316 



Report on the MacJtenzie Manuscripts, 



[Aprix, 



The entering on another narrative is announced, which appears to be 

 the one contained in the following section. 



Observation. — The preceding is probably part of a legend connect- 

 ed with the Trinomali- temple ; and has been evidently constructed so 

 as to impose a superstitious dread of taking any property from' that 

 place, or of coveting any thing belonging to it : it is very well adapted 

 to the intellectual measure of the lower class of natives : it may 

 illustrate manners and opinions j but, in any historical reference, it 

 seems quite useless. 



Section 5. Account of Vajranga Pandiyan. 



The king of the fertile country on the banks of the Vaigai, one day- 

 set out on a hunting excursion, to the great terror of the elephants 

 and other beasts, and in the course of the chase, he started a civet-cat, 

 which ran directly for Trinomalee, and then went round the mountain^ 

 when it fell down from exhaustion and died j the horse (ganavattam) 

 on which the Pandiya king rode, also fell down, from extreme fatigue 

 and died. Immediately two Vidhyadharas (celestials) appeared and 

 said to the king, " Why do you grieve ? we were imprisoned in bodie* 

 through the malediction of Durvasa-rishi, from having trodden on 

 some flowers in his garden : so that he commanded one of us to become 

 a civet-cat, and the other a horse. On our asking when the spell 

 would be dissolved, he said it would be by Vajrangata Pandiyan'* 

 These two animals then attained final happiness, by the merit of hav- 

 ing gone around Arunachella-hiW (or Trinomalee) ; but as the king did 

 not walk round, but went round on horseback, he had no part in the 

 merit. He subsequently made over his kingdom to his son, named 

 ^rt'hanangata Pandiyan, and became an ascetic, residing near the hill. 

 His son sent him much money ; with which he greatly added to the 

 splendour and beauty of the fane. On walking round it one day, the 

 god Siva met him, in a visible form j and told him that he also had 

 been imprisoned, having heretofore been Indra, who threw his diamond 

 weapon {vajranga) at him {Siva) ; in consequence of which he was 

 condemned to live on earth as Vajrangata Pandiya ; but that now from 

 the virtue of his munificent acts to the temple, he should be re-ad- 

 mitted to his former state, and again become Devendra. 



OnsERVATioN.--The composition of this, like the former, is in poeti- 

 cal and hyperbolical language, but with incorrect orthography. A Pan- 



