87 



OEDINARY MEETING.* 

 David Howard, Esq., D.L., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 

 following Elections took place : — 



Member : — F. A. Cunningham, Esq., M.A., United States. 



Associate : — Eev, Z. D. Eingrose, M.A., Chester. 



The following paper was then read by the author : — 



THE HISTORY OF MAN1KKA]-VAQAGAR, 7 HE 

 ''FOE OF THE BUDDHISTSr By the Rev. G. Q. 

 Pope, D.D., Indian Institute, Oxford. 



§ 1. — To Ids Conversion. 



THE history of this remarkable man is involved in consider- 

 able obscurity ; but, although we can only discern the 

 dim outlines of his figure amid the mists of South Indian 

 tradition, it seems quite certain that he actually existed ; 

 that these legends, interesting in themselves, have a con- 

 siderable foundation in fact ; and that this sage was the first 

 in the long and every way remarkable series of devotees of 

 (^iva who engaged in the work of recovering the south of 

 India from the Buddhists and Jains. He is not however 

 regarded in the Tamil lands as the greatest of the (^aiva 



* Last of 32nd Session. (1897.) 



t " Manikya " is mere correct Sanskrit ; but in Tamil the name has 

 always been written as I have given it. It means "He whose utterances 

 are rubies." 



*^* For the usefulness of this paper both at home and in S. India — see 

 Note, p. 109.— Ed. 



H 



