NILGIRI HILLS. 311 like the natives of the plains, with head and waist cloths, a sheet being used as a wrapper to cover the shoulders and body. The women wear a white cloth fistened by a cord under the arnis, leaving bare the arnis and shoulders, and the legs below the knees. The hair is thrown back and knotted loosely on the nape of the neck. The Badagas are partial to ornaments, and wear rings, bracelets, armlets, necklets, and ear and nose rings of brass, iron, or silver. They pay a tribute called gudu to the Todas. Their chief diet consists of korali and sámi, two innutritious cereals. Their language is an old Kánarese dialect. In religion they are Hindus, their principal deity being Rangaswami, whose temple is situated on the summit of Rangaswáni peak, the easternmost point of the Nilgiris ; they also worship many inferior divinities, male and female. In 1871 they numbered 19,476 souls, and in 1881, 24,130. The Kotas (properly Gaubatars; from the Sanskrit sau, a cow,' and hatu, slaying,' i.e. cow-killers) are, according to Shortt, 'well made and of tolerable height, rather good-featured and light-skinned, with shapely heads and long loose hair, elongated faces with sharply defined features, the forehead narrow but prominent, the ears fat and lying close to the skull. The women are of moderate height, of fair build, and not nearly so good-looking as the men. Most of them have prominent foreheads, snub noses, and a vacant expression. The hotas practise agriculture and various handicrafts, and are good carriers ; they perform menial offices for the Todas and Badagas, and, like the latter, pay a gudue to the Todas. They worship ideal gods which are not represented by any image. Their language is an old and rude dialect of the Kánarese, but without the guttural or pectoral sound peculiar to the Todas. "The Kotas have about 7 villages altogether. Six of these are located on the hills, and the seventh is at Gudalúr. Each village contains from 30 to 60 or more huts, of tolerable size, built of mud walls, and covered with the usual thatch grass, somewhat after the style of native huts in the plains. The arrangement of the dwellings is far from neat. The floors are raised from 2 to 3 feet, with a short verandah in front, and a pial or seat on either side of the door.' In 1871 the Kotas numbered 1112; and in 1881, 1065. The Kurumbas (shepherds), the most uncivilised of the five tribes, are described by Shortt as small in stature, squalid and uncouth in appearance, with wild matted hair, and almost nude bodies. They are sickly-looking, pot-bellied, large-mouthed, prognathous, with prominent outstanding teeth and thick lips. The women have much the same features as the men, slightly modified with a small pug-nose and surly aspect. They wear merely a piece of cloth, extending from under the arms to the knee; but some have only a waist - cloth. Both men and women wear ornaments of iron, brass, various seeds, shells, and glass beads as ear-rings, necklets, armlets, bracelets, rings, etc.
