________________
NOVEMBER, 1885.]
A SELECTION OF KANARESE BALLADS.
295
the skill, or want of it, of the individual composer: and in most of them the final rhymes are laid aside, in favour of continu. ous alliteration or even of ordinary rhythmical prose, in passages of particular pathos or excitement. The tunes are very taking, but, like all native music, very difficult to catch and transfer to writing. The singing of the nudis, in fact, varies a great deal with the individual singer; but the tune of the pallá or
chorus' seems to be always pretty constant and well-known. In a few instances I succeeded in catching the air of the chorus and transferring it to writing, as well as can be done according to the English system; the chorus of my first ballad, for instance, runs as given in the accompanying plate.
The most interesting of the ballads that I have collected are—the Lamentations of Iravva of Kittår; the Insurrection of Rayanna of Sangolli; the Taking of the famous Fort of Ranamandala at Badami by the English ; the Taking of Nargund during the Mutiny a song on the Introduction of the Income Tax; the Insurrection of the Bodas of Halagali in connection with the Disarming Act; an account of the Murder of Village Money-lender by anoppressed cultivator named Sanganna, and the trial and condemnation of the latter; & song on the Glory and Power of the English Nation; and an alliterative prose composition on the Revenge Survey Department. Of these, I now give
No. I. Tas INSURRECTION OF RAYANNA OF SANGOLLI.
The narrative of the events referred to in this song is best taken from the Historical Account of the Belgaum District by Mr. H. J. Stokes, M.C.S. p. 82ff. :
“The next event of importance as affecting
this District was the outbreak of SangolliRayappa. He was a Sanadi,' or village watchman, of Sangolli, and had been one of the Kittür Desai's retainers. He had received a pardon for his participation in the rebellion of 1824 ; but now, rendered desperate by the confiscation of his service-land (a measure necessary in his case, as in others, owing to the enormously superfluous number of Sanadis). and, it is said, exasperated by a quarrel which he had with the Kuļkarņi' of his village, he gathered round him many of the disaffected; and, taking with him the boy alleged to have been adopted by the late Désai of Kittar, he commenced & revolt with the avowed object of restoring the Samsthân.
“The Dêsâis of Kittûr had always been regarded with affection by the poorer classes in their country. Their memory is still tenderly cherished. They were Lingayats, as the mass of the population about them, and were therefore naturally inclined to treat their poorer subjects without harshness. On the other hand, Mallasarjya, the last Dêsát but one, who ruled for thirty-four years, and is the best remembered, had not spared the wealthier classes of the population, from whom he often found pretexts to make large exactions. He also, in the beginning of the present century, resumed the whole of the Indmo lands of the district and village hereditary officers, and appointed stipendiary Kärkūns" to conduct the duties of the officer, the emoluments of which he appropriated. Measures of this sort only increased his popularity with the humbler classes, and therefore an outbreak with the ostensible aim of restoring the family had their fullest sympathies.
"Riyappa commenced by burning the Kachêri" at Biļi in the beginning of 1829. He
• Selections from the Records of the Bombay Governmont, No. CXV. New Series.
Sanadt, or Setaanadt, is one who, in return for rendering publio nervioo, holds lands rent-free or under a quitrent by A sanad or written warrant.
• Dit is an hereditary officer, the chief local administrator of ddia or pargand, 1.e. district; another name for the same officer in Déamukh. The duties of the DAAP or Dalmukh, in the district under him, were very similar to those of Patil in his village: and he had, as his coadjutor, a Despândy A, corresponding to the Patil's ooadjutor, the Kulkarnt, or village-mooonntant. The officers of Desi1 and DospindyA do not exist under the British Government, but the titles are still known and med, as in most cases the service-lands have been continued to the descendants of those who held offioe under the Peswi's rule.
Kulkarni is the village-Accountant.
Sansthån is a Sanskrit word, meaning, literally standing together; a common place of abode, which has become invested with the sense of 's royal town,' seat of government, and is now always used in the vernacular to denotes Native State that is not large and powerful enough to be called a Raj or kingdom.
The LingAyats are sect, founded or developed by the famous Basava and Channabasava, whose special object of worship is the linga or phallio representation of the god Siva.
30 Indm, or properly In'am, is a grant in perpetuity without oondition. But it is now used loosely to denote any grant, present, or reward, of whatovor nature and however trifling.
11 Karkun is a clerk, scribe, writer.
11 Kaohéri, or properly Kashahrt, is court for the administration of publio business.
