They were an all-white group trained like an army unit to attack with lightning speed, ferocity and precision. The British and the wild boars in the Carnatic region faced them, and suffered heavily. Two centuries later, the Rajapalayam hounds, the canine that took its name from a town in Madurai, are fast becoming extinct.

Brought to south Tamil Nadu by the Nayakars during the reign of the Vijayanagara kings, the indigenous sight hound is deceptive in appearance with a pure white coat and pink nose to top it off. “Despite their looks, Rajapalayam hounds were used for hunting and guarding against wild animals. Only the fittest used to survive in those days,” says Dr Suresh Bhimsingh, a medical professional and an avid dog enthusiast.

The hound’s speed and aggression has a cult following that has given rise to folktales; stories that spoke about their careful selection and rearing. One of the tales is about the pups being thrown into deep, dark pits, where they stay till they grow up so that they become extremely ferocious when they are taken out. Others say it was a common practice to cull the hounds that weren’t lucky to have pure white coats or weren’t fit enough.

Beyond these grandma tales, Rajapalayam was a dog that didn’t bark in vain. “Years ago, every farmer in the Western Ghats reared these dogs to keep the boars away. They were also efficient as hunting dogs,” says Dr T. Porchezhian, associate professor and head, Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Rajapalayam. The hound also had its pride of place in the royal Madurai army.

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