r838.] Chronological notice of Malayalam. 485 



Cheruman Perumal who went to Mecca. He was 40 years old 

 when he went away ; and his instructions, to be observed durin^ his 

 absence, are stated. He died on the return ; only his companion reach- 

 ed Kerala, who turned the family of Cheruman Perumal to the 

 Muhammadan faith ; and styled the son of the late king, Sultan Mu- 

 hammad All This was in Hegira 64. A list of descendants follows 

 with Muhammadan names, sixteen in number, and then two female rulers- 

 Certain feringhis (foreigners) came in the year 359 (Hegira supposed), 

 and fought with the Muhammadans, in the Maldive islands, turning some 

 of the people to the foreign religion ; in consequence of which, aid was 

 sought by the Muhammadans ; the leading men among whom came to 

 Cannanore in a dhoney, and an agreement being ratified, and recorded 

 on copper-plates, aid was sent ; the foreigners were extirpated, and the 

 power restored to the Muhammadans. They were subject to the Can- 

 nanore rulers ; but one or two among the island chiefs assumed inde- 

 pendence, leading to wars and interventions. This notice of the Maldives 

 is introduced as belonging to the time of Isar Bokhar in the year 

 455. The list of kings, down to the second of the two female 

 sovereigns, was before given. 



Remark, — This is the most plain, matter of fact, document regard- 

 ing the Malayalam country which I have as yet met with. The 

 appended statement concerning the Maldives is exceedingly curious. It 

 seems to me that the whole document, which is but brief, claims full 

 translation ; as offering matter proper to be compared with other docu- 

 ments, concerning Malayalam, wherebygeneral results may be dedu- 

 ced. 



B. MALAYALAM. 



Book No. 3. Countermark 896. 



Section 1. — Chronological notice of Malayalam, containing the dates 



o/Xrishna, of the Pandavas, and o/Cheruman Perumal. 



Crishna was incarnate and nourished on earth for 107 years. He 



lived during 94 years of the close of the Dwdpara yuga, the remainder 



in the Cali yuga, and was contemporary with some other connected 



persons, such as Dherma Raja, and Arjuna: about the same time 



was the era of the great war. Various dates are given connected with 



the close of the Dwdpara, and beginning of the Cali yuga. In the 



distress which followed the great war, a brahman came to Crishna 



and Arjuna, and complained of the loss of his nine children. Crishna 



was silent, but Arjuna, on learning that the brahman's wife was preg 



3 p 



