The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c7.s4.4

c7.s4.4

This large tract of country is now occupied by a number of wild tribes who are best known by the collective name of Kolhán or Kols. But as the people themselves speak various dialects of two distinct languages, it would appear that they must belong to two different races, of whom the Múnda and the Uraon may be taken as the typical representatives. According to Colonel Dalton,* “the Múndas first occupied the country and had been long settled there when the Uraons made their appearance;” and “though these races are now found in many parts of the country occupying the same villages, cultivating the same fields, celebrating together the same festivals and enjoying the same amusements, they are of totally distinct origin, and cannot intermarry without loss of caste.” This difference of race is confirmed by the decisive test of language, which shows that the Uraons are connected with the Tâmilian races of the south, while the Mûndas belong to the hill men of the north, who are spread over the Himâlayan and Vindhyan mountains from the Indus to the Bay of Bengal.