1838.] 



Report on the Machemu Manuscripts. 



13 



residence of these /^ac^Aa^n^, and was treated with great civility hy Vil^ 

 Vathen, and the usual meal: on its being finished Vil-Vaihen called his 

 brother, and Agastya, penetrating the state of the case, took up the 

 words, and added a word or two of Sanscrit, in consequence of which 

 maw/m the body of FaYAew dissolved, and passed away without doing 

 Agastya any mischief. He denounced a woe on Vil-Vathen, who died. 

 The bones of these two Racshasas having fallen to pieces, and becoming" 

 petrified, are now termed white pebbles. 



Remark. — Setting aside the ridiculous fable, a tradition like this 

 implies that the Hindus designate savages by the term Racshasas ; 

 and that possibly (as Dr. Leyden has intimated) cannibalism was 

 common in India, among the tribes supplanted by Bralimanism or 

 BauddChism. The hillock itself, if really a fossil petrifaction, is an 

 object of attention by the naturalist.* 



Section 11. — Account of the fane of 7^^V^^^;«;?ac?^, and of the ancient 

 fort of Adinarrayen Samb^huva Rayer, at Vayalur in the Chettupat 

 district. 



In ancient times Parasara rishi (father of Vyasa), and Marcandeya 

 rishi, retired for penance to this mountain, named Su-darisanam... 

 Vishnu came thither to see them, and remained reposing on Athisesha ; 

 giving mocsham (or eternal happiness) to such as came to worship 

 him there ; these visitors being not men, but the inferior gods : they 

 formed mountain-pools for bathing, which now make five cascades. 

 The tirt ^hhas (or pools) are designated by names | in one of them the 

 footsteps of Fishriu are visible, by the marks left. A little to the east 

 of this hill Vira N array ana SarnVhuva Ray en built a fort, governed 

 the country, and made some charitable grants ; fragments of buildings 

 in brick-work indicate the site of this fort. His palace was on a hill 

 at some distance westward, where also vestiges appear ; there is also 

 a Vaishnava fane ; as only a few dwellings are in that place, it is now 

 called Fotya^wr (a hamlet in the open fields). At the foot of the hill 

 there was once a Saiva fane of which now only the emblem of Saiva 

 remains. Under the hill are other antique vestiges ; among them of 

 a wide street with Mantapas (or porches) and other similar things, 



* For an account of cue of these hillocks see a subseqi;ent article in this Journal.— 

 Editor. 



