10. Tuluva. Immigrants from the Tulu country, a part of the modern district of South Canara. Mr. Nelson [145] is of opinion that these are the original Vellalas, who were invited to Tondamandalam after its conquest by the Chola King Adondai Chakravarti. They are now found in all the Tamil districts, but are most numerous in North and South Arcot and Chingleput. It is noted, in Carr's "Descriptive and historical papers relating to the Seven Pagodas," that "Adondai chiefly distinguished Kanchipuram (Conjeeveram) and Tripati as his place of residence or capital. The era of Adondai is not higher up than the seventh century of our reckoning. He is said to have brought the Brahmans from Sri Sailam in Telingana, and certainly attracted a large colony of Sudra Vellalas, or agriculturists, from Tuluva or northern Canara." At Conjeeveram, there are a Nattar and a Desayi, whose authority, in olden times, extended over the whole Presidency. The Nattar must be a Tuluva Vellala, and the Desai a Ralla Balija. The two offices conjointly are known as the Nadu Desam. The authority of these officers has in great measure ceased, but some still go to the Nadu Desam for appeal. For purposes of caste organisation, Conjeeveram is regarded as the head-quarters. All sections of the Tondamandalam Vellalas are divided into twenty-four kottams and seventy-nine nadus. The latter are subject to the former. The following legendary account of the Tondamandalam Vellalas is given in the Baramahal Records. "During the reign of a certain Raja of Choladesa, a kingdom supposed to have comprised the present provinces south of the river Kaveri, the countries between the Kistna and Kaveri were quite a wilderness, in which many families of the Kurbavar caste or shepherds resided here and there in villages surrounded by mud walls. On a time, the Raja came forth into the wilds to take the diversion of hunting, and, in traversing the woods, he came to a place in the vicinity of the present town of Conjeeveram in the Kingdom of Arcot, where he met with a Naga Kanya or celestial nymph, fell in love with her, and asked her to yield to his embraces. She replied, 'If I consent to your proposal, and bear you a son, will you make him your successor in the kingdom?' He rejoined 'I will,' and she asked him who should witness his promise. He answered 'the earth and sky,' but she said that two witnesses were not sufficient, and that there must be a third. There happened to be a tree called adhonda near them, and the Raja replied 'Let the fruit of this adhonda tree be the third witness.' When she was satisfied respecting the witnesses, she granted the Raja his desires, and, after he had remained with her a short time, he took his leave, and returned to his metropolis, and, in a little while, abdicated his throne in favour of his eldest son, who managed the affairs of the kingdom. To return to the Naga Kanya, she conceived and brought forth a son, who remained with her three or four years,