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KUMHARS.

ancient ware still continues to be the real want of the people; for the uses to which it is put it is very efficient, and has the great merit of being extremely cheap and plentiful. 

The most curious specimens of potters' art that are found in India, are in the Coimbatoor district of the Madras Presidency, and probably to the south of that locality.  They consist of figures of horses, of terra cotta, soundly made and baked, and by no means inelegant in form in some cases, which have been set up round temples as votive offerings.  Some of these are of the size of life, if not larger, and others very diminutive.  In the ornamentation of these strange figures much skill has been employed in the moulding of bells and trappings, decorations for head stalls, saddles, and the like; and the style of work is much superior, as is the quality of the material, to any thing in use at the present time.  Many of these horses are said to be very ancient, and are believed to be votive offerings to Ram, as the deified hero, leader of the Ceylon war, related in the Ramayum.  It is said that the art of constructing them of life size has been lost.