1S38.] Report on the MacJcenzie Manuscripts. 363 



on the cover ; is by ICavi Kethana, and treats on the art of Telugu 

 poetr}^ J giving the laws that should guide the construction of the dif- 

 ferent kinds of metre. It is of some length, in a beautiful hand writ- 

 ing, and in good preservation. The poem is valuable on the subject 

 to which it refers i but does not bear on the leading object of this in- 

 vestigation. 



The work is briefly entered in the Descriptive Catalogue vol. i, p. 

 353, as " a treatise on Telugu prosody by Lingaya Mantri of Veyla' 

 turJ* This name probably designates the author's patron. 



Manuscript book No. 33.— Countermark 7^7 •> 

 Section 1. An account of the Chola rajas. 



Vayal-varzi aditta-cholan was crowned at sixteen years of age at 

 Caliyur, west of Trichinopoly. He confided the government to a 

 minister ; and occupied himself in the worship of Siva. He fostered 

 the Saiva religion. A wild elephant greatly troubled the country. 

 A hundred men were sent to take it ; and the elephant being pursued 

 met in the way an ascetic, bearing a garland of flowers sacred to Siva^ 

 which it seized and tore ; the ascetic, greutly incensed, killed the hun- 

 dred men with an axe which he carried, and also the elephant. The 

 Chola king, hearing of the circumstance, set out with a force to des- 

 troy the adversary ; but on coming near, and seeing only a devotee of 

 Siva, he kept his followers at a distance and alone approached : he 

 addressed the ascetic in terms of great humility. The ascetic was so 

 overcome with sorrow at having killed the elephant, and people, of 

 ^10 devoted a follower of Siva, that he took the king's sword to kill 

 himself, which the king prevented ; and a dispute ensued, which should 

 kill himself: the king because his people and elephant had off*ended 

 so devoted a votary of Siva, or the ascetic, because he had killed the 

 elephant, and people, of so exemplary a king. As a child was born 

 to the king on that propitious day, {Suba-dina) the child was called 

 Suba Cholan ; who being installed by the care of his father ; the lat- 

 ter died after ruling fifty years. Suba Cholan married and came to 

 live at J ambhukesvaram where he ruled thirty-five years. Some fable 

 follows, about the birth of Jambhukesvarer the tutelary god. The 

 son of Suba Cholan was called Fara-guna Cholan. He dedicated his 

 wife to the service of the god, in the fane of Jambhukesvarer, He led 



