1838.] 



Report on the Mackenzie Manuscripts. 



237 



had heard ; many of which may have been true, though not true as he 

 has collocated them. Hence, to judge of the v-ilue of any such tradi- 

 tions, it seems expedient to discover at what time the author wrote. 

 There is no trace, as far as I can perceive, of his name ; but he has 

 given an indication as to time. The book made use of, it may be ob- 

 served in passing, is from internal evidence, a copy from some other 

 one. It is not easy to judge of the antiquity of palm-leaf copies of 

 works ; so much depending on the care employed in the preservation. 

 This particular copy may be 50 or possibly 100 years old. But how- 

 ever that may be, the date of the original, cannot I think, be much less 

 than 300 years since. I derive the inference from the latter part, 

 wherein Vira Vasanta rayer, is mentioned as a new incarnation of 

 Vicramadilya. Up to that period the alleged prophecy is history in 

 the main feature of Mahomedan rule, and violence. And to the best of 

 my judgment, arising from the study of similar documents, I conceive 

 the author to have lived and written some time in the 15th century, pro- 

 bably towards its close. Thenceforward he manifests ignorance ; avail- 

 ing himself of some Pauranic annunciations as to the three Vicramas ; 

 but yielding nothing like matters of fact. I am of opinion, by conse- 

 quence, that the author was patronised by Vira Vasanta Rayer, and 

 wrote under his auspices. Of this Vira Vasanta rayer viQ find traces 

 in the mention made of him in the smaller local papers of this collec- 

 tion, as may have been observed in those already abstracted j but from 

 the Carnala rajakal we learn more distinctly that he was a viceroy of 

 Narsinha-rayer, father of Crishna-rayer. The former who subverted 

 the more ancient Vijayanagara dynasty, made a successful inroad into 

 the Conjeveram and Ginjee country, I believe, before his conquest of 

 Vijayanagaram ; but whether before or after, he placed Vira Vasanta 

 i?ayer as his viceroy over the country that had become subject to the 

 kings of Ginjee. The era of Narsinha-rayer is within the 15th century. 

 Now if we consider the author to have written in that century, it will 

 be apparent, that he might have some advantage over later writers in 

 the matter of early tradition ; and there may consequently be some cir- 

 cumstances in his account worthy of attention. 



The writer's chief object seems to have been to frame an account of 

 the foundation of the various shrines scattered over the extent of the 

 Carnatic proper. The statements given concerning them form the' 

 larger portion of the manuscript, but these of course I have passed by, 

 as they could only be developed by translation. In the event of any 

 cause occurring to require an exact account of different shrines or 

 fanes, I presume this manuscript might acquire a measure of conse* 



