122 Wilher Theodore Elmore 



mouth, while his eyes were covered with fat from his own 

 abdomen. 



Oppert^ gives the following story of Peddamma. In the be- 

 ginning there was only light. By meditation light produced a 

 woman, who was placed in a beautiful garden. Desiring a hus- 

 band she picked a jassamine flower, placed it on a lotus, and be- 

 coming a bird, hovered over it. Soon three eggs appeared. In 

 seventy-two days one egg opened and became the earth and sky. 

 The yolk of this tgg became the sun and moon. From a black 

 speck in the egg Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu were born. Soon 

 the second egg opened and the Rakshasas came from it. The 

 third egg addled and brought forth diseases. 



The legend then tells of the desire of this woman for the three 

 gods, in consequence of which she suffered the curse of becoming 

 prematurely old. Her passion was now gone, and she determined 

 to destroy the Rakshasas. She slew many, but a new one sprang 

 up for every drop of blood which fell to the ground. She spread 

 out her own tongue for a distance of one hundred and twenty 

 miles to catch the blood.^ Now she was successful and had the 

 Rakshasas all but conquered, when another drop fell and pro- 

 duced Dundubhi, the buffalo demon. 



Dundubhi now fought with the gods, seriously defeating them. 

 He blew away the chariots of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva with his 

 breath. Peddamma, the original woman, now attacked him. She 

 had seven arms/" and after various forms of contest, she created 

 an ant-hill into which she disappeared as an ichneumon. She now 

 led up from the under world ninety million Siddhalu, or demi- 

 gods, who by their chanting as they came up, scared the buffalo 

 demon to death. 



The Siddhalu now cut off the head of the buffalo, put its leg 

 in its mouth, spread the fat over the eyes, and from the buffalo's 

 own fat made oil with which to feed the light placed on its head. 

 The head was placed before Peddamma as an offering, and the 

 Siddhalu cut up the body of the buffalo and made a feast.^^ 



8 Original Inhabitants of India, pp. 472 sq. 



" Compare the story of Potu Razu, page 86. 



i** This probably identifies Pedamma with Durgamma who had ten arms. 



11 Bishop Whitehead {Madras Government Museum, Bulletin, V, no. 3, 



122 



