68 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. II., PART I. 



by the latter, under the conduct of Skanta, who sprang from 

 the frontal eye of Sim; but treats of every legend con- 

 nected with Hinduism, and likewise has a canto called 

 Andakocha Padalam, exclusively devoted to a description 

 of the different systems of world, and of their relative 

 magnitudes and distances, and the causes of eclipses of the 

 sun and moon, as revealed by Ckukkiran, the preceptor of 

 the demons to their king Churan. Its author, Kachchiyap- 

 par, was a Brahman of KancMpuram (Conjeveram), in the 

 Carnatic ; and Mr. Roberts, in his " Oriental Illustrations of 

 the Sacred Scriptures," p. 3, supposes that it may have been 

 written 1,500 years ago ; but this supposition is evidently 

 a mistake, as some of the personages whose names occur in 

 the introductory stanzas appeared to have lived not earlier 

 than the tenth or eleventh century. 



3. Paratam. 



A poem in 50 cantos, comprising 4,288 stanzas. Treats' of 

 the ancestry of the Pdndavar and Kauravar princes, and of 

 the great battle which was fought between them near Delhi, 

 in consequence of the latter having dispossessed the former 

 of their kingdom by a device. The author, Villiputtur 

 Alvdr, was a chief of the Vaishnavas at Chaniy&r, in the 

 Carnatic, and it is believed that he wrote his work by desire 

 of the king Karikdla Cholan, whose installation is dated 

 465 a.d. 



4. Iraku Vankiskam. 

 A poem in 26 cantos, comprising 2,444 stanzas. Treats of 

 the history of Rama's ancestors from Iraku and of that of 

 Rama himself. It is an imitation from KalitdchcCs Sanskrit 

 work under the same title : by Arachakechari, brother of 

 Parardcka Ckekaran, king of Jaffna. 



5. Naidatam. 

 A poem in 28 cantos, comprising 1,171 stanzas. Treats of 



