1838.J Foundation of the Ckola kingdom. 123 



rdna, while it affords an idea as to the time; checking the extravagance 

 of that Pur ana. Supposing the statement received from the Jainas to 

 be with them a matter of record, or correct tradition, we may conclude 

 with certainty that incidents in the Madura Purana, carried up to a high 

 antiquity, were not more remote than the early part of the Christian 

 era. In this way, I conceive, documents which seem to be trifling in 

 themselves may, by comparison with other documents, assist in eluci- 

 dating points of actual history. The Brahmans and the Bauddhas 

 or Jainas, are the best possible checks on each other. The pu- 

 nishment by grinding to death in oil-mills, is one well known to Indian 

 History ; and in the progress of development of these papers it will be 

 seen that Bauddhas and Jainas were subjected to it, at a later period, by 

 Hindu kings, under Brahmunical influence. 



Section 4. — Account of the destruction of Eight Thousand Jainas by 

 the famous Saumpautar-murti, at Punai-takai-matam. 

 This is an account considerably ornamented ; and much resembling 

 the accounts which we otherwise have of the destruction of the Samunat 

 at Madura; herein also referred to. The site of the transaction is how- 

 ever different, the name of the king who is concerned is not mentioned 

 nor yet the name of his kingdom. I am doubtful whether the transac- 

 tion be not the same with that which occurred at Madura. At all 

 events the paper is worth translating, as a note, or illustration, to any 

 leading view of the whole subject. The general fact that Sampautar 

 was the inciter of an extensive and cruel persecution of the Bauddhas 

 or Jainas, by the Saivas, is historical. 



Section 5. — Account of the first founder of the Chola kingdom, named 

 Tayaman-nalli. 



Anciently the Pdndiya, Chola, and Tonda countries were one vast 

 forest, called after Daudaca a rdcshasa that dwelt in it. Rama brought 

 several people from the north, and one person, named Tayaman-nalli 

 settled at Trichinopoly ; then surrounded by a vast wilderness. He 

 built a fane and placed an emblem of Siva, called after his own name, 

 on the rock : he also paid great attention to cultivation. He had a son 

 called Ven-cholan, from connecting the Cauvery river with the Ven- 

 nar, and thereby fertilizing an enlarged extent of country. His son 

 was Cari-cauda-chola so called from having embanked the Cauvery 

 river. 



Remark. Of the accuracy of this paper I have some doubts, chiefly 

 because the name of the fane on the top of the rock of Trichinopoly is 

 said to be an epithet of Siva of the same import, in Tamil, with MatrU 



