dabbu, which are the ordinary names for a three-pie piece. The value of a cowry, punjam and toli are not absolutely constant, but vary slightly with the market price of cowries. The dabbu is also a term of varying application. In Pithápuram, Tuni, and the Agency it means four pies, and is synonymous with a páta dabbu ('old dabbu'). In this case an égáni means two pies and a dammidi one pie; but the káni and the kotta dabbu ('new dabbu') still denote three pies.
For sums above an anna a variety of curious terms are used. Thus,
4 | kotta dabbus | ... | ... | = | 1 | anna. | |
2 | annas | ... | ... | ... | = | 1 | béda. |
2 | bédas | ... | ... | ... | = | 1 | pávula or dúlam (=4 annas). |
16 | páta dabbus | ... | ... | = | 1 | tankamu (or 5 as. 4 ps.). | |
2 | pávulas | ... | ... | = | 1 | half rupee or chavulam. | |
3 | pávulas | ... | ... | = | 1 | muppávula (12 annas), | |
1 | pávu | ... | ... | ... | = | 1 | rupee. |
1 | máda | ... | ... | ... | = | 2 | rupees. |
1 | varáha (pagoda) or punji | = | 4 | rupees. | |||
1 | puli varáha | ... | ... | = | 3½ | rupees. | |
1 | vanda | ... | ... | ... | = | 100 | rupees. |
In Tuni, and perhaps elsewhere, the dúlam (4 annas), chavulam (8 annas), pávu (rupee), máda (2 rupees) and punji, or pagoda of 4 rupees, are used to denote percentages. Thus if a man wants to say he is giving 6¼, 12½, 25 or 50 per cent, he will say he is giving a dulam (one-sixteenth of a pagoda), chavulam (one-eighth), a pávu (one-quarter) or a máda (one-half) respectively. No doubt the use of the pagoda as a unit of reference is the cause of the name pávu for a rupee, the word literally meaning 'a quarter.'
In Bhadráchalam, besides the usual British Indian coins, those of the Nizam's Dominions are also in common use.