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| Origin | Tamil Nadu, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kombai or Polygar dog is a breed of working dog native to Tamil Nadu in Southern India. [1] Traditionally kept for guarding and protection, they have a reputation for making excellent guard dogs. They were also occasionally used for hunting big game.
The Kombai is described as a broad, short, muscular, powerful and athletic dog that stands around 58 centimetres (23 in). [2] [3] They have a short, smooth coat that is usually light brown to dark red in colour, and a black muzzle. [2] [3] They have dark eyes, the mid-length ears with bent tips, and a fine muzzle. [3] The breed has a broad, slightly haired tail that is carried over their back resembling a sickle. [2] [3]
The Kombai is described as highly intelligent and extremely loyal to, and affectionate with, people they are familiar with, being particularly sweet-natured and tolerant of children with whom they allow particularly rough play, but when aroused by strangers or unfamiliar dogs they can be ferocious, making them excellent guard dogs. [3]
The breed originated in the Theni district and is named after the town of Kombai. [4] It subsequently spread throughout Southern India. [2] [3] [5] The Kombai was traditionally kept by zamindars and others for coursing a variety of game. When hunting it is particularly robust and athletic, easily clearing hedges and other obstacles. [3] They are also called polygar dogs. [6] [4]
The Kannada Vokkaliga [7] [8] [9] zamindars of Kombai presented Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali with these dogs for their army. The ferocious dogs were trained to rip the hamstrings of enemy horses. [9] [10] Tipu sent the town an idol of Ranganathaswamy in gratitude. [9] It is said that the Kombai polygars valued the dog so highly that in olden days they were ready to exchange a horse for one. [11]
There are conflicting reports about the status of the breed; some reports from the 1960s stated the dog was popular and numbers were increasing, whilst others from the same period described them as practically extinct. [2] A Tamil Nadu state-run dog-breeding facility did take up the cause of breeding the Kombai, along with a number of other local breeds. However, it was reported they suspended their Kombai breeding program when owners who had purchased dogs returned them, finding their character ill-suited to keeping as pets. [5]
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a medium-sized, muscular dog of around 40–55 lb (18–25 kg). They have large heads with thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a relatively flat face with a protruding lower jaw. The breed has significant health issues as a consequence of breeding for its distinctive appearance, including brachycephaly, hip dysplasia, heat sensitivity, and skin infections. Due to concerns about their quality of life, breeding Bulldogs is illegal in Norway and the Netherlands.
The Polygar Wars or Palaiyakkarar Wars were wars fought between the Polygars (Palaiyakkarars) of the former Tirunelveli Kingdom in Tamil Nadu, India and the British East India Company forces between March 1799 to May 1802 or July 1805. The British finally won after carrying out gruelling protracted jungle campaigns against the Polygar armies. Many people died on both sides and the victory over the Polygars brought large parts of the territories of Tamil Nadu under British control, enabling them to get a strong hold in Southern India.
The Rajapalayam, also known as the Polygar Hound or Indian Ghost Hound, is a southern Indian dog breed. The breed is named after Rajapalayam, a town in the Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu.
The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. It is a cousin of the American Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
The Madura College established in 1856, is one of the oldest academic institutions in Madurai, India. It is an autonomous arts and science college affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University.
Vokkaliga is a community of closely related castes, from the Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Kaikadi is a breed of sighthound from India. The Kaikadi are kept by the Kaikadi people, a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. They are a particularly small and thin breed of sighthound standing between 38 and 46 centimetres and weighing around 20 kilograms (44 lb). They have long, thin legs and powerful thighs and hock joints, a long tapered tail, a long, thin head with prominent eyes, and erect ears. Their short coat comes in a variety of colours, but white, tan and black are predominant.
The Dindigul Fort or Dindigul Malai Kottai and Abirami amman Kalaheswarar Temple was built in 16th-century by Madurai Nayakar Dynasty situated in the town of Dindigul in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The fort was built by the Madurai Nayakar king Muthu Krishnappa Nayakar in 1605. In the 18th century the fort passed on to Kingdom of Mysore. Later it was occupied by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan the fort was of strategic importance. In 1799 it went to the control of the British East India Company during the Polygar Wars. There is an abandoned temple on its peak apart from few cannons sealed with balls inside. In modern times, the fort is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and is open to tourists.
Muhammad Yusuf Khan was a commandant of the British East India Company's Madras Army. He was born in a Tamil Vellalar clan family in a village called Panaiyur in British India, what is now in Nainarkoil Taluk, Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu, India. He converted to Islam and was named Muhammad Yusuf Khan. He was popularly known as Khan Sahib when he became a ruler of Madurai. He became a warrior in the Arcot troops, and later a commandant for the British East India Company troops. The British and the Arcot Nawab employed him to suppress the Polygar uprising in South India. Later he was entrusted to administer the Madurai country when the Madurai Nayak rule ended.
Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnataka. They initially ruled as a vassal of the famous Vijayanagar Empire. After the fall of the empire in 1565, they gained independence and ruled significant parts of Malnad region of the Western Ghats in present-day Karnataka, most areas in the coastal regions of Karnataka and the central plains along the Tungabhadra river. In 1763 AD, with their defeat to Hyder Ali, they were absorbed into the Kingdom of Mysore. They played an important part in the history of Karnataka, during a time of confusion and fragmentation that generally prevailed in South India after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Keladi rulers were of the Vokkaliga and Banajiga castes and were Veerashaivas by faith. The Haleri Kingdom that ruled over Coorg between 1600 A.D and 1834 A.D. was founded by a member of the Keladi family.
Kombai is a panchayat town in Theni District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located in the beautiful foot hills of Western Ghats, blessed by mother nature with all pancha boota - Land, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. The town is known for its splendid nature, culture, diversity and ethnicity, history, landmarks and flourishing transformation.
Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by the Emperors of Vijayanagara. The fort was at one time the imperial capital of the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry.
The Madurai Nayaks were a Telugu dynasty who ruled most of modern-day Tamil Nadu, India, with Madurai as their capital. The Madurai Nayaks had their origins in the Balija warrior clans of present-day Andhra Pradesh. The Nayak reign which lasted for over two centuries from around 1529 to 1736 was noted for its achievements in arts, cultural and administrative reforms, revitalization of temples previously ransacked by the Delhi Sultans, and the inauguration of a unique architectural style.
The Karakachan dog is a breed that originated from Bulgaria. It is related to the livestock guardian dogs of the surrounding countries: Romania to the north, North Macedonia and Serbia to the west, and Greece, and Turkey to the south. The dog is named after the Karakachans, Greek nomadic shepherds. Due to their conservative stock-breeding traditions, they have preserved some of the oldest breeds of domestic animals in Europe: the Karakachan sheep, Karakachan horse and the Karakachan dog.
Madras Presidency was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, Madras Presidency included much of southern India, including the present-day Indian State of Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands, the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, Brahmapur and Ganjam districts of Orissa and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. The presidency had its capital at Madras.
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The Madras Presidency was a province of British India comprising most of the present day Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh along with a few districts and taluks of Karnataka, Kerala and Odisha. A few princely states, notably Ramnad and Pudukkottai also merged into the Presidency at some or the other time. The Presidency lasted till 1950, when it became the Madras State after India became a republic. In 1953, Telugu-speaking regions of the state split to form Andhra State. Subsequently, in 1956, Kannada- and Malayalam-speaking areas were merged with Mysore and Travancore-Cochin respectively.
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In the field of animal breeding and anatomy, a hypertype is the extreme accentuation of distinctive traits specific to a domesticated animal breed. This is particularly true of dogs, cattle and pigs, and more rarely of cats, horses, rabbits and other species. In companion animals, hypertype is favored by breeders and breed associations in direct connection with beauty and show competitions. Hypertype poses a problem when it leads to the selection of animals on aesthetic criteria that cause them suffering.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)Kombai:Four miles...The well known Kombai ( or ' poligar ' ) dogs came originally from here and can still with some difficulty be obtained.
The Kombai, from a small town of that name in Madurai district, is also known as the Poligar dog.
The Kombai Parivarams , who are the servants of the Kappiliyan Zamindars of Kombai and Tevaram in the Periyakulam taluk...
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)Unlike the majority of their confreres in this district, who are Telugu Tottiyans by caste, its poligars were Canarese Kappiliyans, and there is a vague tradition that they came from the Mysore country via Conjeeveram.
When Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were invading the south, the zamindars of Kombai, who are Kannada-speaking Vokkaligas, presented Tipu with Combai dogs for their army
The regal white Rajapalayam , the Indian Great Dane , and Kombai , the Indian bear hound , who bit at the hamstrings of horses of the British cavalry in the Poligar wars.
No one takes much interest in breeding them now, but old papers say that in days gone by the poligars of this part of the country valued a good dog so highly that they would even exchange a horse for one.
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