This breed is named after the military chieftains of southern India who originally developed the dog for hunting fox, deer, jackal and wild boar. It is sometimes referred to as the Greyhound of Southern India, or as the Polugar Dog or Polygar Dog.
The Poligar has been described as ‘rather like a Lurcher, but with little coat of any kind, mere bristles, and the skin showing through of a purple colour’. A long-distance runner, it has for many generations been used as a companion on pig hunts which were carried out on foot and using only spears. It is most commonly encountered in the districts around Madras.
Writing in 1864, William Youatt mentions this breed, commenting: `There is a dog in Dakhun [Deccan] with hair so short as to make him appear naked. It is called the Polugar Dog.
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