1838.] . Rule of Cari Cdla Cholan. 1'/$ 



and bury them in the Ganges. The young man prepared to do so ; but 

 on the eve of setting out slept in the porch of his house, and there gave 

 strict charge to his wife to keep within doors, while he should be absent 

 for a year and a half; the only exception being that, if in want, she 

 might ask alms of the charitable prince Cari Cala Cholan. The latter 

 was at the door ; and, admiring so great an act of confidence, determined 

 on being the watchful guardian of that house. While the brahman was 

 absent he watched it carefully ; but the brahman returned within six 

 months, on the way to complete his pilgrimage at Ramiseram, and 

 wishing to assure himself of his wife's discretion, approached the door 

 alone at night, and looked in through its apertures. The Cholan came 

 thither at the same time, and thinking the brahman was a thief cut him 

 down with a sword, and retired. His wife next day suffered great 

 reproach from her neighbours, but recognizing her husband, she burned 

 herself with his body ; and the king having unconsciously killed a brah- 

 man, had the visitation termed Brahma-hatH (a personification of the 

 crime, as if an evil spirit, always following him). He made many 

 attempts to get rid of it, but though the sprite quitted him at the door 

 of a temple, or entry on a sacred pool, yet it always returned afterwards. 

 He went on pilgrimage to the shrine of Mindtchi at Madura, who, in a 

 vision, informed him that the visitation could not be so easily got quit 

 of, but directed him to build 108 Siva fanes, and then at Madhydranya 

 he would be relieved. He accordingly built a shrine every day, not 

 eating till each day's work was done ; but he did not know where 

 Madhydranya was. At length he found an emblem of Siva under a 

 tree named Madhi ; and Siva there appeared to him, directing him to 

 build a temple ; to enter at one gate, where the sprite would halt, and 

 would be imprisoned, and to go out at a gate on the opposite side : which 

 the king did, and w r as cured. He however died childless, and his queen 

 followed him. There was no Chola king after him, he reigned fifty-five 

 years. The above things concerning him were compiled by Chacratai- 

 yengar a Vaishnava brahman of Melur from the Bakhti Vildsan and 

 some other books, inclusive of Sfhala Mahdtmyas, or temple legends. 

 Remark. Fable and fact appear to be blended in the first portion of 

 this account, the latter portion explains and illustrates some parts of the 

 Madura Purdnam, and from the comparison of the two, a few histori- 

 cal facts may be gleaned with some measure of certainty. It is to be 

 noted that this last of the Chola race, made Combaconum (twenty miles 

 north of Tanjore) his capital. This is the first document I have as yet 

 met with stating that fact ; though I always thought that Combaconum 

 must once have been a metropolis, from traces remaining. 



