18390 



Report on the Mackenzie Manuscripis. 



359 



made war against tli3 Iiftad Nxmhuri of this pla'ie. The details indicate 

 that the head Nam'mrh h 1 1 acq lired great itiflaence, and consequence. 



The accoant was caliectel Nita'a'Nari'ayan, who visited the vari- 

 oir^ fanes a 'Co;npanie I by Mr. WarJ. According to the description 

 given, this one wiih its various append.iges, is of more than usual mag* 

 nitiide, and splendour. 



Section 2. Account of the Syrian Cliristians, in Travancore. — 

 NiUda-Narai/an states that b dng in company with Mr. Ward (an of- 

 ficer of the survey department a docament in the Lebbi language (pro- 

 bably Syriac) was explained to him in Tamil, which he embodied in the 

 contents of this paper. 



At a former tim seven per«!ons of a strange religious persuasion came 

 to Travaneore ; a.nong whom the na.ne of Mar Thomas occurs. The 

 king of the country h id previously received some admonitions respect- 

 ing them in a dream. They called on the king to embrace their system, 

 and to ciUow them to build places for tlieir mode of worship. Idie king 

 demurred to their cl lims and said these must be proved. He also sum* 

 moned a council of BraJimans, enquiring if the new system ought to be 

 received ; who re[)iied most certaiuiy not. The foreign persons as- 

 cribed to thesnselves the fa-ulty of retaining the soul (when 

 departed from a body) in the air above, and of recalling it, so 

 as to re-animate the body ; anJ, as stated, gave a proof of 

 this power in the case of one ainong themselves. The king, however, 

 resisted their claims. Soon after the king's younger broiher died; 

 whereupon the recently arrived strangers told rhe king that if he would 

 buiid seven (;hurches in diiferent places they would r-siore his brother 

 to life. The king made the promise, and the body of this brother be- 

 came re-animated, awaking as if out of sleep. In consequence both the 

 king, and liis brother, adopted the new system, and along with Ihem 

 gixty-four householders with their families : these received the initiatory 

 rite of baptism. Thirty-two householders refused to adopt the new mode 

 of credence ; and created disputes. The younger brother requested from 

 Ihe king one-tenth of his revenues, which the king granted; and, with 

 the proceeds, the younger brother had seven churches built, in ditfercrt 

 villages. Mar Thomas was killed, and afterwards res])ectfully buried. 

 In consequence of the disputes, a messno-e v/as sent to Syria; whence 

 a person came, on board ship, as spiriai il superior of the Christians. At 

 a later period Mauica-va acar, a person who chanted i)anegyrics, came 

 to Malayalam, and disseminated the Sa'va fivedettered system ; teach- 

 ing to swallow tiie •S'a/ya compound oi five subbtances; and to use the 



