Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c18.s1.68

v2.c18.s1.68

Now to turn to the Kurumbars: the same policy of levelling down the authority of the tribes, which the rulers of Vijayanagara made clear in the instance of the Vanniyars, was extended to the Kurumbars as well. Their tradition tells us that Kṛṣṇa Dēva Rāya with the aid of the ruler of Chingleput destroyed their stronghold at "Marutam, near Canchi in the Utra-melur district". We may assume that the Kurumbars ceased to exist as a thorn on the side of the Hindu State in the eastern and southern parts of the Vijayanagara Empire. But they were still powerful in the Karṇāṭaka which seems to have been their earlier home. This is again told to us in another account of theirs, which deals with the ancient history of the Toṇḍaimaṇḍalam. "After the deluge, the country was a vast forest, inhabited by wild beasts. A race of men arose, who, destroying the wild beasts, dwelt in certain districts. There were then, according to tradition, no forts, only huts; no kings, no religion, no civilization, no books, men were naked savages; no marriage institutions. Many years after, the Curumbars arose in the Carnata country; they had a certain kind of religion; they were murderers; they derived the name of Curumbar from their cruelty. Some of them spread into the Dravida dēsam, as far as the Toṇḍamaṇḍala country. They are now found near Uttra melur; but more civilized".¹