Chapter PUCKEROW to PULICAT of P by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

PUHUR, PORE, PYRE, &c., s. Hind. pahar, pahr, from Skt. prahara. ‘A fourth part of the day and of the night, a watch’ or space of 8 gharis (see GHURRY).

c. 1526.—“The natives of Hindostân divide the night and day into 60 parts, each of which they denominate a Gheri; they likewise divide the night into 4 parts, and the day into the same number, each of which they call a Pahar or watch, which the Persians call a Pâs.”—Baber, 331.

[c. 1590.—“The Hindu philosophers divide the day and night into four parts, each of which they call a pahr.”—Ain, ed. Jarrett, iii. 15.]

1633.—“Par.” See under GHURRY.

1673.—“Pore.” See under GONG.

1803.—“I have some Jasooses selected by Col. C’s brahmin for their stupidity, that they might not pry into state secrets, who go to Sindia’s camp, remain there a phaur in fear. …”—M. Elphinstone, in Life, i. 62.

PULÁ, s. In Tamil pillai, Malayal. pilla, ‘child’; the title of a superior class of (so-called) Sudras, [especially curnums]. In Cochin and Travancore it corresponds with Nayar (see NAIR). It is granted by the sovereign, and carries exemption from customary manual labour.

1553.—“… pulas, who are the gentlemen.” (fidalgos).—Castanheda, iv. 2.

[1726.—“O Saguate que o Commendor tinha remetido como gristnave amim e as Pulamares temos ca recebid.”—Ratification, in Logan, Malabar, iii. 13.]

PULICAT, n.p. A town on the Madras coast, which was long the seat of a Dutch factory. Bp., Caldwell’s native friend Seshagiri Sastri gives the proper name as pala-Vélliadu, ‘old Velkadu or Verkadu,’ the last a place-name mentioned in the Tamil Sivaite Tevaram (see also Valentijn below). [The Madras Gloss. gives Pazhaverkkadu, ‘old acacia forest,’ which is corroborated by Dr. Hultzsch (Epigraphia Indica, i. 398).]

1519.—“And because he had it much in charge to obtain all the lac (alacre) that he could, the Governor learning from merchants that much of it was brought to the Coast of Choromandel by the vessels of Pegu and Martaban which visited that coast to procure painted cloths and other coloured goods, such as are made in Paleacate, which is on the coast of Choromandel, whence the traders with whom the Governor spoke brought it to Cochin; he, having got good information on the whole matter, sent a certain Frolentine (sic, frolentim) called Pero Escroco, whom he knew, and who was good at trade, to be factor on the coast of Choromandel. …”—Correa, ii. 567.

1533.—“The said Armenian, having already been at the city of Paleacate, which is in the Province of Choromandel and the Kingdom of Bisnaga, when on his way to Bengal, and having information of the place where the body of S. Thomas was said to be, and when they arrived at the port of Paleacate the wind was against their going on. …”—Barros, III. vii. 11.

[1611.—“The Dutch had settled a factory at Pellacata.”—Danvers, Letters, i. 133; in Foster, ii. 83, Pollicat.]

1726.—“Then we come to Palleam Wedam Caddoe, called by us for shortness Palleacatta, which means in Malabars ‘The old Fortress,’ though most commonly we call it Castle Geldria.”—Valentijn, Chorom. 13.

„ “The route I took was along the strip of country between Porto Novo and Paleiacatta. This long journey I travelled on foot; and preached in more than a hundred places. …”—Letter of the Missionary Schultze, July 19, in Notices of Madras, &c., p. 20.

1727.—“Policat is the next Place of Note to the City and Colony of Fort St George. … It is strengthned with two Forts, one contains a few Dutch soldiers for a Garrison, the other is commanded by an Officer belonging to the Mogul.”—A. Hamilton, i. 372, [ed. 1744].

[1813.—“Pulecat handkerchiefs.” See under PIECE-GOODS.]