Bandur is the farmers' name for the Mandya sheep of southern Karnataka: a small, compact, white meat sheep with a light brown face. ICAR-NBAGR registers the breed as Mandya (ICAR-NBAGR) and lists Bandur and Bannur as its other names (ICAR-NBAGR).
How to recognise it
- Colour: a white body with a light brown face. The brown often reaches down the neck, and some sheep are all white (ICAR-NBAGR).
- No horns: rams and ewes are both polled; a ram rarely has small horns or stubs (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Shape: a small, compact body. Seen from behind, the hindquarters form an upside-down U (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Head: a slightly Roman nose and medium to long, leaf-like drooping ears (about 13 cm); many sheep carry wattles (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Coat: very coarse and hairy (ICAR-NBAGR).
- Weight: rams weigh about 37 kg and ewes about 27 kg (ICAR-NBAGR, NBAGR–KVAFSU study); lambs are about 2.2 kg at birth (ICAR-NBAGR).
What it is good for
- Meat. NBAGR lists meat as its use and singles out its mutton quality (ICAR-NBAGR); an FAO survey praised its meaty build (FAO).
- Little wool: the coarse fleece weighs only 0.40–0.45 kg a year (ICAR-NBAGR).
- One lamb at a time, and late. NBAGR records 1 lamb per lambing, the first at about 32 months, and 14–15 months between lambings (ICAR-NBAGR).
Where it is mainly found
NBAGR's breed record places the home tract in Mandya district and the bordering parts of Mysuru and Bangalore Rural districts (ICAR-NBAGR). The old Bangalore Rural taluks that border Mandya are now in Bengaluru South district, formerly Ramanagara.
Why so many names? Mandya is the district. Bandur and Bannur are villages where the breed is believed to have begun (ICAR-NBAGR); an FAO survey also names Bandur as its village of origin (FAO).
Its numbers are falling: from about 3.4 lakh in 2003 to about 2.4 lakh in 2013 (ICAR-NBAGR). KVAFSU's Livestock Research and Information Centre (Sheep) near Nagamangala, in Mandya district, works to conserve the pure breed (KVAFSU).
Looking for Bandur sheep?
Search “Bandur” in the Kattutharai app to find Bandur sheep for sale near you (on Kattutharai, sheep are in the goat section). The seller names the breed and Kattutharai does not check it, so look at the animal yourself before you pay.
Rearing tips
- Grazing, with some feeding at home. Flocks are kept both semi-intensively and on open grazing (ICAR-NBAGR); see Goat feeding: fodder, concentrate mix and water.
- Summer. Some flocks migrate within Karnataka from March to May (ICAR-NBAGR). If yours stay at home, store dry fodder or grow your own fodder.
- Feed young ewes well. Ewes in NBAGR's record had their first lamb only at about 32 months (ICAR-NBAGR); good feeding and breeding by weight can bring that forward.
- Night shelter: see Goat shed and housing: space, floor and roof.
- Health: sheep need the same daily checks, vaccinations and deworming as goats. Follow Goat health: vaccination schedule and deworming, and ask your vet which vaccines sheep need in your area.
Buying tips
- Check the breed signs: a white body, a light brown face, no horns, a compact body with the upside-down-U rear, leafy drooping ears and often wattles (ICAR-NBAGR). Dark patches on the body, horns, or a tall, leggy frame do not fit the breed.
- Check a ram's testicles. The FAO survey noted that rams with undescended testicles were common in this breed (FAO), so a breeding ram should have two testicles of even size; see health checks.
- The breed name in an ad is the seller's word. Kattutharai does not check it, so see the sheep yourself and ask to see the flock. For a ram from a known pure flock, ask at KVAFSU's sheep centre near Nagamangala, which keeps an elite Mandya flock and has given 393 breeding rams to farmers under an ICAR project (KVAFSU), or at your nearest veterinary hospital.
- Age: count the large front teeth as you would for goats (the teeth table), treating the ages as a rough guide, and follow How to buy goats safely: health, age and fraud checks.
Frequently asked questions
Are Bandur, Bannur and Mandya the same sheep?
Yes. Mandya is the registered name; Bandur and Bannur are other names for the same breed (ICAR-NBAGR).
How heavy does a Bandur sheep get?
Rams weigh about 37 kg and ewes about 27 kg.
Does a Bandur sheep give wool?
Very little: its coarse, hairy coat gives only 0.40–0.45 kg of fleece a year. It is kept for meat.
Is Bandur good for a beginner?
It suits a farmer with grazing who wants a small, meaty sheep. Ewes mature late and have one lamb at a time, so the flock grows slowly; start small.
Next
Compare Deccani sheep from north Karnataka, or Mecheri and Madras Red from Tamil Nadu. Read Goat breeding: heat signs, mating and kidding, see all breed guides, and browse goats and sheep for sale.