Amrit Mahal

[2] The Amrit Mahal is one of the two breeds, along with Hallikar, which have received the royal patronage and care from the erstwhile Vijayanagara Kingdom, sultans and princely state of Mysore through conservation and development.

The British took an interest in these cattle when Hyder Ali used them to move guns 100 miles in two days to Chelambram during the Battle of Porto Novo and when Tipu Sultan used them to march across south India in a month.

After the defeat of Tipu Sultan, the British allowed them to be maintained by the Maharaja of Mysore but in thirteen years they were found to have regressed.

In 1813, the pasture lands known as kaval or Kaaval (Kannada:ಕಾವಲ್) and the cattle were placed under a Captain Harvey of the Madras Commissariat for management of the breed.

In 1860, Charles Trevelyan closed down this unit as being uneconomical but it was re-established in 1867 with the assistance of the Mysore Maharaja and by 1870 about 4000 cows and 100 bulls were under government care.