340 Report on the Macketizte Manuscripts, [April. 



B. MALAYALAM. 



Book No. 3.— Countermark 896. 



Section 1. Chronological notice of Malayalam, containing the 

 dates of Cruhna, of the Pandavas, and of Cheruman PerumaL 



Crishna was incarnate, and flourished on earth for 107 years. He 

 lived during 94 years of the close of the Dwapara-yuga, the remain- 

 der in the Cali-yuga ; and was contemporary with some other connect- 

 ed persons such as Dherma-raja, and Arjuna; about the same time 

 was the era of the great war. Various dates are given connected with 

 the close of the Dicapara^ and beginning of the Cali-yuga, In the 

 distress, which followed the great war, a Brahman came to Crishna 

 and Atjuna, and complained of the loss of his nine children. Crishna 

 was silent; but Arjuna on learning that the Brahman's wife was preg- 

 nant guaranteed the life of the child; even, if necessary, by himself 

 entering the fire as a sacrifice to Yama to save the life of the child. 

 Crishna rebuked Arjuna for so rash a promise, and took him to Vai^ 

 cont'ha, where the nine children of the Brahman were found to be 

 corr^fortably seated on the lap of Lacshmi. They were brought back 

 to earth on a celestial car ; and the place where this descended, called 

 Tiruponutara (near to Cochin) was afterwards set apart as a holy 

 place, in the fifty-first day of the Cali-yuga. Crishna died in the 

 eleventh year of the Cali-yuga. Dherma-raja died also in that 

 year, with a difference between the two periods of only 25 days. 

 In the year 148, Padmandba-svami was established. (This is the 

 image worshipped in the capital of Travancore). Subsequently in 

 the year 34-14, Cherumal Perumal flourished at Tiruvangiculam 

 (A. D. 342). He distributed the country under various chiefs, and 

 gave the official emblems of office. He died in 3508 (A. D. 406), 

 The arrival of a foreigner at Collam (Quilon) is noted in the 425th year 

 of the Collam-era (A. D. 1249). Tirumala-dever-svamt, was establish- 

 ed at Cochin in C, E. 469. In C. E. 9/1 (A. D. 1795), the Velta-raja 

 ■was killed by foreigners, the Landa-para (apparently designating the 

 English). 



PiEMARK.—This short paper seems to merit a full translation. 



