244 Numismatic Gleanings. 



[NO. 6, NEW SERIES, 



princes of the Pallava race* who were overcome and destroyed by 

 the natural son and successful general of one of the Cholas (pro- 

 bably of Raja Raja Chola or Rajendra Chola) and their country 

 incorporated with the Chola dominions under the names of Ton- 

 damandalam and Jayam-konda-Chola-mandalam about the eighth 

 or ninth century. 



These coins therefore may be assumed to have been struck in 

 the seventh and eighth centuries. The frequent representation of 

 a ship, as in figs. 74, 81 and 88, indicates the existence of commer- 

 cial pursuits, and the fact that all the specimens in our possession 

 have been picked up on the sea shore at different points between 

 Madras and Cuddalore, and that they occur with copper coins of 

 the lower Roman Empire and with Chinese money shows that the 

 commerce must have been tolerably extensive. The following 

 extract from the Revd. W. Taylor's analysis of the Mackenzie 

 MSS. throws some light on the subject. The volume in which it 

 occurs appears to be a collection of traditions connected with the 

 ancient history of Tondamandalam, made for Col. Mackenzie : 



" After the deluge the country was a vast forest inhabited by wild 

 beasts. A wild race of men arose ; who, destroying the wild beasts, 

 dwelt in certain districts. There were then, according to tradition, no 

 forts, only huts ; no kings, no religion, no civilization, no books ; men 

 were naked savages : no marriage institutions. Many years after, the 

 Curumbars arose in the Carnatic ( country : they had a certain kind of 

 religion ; they were murderers ; they derived their name of Curumbars 

 from their cruelty. Some of them spread into the Dravida-desam as far 

 as the Tonda-mundala country. They are now found near Uttramalur ;f 

 but more civilized. They ruled the country some time, but falling into 

 strife among themselves, they at length agreed to select a chief, who 

 should unite them altogether. They chose a man who had some know- 

 ledge of books ; who was chief of the Dravida country, and was called 

 Camanda Curumba-prabhu, and Palal (Pallava ?) Rajah. He built a 

 fort in Puralur.J He divided the Curumba land into twenty-four parts 

 and constructed a fort in each district. Of these, the names of ten are — 



* Mad. Jour. Lit. and Sc. Vol. XIII. p. 52 and Pt. ii. p. 43. 

 f A tower in the Chingleput District 40 miles W. of Madras.— W. E. 

 \ Now Poral or Pozhal or Madavaram, the village at the Red Hills, near 

 Madras.-W. E. 



