall of the southern Hindoo kingdoms and Beejanugger before the Mussulmans in the sixteenth century, the Bedurs of the Carnatic became extremely powerful. They were divided into small independent states, or pallees, and were therefore termed Palleegars, or Poligars. These were always turbulent and predatory, and were a constant source of disturbance and plunder. In 1766 we assisted Nizam Ali to reduce them, and what was called the Tondimans country, west of Madras, was never entirely brought under subjection till the last Mysore war was ended. The Bedurs, or Poligars, ever have fought well in defence of their strongholds and lands, and were often subdued with difficulty; and time history of the country and of the campaigns with these Poligars, affords many examples of brave resistance. They were, however, at last subdued, and the only small principality that now exists near Madras is that of Soondee or Choonder, though there are many descendants of Poligars who still hold their ancient ancestral lands.