7 
AUN TA@ Ua ThE S.: 
ffories conne&ted with their religion, 
and the family of the founder of the 
choultry, with a number of devices 
of the workmén’s own invention. 
I took the trouble of procuring 
copies of the defcriptions of the 
different columns, as regiftered in . 
the accounts of the temple, and of 
having them literally tranflated ; 
‘and jhall annex a defcription of two 
or three of the pillars, as affording 
.a fpecimen, of their ridiculous and 
abfurd notions refpecting religious 
hiftory. 
Deferittion of the Founder’s Pillar. 
This pillar reprefents Trimul 
‘Naik with his four wives, two on 
each fide, in a fapplicating pofture ; 
the firft was daughter to Ergi Ra- 
guah, king of Tanjour ; the fecond 
was daughter to the king of Tra- 
vencore ; the other two were daugh- 
ters to independent polligars. ‘The 
firft has a mark on her thigh, which 
was a wound fhe received from her 
hufband by a creefe, for faying, 
‘when he afked her opinion of his 
palace, that it was not equal to her 
father’s neceflary. Tere are two 
other figures behind of young wo- 
‘men betrothed to him. They are 
all richly drefied, and as large as 
life. Below thefe are fome figures 
-of the women of his haram, of 
which he had 360, with attend- 
* ants, 
_ Another pillar reprefents the ra- 
_jah Pundi, when he reigned in Ma- 
dura. He went a hunting to the 
‘ weftward, to a village ten miles 
from Madura, in a wood abound- 
ing with wild hogs, where he met a 
boar and a fow, with twelve pigs. 
The boar killed feveral of his at- 
tendants, upon which the rajah fhot 
him, with an arrow, which enraged 
1ot 
the female, who wounded feveral 
of his people, and was herfelf like- 
wife killed by the rajah ; the young 
pigs being deftitute, Menachie, wife 
to Chocalingam, begged her huf- 
band to fupport the pigs, which he 
reed to do, and gave them fuck 
nder the form of a fow. The effect 
of the god’s milk was fuch as made 
them reafonable beings, and their 
bodies became as men, but ftill re- 
taining the heads of pigs. Choca- 
lingam afterwards made the rajah 
fupport thefe twelve pigs as princes 
in his palace. ; 
Another pillar reprefents Abiche 
Pundiam, rajah of Madura, paying 
his devotions to Chocalingam, which 
pleafed the fwamy (or deity) fo 
much, that he metamorphofed himfelf 
into a pandaram, who came and per- 
formed miracles in Madura; mak- 
ing the old young, and the young 
old; giving fight to the blind; and 
moving large trees, &c. The rajah, 
hearing of this, fent for the panda- 
ram, who refufed to come to him, 
but met the rajah in one of the 
paflages coming from his devotions ; 
when the rajah afked him of the 
miracles he could perform, of which 
he had heard fo much; and begged 
him to make the ftone elephant 
come down and eat the fugar-cane 
he held in his hand, which the pan- 
daram immediately did. The rajah, 
much furprized, confefled the pre- 
fence of Chocalingam. 
There are not only in the choul- 
tries, but alfo.on the pagodas, 
many indecent figures, atch are 
not connected with religion, but 
carved purpofely to divert the at- 
tention, and prevent the mind of 
the beholdcis from being envious, 
as their fuperftition leads them to 
fuppole that envy can hurt the build- 
ing. 
H 3 Jt 
