1838.1 The Malay alam country. 185 



The arrival of the Portuguese at Calicut is noticed, and the Calicut 

 raja is said to have fought with the captain. The raja ruled over 

 eighteen forts, and seventeen districts. He fought continually with his 

 neighbours ; the Travancore and Tellicherry rajas being excepted. He 

 subdued many countries, exaggeration appearing in the enumeration of 

 them. He acquired pre-eminence above other kings. The customs of 

 the Calicut kingdom are then narrated; laws regulating interest and 

 profit. The commencement of the Collam era is thus accounted for. 

 The rule of the viceroys of Vijayanagaram had been fixed at twelve 

 years corresponding with the revolution, in orbit, of the planet Jupiter. 

 But as Cheruman Perumal exceeded the prescribed time this mode of 

 reckoning fell into disuse. In a period of great scarcity and drought, 

 when a large reservoir (Collam J had become quite dry, the brahmans, 

 in a body, went to the Calicut raja and represented that the cause was 

 his withholding the customary largesses to the gods and the brahmans. 

 The raja acknowledged his fault and promised to repair it. As a com- 

 mencement a great number of brahmans were fed in the dry bed of the 

 tank, and before they had finished eating, the water rushed in with such 

 rapidity that they were obliged to make their escape without having 

 time to take away the leaves on which their food had been eaten. An 

 era was begun to commemorate this event, being the Collam era. 

 Matters relating to the cultivation of cocoa-nut trees, betel vines, &c. 

 customs in dealings, buying, selling, &c. Rules to regulate hunting. 

 Origin of the Nayars, also of a kind of divinity derived from the fable 

 in the Mahdbhdrata of Siva's appearing to Arjuna during his penance 

 near the Himalaya mountains. The origin of the Ayuiar born from 

 Siva and Mohini. The names of various local numina in the Malayala 

 country are given. Names of various fanes in that country. Besides 

 which the thirty-three crores of superior gods, and the sixty-six thou- 

 sand asuras, are all said to have been in Malay alam, together with the 

 superior gods protecting the country. 



Afterwards the names of the Calicut rajas and other inferior chiefs 

 are given. The story of a Jonaca (Muhammadan) who came to this 

 country, the cause of which is narrated ; the foreigner extended the 

 dominion of the Calicut raja; magnificent things are stated as to the 

 conquests of the Calicut raja, originating in his devotedness to Sri 

 Bhdgavati, and her gifts to him. Notwithstanding the foreign Euro- 

 peans came and took possession of Calicut whom however, in the end, 

 the raja defeated. The Curumbas of the hilly district greatly helped, 

 and had districts given in consequence. Disputes between this Curumba 

 chief and the Cochin raja. Details of the number of Nayars belonging- 



