The cephalic index of the Māppillas is lower than that of the other Muhammadan classes in South India which I have examined, and this may probably be explained by their admixture with dolichocephalic Dravidians. The figures are as follows: —
| Number examined. | Cephalic index. | |
|---|---|---|
| Mappilla | 40 | 72.8 |
| Sheik Muhammadan | 40 | 75.6 |
| Saiyad | 40 | 75.6 |
| Daira | 50 | 75.6 |
| Pathan | 40 | 76.2 |
From the measurement of a very few Māppillas, members of the Hyderabad Contingent, and Marāthas, who went to England for the Coronation in 1902, Mr. J. Gray arrived at the conclusion that "the people on the west coast and in the centre of the Deccan, namely the Moplas, Maharattas, and Hyderabad Contingent, differ considerably from the Tamils of the east coast. Their heads are considerably shorter. This points to admixture of the Dravidians with some Mongolian element. There is a tradition that the Moplas are descended from Arab traders, but the measurements indicate that the immigrants were Turkish, or of some other Mongolian element, probably from Persia or Baluchistan." * [1]
The cephalic indices, as recorded by Mr. Gray, were: —
| Number examined. | Cephalic index. | |
|---|---|---|
| Tamils | 6 | 75.4 |
| Moplas | 6 | 77.5 |
| Hyderabad Contingent | 6 | 75 |
| Maharattas | 7 | 79 |
The number of individuals examined is, however, too small for the purpose of generalisation.
- ↑ * Man, 1903.
