ABSTRACT
As a preparatory step for a close analysis of the relations among people, land and nature, and būta worship in subsequent chapters, Chapter 9 discusses historical changes in land tenure in South Kanara. Following an overview of land rights in pre-colonial South Kanara, I clarify the characteristics of the raīyatwārī system enforced under the Raj in South Kanara and analyse the assessment of land and registration of land holders in Perar, based on an official document published in the early twentieth century. Lastly, I provide a brief overview of the influence of land reforms in post-independence South Kanara.
