The work opens with an extensive survey of the Madras Presidency, detailing the manners, physical characters, and origins of more than three hundred castes and tribes. The author examines the intricate physical variations across different linguistic areas, particularly focusing on the cephalic and nasal indices of various communities, from jungle tribes to high-caste Brāhmans. Detailed measurements of skulls and living subjects are presented to compare the physical traits of South Indian populations with those of other regions, including Australia and Africa.
A central focus of the research is the relationship between the Dravidian peoples and other ancient racial groups. Various theories concerning the origins of the indigenous population, such as the hypothesis of a submerged continent connecting Africa and India, are thoroughly evaluated through zoological, botanical, and anatomical evidence. The physical characteristics of the jungle tribes, such as the Paniyans, Kādirs, and Kurumbas, are analysed to determine their status as potential pre-Dravidian remnants.
The volume investigates the diverse Brāhman classes of the peninsula, noting the differences in physical type and traditions that suggest historical racial admixture with the indigenous inhabitants. Traditions of ancient migrations, royal patronage, and communal divisions are recorded to explain the stratification of society. Particular attention is given to the geographical distribution and mutual relations of the various linguistic families, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Canarese, and Oriya, along with minor idioms and dialects.
Extensive anthropometric tables conclude the work, providing precise measurements of stature, head length and breadth, and nasal dimensions across numerous castes and tribes. These statistics demonstrate an unbroken series ranging from short-statured, broad-nosed jungle inhabitants to the leptorhine populations of the plains. Through this rigorous collection of empirical data and traditional lore, the study offers a foundational framework for understanding the ethnology of British India.
