________________
OCTOBER, 1876.] THE BHADRÅCHALLAM AND RÊKAPALLI TÅLUKAS.
301
or heads of elephants, and the like, in embossed It will thus be seen that it must be quite an or filagree work. The poorer people have plain | article of luxury. Enormous quantities of brass or tinned copper teapots. Each man has spurious tea of kinds used to be manufactured his own cup, either of china, porcelain, or, what from the leaves of various shrubs in Bisabir, is more common, made out of the knot of the and exported thence to Ladakh; but this trade horse chestnut, edged or lined with silver, or of late seems to have fallen off, and when there plain. About five thousand of these, in the rough, I heard but little of it. are annually exported from Bisahir to Gartokh, | Jacquemont, who travelled some thirty years and sold at the rate of six for a rupee (1s. 10d.). since in Ladakh and adjacent countries, writes
“They are finished and ornamented in China. from the frontier the following quaint account The latter kind of cap contains about one-third (vol. II. pp. 141-142):-“ Tea comes to Kasof a pint, the china cup something less. Each mîr by caravans across Chinese Tartary and person drinks from five to ten cups of tea, and Tibet. I know not why this caravan tea has when the last is half finished he mixes with the any reputation with us : it is absolutely destitute remainder as much barley meal as makes a of fragrance, and is prepared for drinking with paste with it, which he eate......... The milk, butter, salt, and an alkaline salt of a bitpoorer people, instead of tea, boil two parts of ter taste. All these prodace a turbid reddish barley flour with one of water or meat broth liquor of extraordinary flavour, execrable acseasoned with salt, until it becomes of the cording to some, and decidedly agreeable acthickness of porridge.”
cording to others. I am of the latter opinion. Major Hay tells me that in 1849 there were "In Kunawar* it is made in another three kinds of brick-tea sold in Lahoul, which way :-after the tea has been boiled for an hour came from China viâ Ladakh,-(1) kopinzi, or two, the water is thrown away, and the leaves a green tea; (2) chung-ching, a black tea; are dressed with rancid butter, flour, and minced and (3) zang-ja, also black. The last named goat's-flesh. This makes a detestable ragout, sold for about 38. 6d. per lb., being the cheapest. they call it tea." Moorcroft in 1820 names 38. per lb. for green But I have quoted sufficient to show what brick-tea, and 2s. for black brick-tea, which kind of brews of tea used to flow through the he says, come viâ Llassa or Yarkand.
trunk of our teapot.
THE BHADRÁCHALLAM AND RÊKAPALLI TÂLUKÂS, GODAVARI DISTRICT,
SOUTH INDIA.
BY THE Rev. JOHN CAIN, DUMAGUDEM. The Bhadrâchallam and R&ka palli these have to be examined before any satisfactory tâlukas, Godavari district, South India, were decision can be arrived at respecting their age. handed over to the British Government by the Near Dumag dem a large number of roughNizam in 1860, and transferred from the Centrally carved idols have been dug up at different Provinces to the Madras Presidency in 1874. times, but they give no evidence as to the date For many years previous these two talukas were of their first being set up. the scene of plunder and petty fighting among In this paper I will give the principal legends the many petty zamindårs in the Nizam's do- connected with these tâlukas, and in future minions and those in the neighbouring territory, papers the castes, -with special reference to the and resembled in many respects the debat- Kois. able land' of England and Scotland. These Parnasala, on the banks of the Godavari, quarrels evidently depopulated the country to & is said to have been the scene of Sita's abduclargo extent, so that no old temples remain to tion. As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were remind one of the various events in Rama living there, Ravana drew away Ráma in parand Sita's exile near the village of Parna- suit of a phantom antelope, which cleverly sala. There are, it is true, remains of a few eluded him and led him far away from his old temples in other parts .of the tâlukas, but I wife and brother. After a time Sitâ persuaded
• He here refers to spurious ten.
