82 CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY 



then bowing down at the feet of Vathavuren, the per- 

 fect master of the Saiva scriptures, thus addressed him : 



e< Those who spoke have turned dumb, and if thou 

 shouldst cause my daughter who is dumb, to speak, I shall 

 become thy disciple." The Lord Vathavuren, there- 

 upon, ordered her to be sent for instantly, and she came be- 

 fore the assembly. 



Gazing graciously on the damsel, who thus came and 

 stood in the assembly, he bid her to sit opposite to him, and 

 told her, " O damsel wearing sweet scented hair ! answer 

 thou the arguments which the Buddhists propound. 1 ' 



The damsel answered the arguments propounded by the 

 impious Buddhists, like a well skilled person ; and Vatha- 

 vuren, greatly delighted, composed a poem on the subject 

 after the style of the play called Tiruchdlel (a) acted by 

 females. 



The Ila king having rehearsed the pentagrammata, and 

 besmeared himself with ashes, became a steadfast votary 

 (of Saiva) ; and the Chola king and the ancient of Puliyoor 

 blessed the sanctuary, and praised the beautiful Vatha- 

 vuren. 



As the Ila king stood before the Saiva (Vathavuren) 

 wearing the Ruddrdksha chaplet ; and covered with ashes 

 as his dutiful disciple, those who covered their bodies with 

 red Sivur (b) robes, supplicated him (Vathavuren) to 

 free them from their dumbness. 



The Chola king and the Brahmans of Puliyoor com- 

 passionately interceded for them, saying, " Lord ! vouchsafe 

 to them thy grace." Vathavuren, the possessor of en- 

 during renown, overjoyed thereat, cast a merciful look at 

 them, and they were all freed from their dumbness instantly. 

 Bowing down they thus addressed him : 



" O thou who art guiltless ! we have (hitherto) remained 

 without putting on the holy ashes and repeating the bene- 

 ficent pentagrammata, because we did evil in our former 



(a) Tiruchalel (^c^'"^^) I have a copy of this poem in my 

 library ; it consist of only twenty stanzas, the first two lines of 

 each stanza contain a question addressed to a female, and the 

 last two her reply. I would have translated it had I thought it 

 would prove interesting. 



(6) Sivur (^ayffLo), the robe peculiar to the Buddhist priests, 

 the colour of which however is here described as being "red'* 

 instead of " yellow." 



