10 



Report en the Mackenzie Manuscripts. 



[July 



Vaculaparana, and in the Supplementary MS. Macudavardanen, In 

 other respects, as to names and number of names, down io Chandra 

 Sec'hara, the last of the legitimate Pandiyans, both authorities accord. 

 Let this circumstance not be forgotten, whenever the histor}^ of the 

 Paiidiya dynasty is attempted to be finally adjusted. 



It is my growing conviction, that the Madura Si' hala-Purana is very 

 little better than a tissue of falsehood, got up with a view to veil the 

 truth, and mingling a few real incidents with its marvels, to render the 

 compound palatable. From this opinion, not hastily formed, I do no* 

 think I shall have future occasion to depart ; and, if such be the true 

 state of the question, then whatever has been done towards elucidating 

 the earlier portion of Pandiyan history will require extensive correc- 

 tion. For almost all documents borrow from that Parana^ or follow 

 its statements ; and, such being the case, any multiplicity of evidence 

 loses value, and cannot be depended on, if the original authority it- 

 self be not authentic. 



b. MANUSCRIPT BOOKS. 

 Manuscript book, No. 6— Countermark 70. 



Pandiya-raja-Kiiladiya-purana-Charitra, or an account of the most 

 early dynasty of the royal Pandiya-vnce. 



This is a large sized book, composed of country-paper, roughly 

 written in several differing hand writings. It contains a selec- 

 tion of stories from the Madura Sfhala Purana, transmitted in 

 five different portions from Madura to Colonel Mackenzie, at an early 

 period of his researches ; and these five portions are bound together 

 in the book in the transposed order 3, 2, I, 4, 5. On examining them, 

 in their proper order, it was found that all the tales are derived from 

 the contents of the St' hala Purana ; but not including the whole, and 

 coming down only to the formation of the Madura College. 



From memoranda (I think in the Colonel's hand-writing) it appears 

 that these portions began to come into his hands in December 1809, 

 and were immediately handed over to one Sfreeneevasiah to be trans- 

 lated; the last portion* is marked as received 12th January 1810, and 

 as translated Marcli ISiO, while No. 3 was translated 23d September 



• Which contains matter relative to the Madura Colleije, 



