1838.] 



Report on the Maclienzie Manuscripts. 



317- 



diya king is otherwise understood to • have repaired, and beauti- 

 fied Trinomalee, and on this circumstance the fable is constructed. 

 It seems to be a portion of the Trinomalee St' hala-purana, as 

 may be ascertained when that Purana comes to be examined. 

 But it is of little use beyond illustrating native opinions, and was re- 

 stored because found in a book greatly damaged by time ; though, iii 

 itself, this section remained quite legible. 



Section 6. A list of Cliola kings. 



The list consists of a few names only, without any dates: the tran* 

 scribing them has not appeared to be of any importance. 



Preface to the first part of the History of India, composed by JVara- 

 yanen astronomer (of the Ananta Kon race). 



(This is not entered in the table of contents at the beginning of 

 book No. 20). 



This book was written at the request of Col. W. Macleod of Arcof, 

 during Lord Bentinck's government of Madras. After the usual poeti- 

 cal invocation it gives an account of the cause of its being written ; 

 the different powers and kingdoms to be included ; and the authorities 

 consulted in the compilation. The work proceeds to narrate the 

 creation of the elements of all things, by Narayanen ; the formation 

 of the Brahmandam, or mundane egg ; and the division therein of the 

 orders of beings and things. An account of the different yugas. For-- 

 mation of gods, asiiras, and mortals. Avataras of Vishnu, eclipses, 

 fasting at that time peculiar to India. After some Indian astronomical, 

 details, the writer states his preference of another system, that of 

 the earth turning on its own axis, and revolving round the sun, wdth 

 diiierent length of days in different latitudes; (evidently derived from 

 intercourse with Europeans), geographical divisions of India, on the 

 native system : some mention of Nipal, Moghnlistan, Tnrkistan and 

 Hindustan proper. This leads to mention the birth of Crishna, about 

 one hundred years before the end of the Dwapara yuga, and his 

 reigning in Dwaraca, a town which he had built on the sea shore. 

 The end of the first book. 



The foregoing is another copy, so far, of the large work entitled 

 Carnata rajakal, before abstracted. Should other Candams, or books, 

 be found among the paper MSS. the w^hole MS. may be restored ; 

 but the above is of no special use, being merely another copy of a por- 

 tion which exists in the larger work. 



