CHRISTIAN RELIGION IN INDIA. 79 



ing of the word Mannacavassar; but suspected 

 that he was a Manichean. He was called, by the 

 people of the DekJtin, IMani-Cavissak, which signi- 

 fies the bard, the prophet Mani. Cavissar is de- 

 rived from the Sanscrit Cavi, poetry, songs, and 

 Is'wara, lord, chief: Cavis'ar, for Cavyes'wara, 

 signifies the lord of the song, or the chief bard, and 

 is used in that sense in the Peninsula, according to 

 •Major Mackenzie. 



The two ]\Iuselman travellers in the ninth centu- 

 ry, and the Nubian Geographer, probably on their 

 authority, declare, that there were many Christiatis, 

 Manicheans^ Jexcs, and Muselmans in Ceylon: and 

 that the King encouraged their public meetings, and 

 that the learned Hindus of that country used to fre- 

 quent them ; and that the King kept secretaries ta 

 write down their respective histories, and the exposition 

 of their doctrines and laxvs. These two travellers were 

 in Ceylon, at that time ; and these meetings, as well 

 as the places at which they were held, are called 

 Charchita by the Puranics, and appointed for the pur- 

 pose of making Charchd, search or investigation, into 

 new dogmas, and opinions, which began to disturb 

 the peace of the country. 



The Muhaniedans in LuUa acknowledsre the early 

 establishment of the Christians in that country. Fe- 

 RisHTA, in his general history of Hindostan, says: 

 " Formerly, before the rise of the religion of Islam, 

 a company o'i Jeivs and Christians came by sea into 

 the country (Malabar) and settled as merchants or 

 Pishcdras, They continued to live there until the 

 rise of the Muselman religion."* 



* Asiat. Reg, Miscell. p. 151. 



