Buchanan: Itinerary through South Kanara

 Summary of Buchanan’s itinerary through South Kanara.

 Map adapted from Basel Mission archives

January 22, 1801

Buchanan’s first halt in South Kanara was Ullal, “a large town”. From there, he crossed over to Mangalore, where he remained until the 29th. Also known as Kodial Bundar, the town was built along the sides of a peninsula washed by “a most beautiful piece of salt water.” Separated from the sea by a stretch of sand, this body of water was capable of harbouring large ships. However, a breach in the beach the previous year had caused the depth of the old opening to diminish, so that now vessels drawing more than ten feet could not enter. The fort stood at the elevated centre of the peninsula. Tipu destroyed it after its recapture from the British in 1784.  

January 29

Buchanan travelled about 10 miles to Arcola (Feringypetta) on the northern bank of the Netravati River. Konkani Christians, invited to reside there by the princes of Ikeri, had been its chief inhabitants until they were deported by Tipu. The town was destroyed. The ruins of the church showed that it had been a neat building. In order to deter Europeans from visiting the area, Tipu destroyed all the pepper vines and the trees on which these were supported. Irrigation by springs and rivulets enabled the production of multiple rice harvests.

January 30

The day was lost in searching for Buchanan’s baggage which, despite being accompanied by two guides and travelling on the most public road in Kanara, went missing the previous day.

January 31

Buchanan travelled three Sultani cosses[1] to Nagara Agrarum, a village with a large Brahman community. The road, bad even for oxen, passed through the best rice fields which extended from Mangalore to Bantwal. Small dams in little valleys along the way stored water for irrigation. A quarter of all rice fields in Bantwal district produced three rice harvests annually.

Bantwal, a coss away, contained about 200 houses. During the last war with Tipu, the Coorg Raja, a British ally, had destroyed 200 houses, and carried away half the town’s inhabitants to repopulate his devastated lands, together with 14 to 15 persons from surrounding villages. The great trade between Mangalore and Hassan, Belur, Vastara and other towns above the ghats passed through Bantwal. Rice was a major export. Small river boats carrying upto 100 morays (130 bushels) of rice sailed a short distance upriver beyond Nagara. The channel, though wide, was full of rocks; many islands appeared in the dry season.

Many guns which Tipu had ordered to be transported to Srirangapatna after the destruction of Mangalore fort, lay abandoned along the road.

February 1

Three cosses further on, lay Cavilacutty. The hills were taller, some covered with thick forests of teak, mango, and palm trees, and infested by tigers. They had lately killed several travellers. Many carts carried salt to places beyond the ghats, while others came from there with iron.

February 2

Buchanan travelled three Sultany cosses to Beltangady (White Market). He writes the place was very improperly named, as it contained just one shop which sold nothing but betel nut. He passed many buffaloes and sheep brought for sale from above the ghats, as well as oxen laden with iron, cloth, and grain.

February 3

Jamaladad (Narasingha Angady) was a short distance away. Seeing the enormous rock on his way back to Srirangapatna from Mangalore, Tipu ordered a fort to be built at its summit. At the same time, he had the fort at Mangalore destroyed as being too accessible to Europeans. A new town of 1000 houses was also constructed. It was destroyed by the Coorg Raja who carried away half its population.

February 4

Buchanan returned to Beltangady and turned north to Padanguddy.

February 5

Three cosses further were Sopina Angady and Einuru, a small town containing eight Jain temples and one dedicate to Shiva. Einuru boasted a colossal monolithic granite statue worshipped by the Jains, who were more numerous than Brahmans. Their eight temples, however, had an annual allowance of 14 pagodas, while the Brahman temple had 10 pagodas because local government officers, mostly Brahmans, favoured it. Sophia Angady had only three shops. A year ago the inhabitants cleared away large tracts of jungle so that tigers did not trouble them anymore.

February 6

Two tigers were seen on the way to Mudu (East Biddery) two cosses away across a branch of the Gurpur River.

February 7

Three cosses further on lay Karkala, a town containing 200 houses. The wide road wide was lined by trees on either side. The hills became steeper, rockier, and overgrown with trees. Many surrounding villages had been deserted after Haidar raised taxes. The town’s chief inhabitants were Jains. Their temples were either roofed (basti) or an open walled area (betta). The former contained seated naked statues of saints, while the latter was dominated by colossal naked images of Gomuta Raya. The one in Karkala was 38 feet tall, 10.1/2 feet broad, and 10 feet thick. It was 369 years old.

February 8

Observing that “The farmers of Carculla seem to be an obstinate and ignorant set of men,” Buchanan recorded that, depending on the rains, they grew pulses, sesamum, sugar-cane, betel-leaf, turmeric, ginger, capsicum, greens, roots, and other vegetables. Plantation crops included betel-nut, coconut, pepper, mango, and jack fruit. Tipu’s prohibition of betel-nut export had greatly affected its production.

February 9

At Beiluru, three cosses away, a place with few houses and no shops or market, Buchanan’s baggage was lost again. He comments laconically: “Occasionally I meet with such accidents; from what other principle but obstinacy in the guides, I cannot say.”

February 10

As he approached Haryadika, three cosses further on, the owner of the only shop there, ran away.

February 11

In the morning, Buchanan went three cosses to Udipu, a town with 200 houses. While the roads were bad, like many of those in Canara, they were shaded by fine rows of trees, especially of the Vateria indica (white dammar). These being in blossom, Buchanan observed the roads were “the most beautiful avenues that I have ever seen.” The country side was more level and densely cultivated, with the rice fields are beautifully intermixed with palm trees.

February 12

Brahmavar and Kalyanapur, three cosses further on, had been almost entirely ruined during Tipu’s rule. Crossing the Suvarna River, along which there many fine plantations of coconut palms and rice fields, he arrived at Barkur, near Brahmavar, a town in ruins from a time even before the Ikerri ruler Shivappa Nayaka’s reign.

February 13

Hirtitty, three cosses further, one of 14 small villages commonly known as Cotta, was occupied by Kannada-speaking Brahmans.

February 14

Buchanan entered the northern division of Kanara at Kundapura, three cosses further.

[1] Coss = 4 miles or 6.4 km. (Machado, Alan. 2015. Slaves of Sultans. Goa 1556: 297; Yule, Henry and A.C. Burnell. 1903. Hobson Jobson. London: 261)