iment. The cultivation of cinchona has
proved unprofitable. There is no railway. There are no colleges, but
twenty-four scholarships are given to maintain Coorg students at
colleges in Madras and Mysore. There are secondary schools at Mercara
and Virarajendrapet.

The early accounts of Coorg are purely legendary, and it was not till
the 9th and 10th centuries that its history became the subject of
authentic record. At this period, according to inscriptions, the country
was ruled by the Gangas of Talak[=a]d, under whom the Changalvas, kings
of Changa-n[=a]d, styled later kings of Nanjarayapatna or
Nanjarajapatna, held the east and part of the north of Coorg, together
with the Hunsur _tal[=u]k_ in Mysore. After the overthrow, in the 11th
century, of the Ganga power by the Cholas, the Changalvas became
tributary to the latter. When the Cholas in their turn were driven from
the Mysore country by the Hoysalas, in the 12th century, the Changalvas
held out for independence; but after a severe struggle they were subdued
and became vassals of the Hoysala kings. In the 14th century, after the
fall of the Hoysala rule, they passed under the supremacy of the
Vijayanagar empire. During this period, at the beginning of the 16th
century, Nanja Raja founded the new Changalva capital Nanjarajapatna. In
1589 Piriya Raja or Rudragana rebuilt Singapatna and renamed it
Piriyapatna (Periapatam). The power of the Vijayanagar empire had,
however, been broken in 1565 by the Mahommedans; in 1610 the Vijayanagar
viceroy of Seringapatam was ousted by the raja of Mysore, who in 1644
captured Piriyapatna. Vira Raja, the last of the Changalva kings, fell
in the defence of his capital, after putting to death his wives and
children.

Coorg, however, was not absorbed in Mysore, which was hard pressed by
other enemies, and a prince of the Ikkeri or Bednur family (perhaps
related to the Changalvas) succeeded in bringing the whole country under
his sway, his descendants continuing to be rajas of Coorg till 1834. The
capital was removed in 1681 by Muddu Raja to Madikeri or Mercara. In
1770 a disputed succession led to the intervention of Hyder Ali of
Mysore in favour of Linga Raja, who had fled to him for help, and whom
he placed on the throne on his consenting to cede certain territories
and to pay tribute. On Linga Raja's death in 1780 Hyder Ali interned his
sons, who were minors, in a fort in Mysore, and, under pretence of
acting as their guardian, ins