Mysore and Coorg from the Inscriptions c10.27

c10.27

Crimes of violence are occasionally mentioned, such as carrying off a dancing girl by force (Sk 300), or a guru's bondman (Sk 139). But by far the most numerous were cattle raids, especially in border districts. Though sometimes the work of organised bands of robbers, many were hostile demonstrations against an enemy. The cows of a village belonging to another ruler were driven off from the grazing-grounds in the intervening woodlands as an act of defiance. The cowherds often gave up their lives in defence of their charge. Or some village hero, fired with indignation, would sally forth with a few followers and recover the stolen cows, only to die of his wounds on his return. Such an exploit was reckoned as patriotic, and the man's family were provided for with a grant of rent-free land. In more daring cases the villages themselves were pillaged and the women molested. Memorial stones, rudely sculptured to represent the incidents of cattle raids and to record the grants made in connection with them, are found in all parts.