^80 



Fcport on the Machenzie Manuscripts. 



[April 



appetite for human blood should be abundantly satiated : with these 

 terms the Durga was satisfied, and gave consent to the building of a 

 town, and establishing a monarchy. (If this be ornament it is still 

 startling in its indications as to by-gone days). She then took him to 

 the tank of her local residence, and explained to him that after 

 Vicrmnaditya^s defeat, by Salivahana, all the former inhabitants of the 

 place had collected their jewels and other valuables, which were put 

 into a copper chest, and that this chest was buried, deep under the 

 bed of a tank (reservoir), in a cave closed by a door, which was locked, 

 and over it the stone bed of the tank was relaid. She pointed out to 

 him the spot, and put him in possession of the chest. She also directed 

 to another spot where ancient records of the place, when the country 

 was ruled by Devendra, were deposited; and shewing him where it was 

 she disappeared. Cachi Viran returned to a locality where the three 

 kings were waiting for him. There follows some more fable; and 

 then an order from Siva in the form of a guru, to open the chest. 

 A detail of its contents— a smaller chest— a weapon— a sacred 

 utensil— another weapon— a brass vessel— a key of the inferior 

 regions— five other keys— an iron crow-bar— a hammer — ten thousand 

 pieces of gold coined in the age of the great king Sanlanu. The small- 

 er chest being opened contained images of Ganesa, Carticei/a, V a- 

 liyamma (the female image at Chillambrum) a trinetra fruit (the sacred 

 ashes of the Saivas) a sacred bead containing the image of one god 

 (usually it is held to contain three, four or five— the kind mentioned is 

 very rare). A chank with its windings to the right (extremely rare and 

 precious) a cane without joints or knots, a row of beads for prayei*, 

 a seal-ring of six classes of Hindus— these and the like were in the 

 inner box. These were given to the Saiva-guru to be purified, and 

 then were committed to the care of Viva Camachi for the purposes of 

 worship. He fetched a pot of water from the Canibha river, and put- 

 ting it before the chest, placed one of the weapons upright in the 

 ground; and, paying homage, transferred the divinity resident within 

 the chest into the pot of water, which was daily worshipped by him- 

 self and his wife. This was all done by instructions from the god, in 

 the shape of a Saiva-guru. He delivered the same over to his son 

 to be so handed down from generation to generation. The said guru 

 further told them to make use of the key of the inferior regions, in 

 the place before indicated by the local durga, where a copper plate 

 inscription would be found. The Saiva-guru then disappeared, resum- 

 ing his divine form of Fecambaresvarer. The three kings were again 

 resorted to, when the original inscription first mentioned was once. 



