1839.] 



Report on the Maclcenzie Maniiscr'^ptS' 



365 



Syrian bishops ; but tlie brief notice is such as a Brahman, and a stran- 

 ger, might be expected to write. There does not seem to be any wilful 

 prejudice. 



Section 27. Account of the fane of Rcmi Cava, in the village of Ram- 

 pulam in Travancore. — It belongs, as hereditary property, to a Namhuri 

 Brahman who officiates. Little else is added, and besides many letters 

 have been destroyed by insects. 



Section Account of the fane of N'angaiijar Curangnar'i, in Tra- 

 vancore. — Fabled to have been the hermitage of M ricandiya-i i.^Jri. A 

 woman and child, passing that way, bathed in a neighbouring pool ; and 

 meditated on Vishnu. In consequence FUhnu personally appeared, and 

 Mrlcandiyar seeing this appearance, there placed an image of Vishnu, 

 which now receives all customary honours. 



Section 29i Account of a fane of Suhralimanya at Aripatfu, in Travan= 

 core. — The circumstance chiefly referred to in this paper is that of a great 

 number of Brahman children being fed at this fane ; and spoken of as 

 belonging to it. A superstitious dread of saying, or doing, any thing 

 again3t them prevails, /^i/ma-rrya of Travancore, once seized and im- 

 prisoned one of them, for some mischief committed: for doing so his 

 arm swelled; and he released the boy, paying a fine to the fane, and 

 apologizing for his ignorance. Hence no one dare speak against the 

 said children; without incurring the anger of Suhralimanya. The docu- 

 ment has suffered great injury from insects. 



Remark. — 'This book was put into the hands of a copyist to be restored? 

 on account of its greatly injured state by termites. The doing so has 

 only been partially successful ; many omissions of letters, words, and 

 sometimes sentences, remaining. The contents are of greatly diff'ering 

 interest, and value. Heathen superstition is herein ptiinted by the 

 hand of Nitala-narayan, himself a Brahman, in its most puerile form* 

 Moreover the shocking cruelty mentioned in section 13, can hardly es^ 

 cape notice. Surely no one can regret that Christianity has planted its 

 foot, diffusing more genial influences, in that very neighbourhood. 



Manuscript Book, No. 53 — Countermark 102/. 

 Inscriptions on stone, and paper grants in the Malayalam countryi 



