238 



Report on the 3IacJcen7.ie Manuscripts. 



[Oct. 



the matter was referred to Manu niti^ tlie chief of the ministers, who 

 gave an opinion in favour of the accused person ; tending to his acquit- 

 tal. The accused paid homage at the shrine of Bhadra-Cdli', and having 

 propitiated her favour, went to the king, declaring his innocence, 

 and that his zeal alone had brought him into questionable circumstances. 

 The king pardoned him ; and then, with his ministers, continued- a 

 prosperous rule. 



Eemark. — Except as a mere work of fiction this book has no claims to 

 notice. Both copies ore complete, and uninjured. They are entered 

 in the Descriptive Catalogue vol. I. p. 220, art. XXIII. 



13. Viram6ran Cadha — No. 167- — Countermark 167' 



14. Vira-Durendra raja Cadha— ]^o. 210. — Countermark 1.5L 



15. Vira Durendra raja Cadna No. 211. — Countermark 150. 



These are three diiferent copies of the same work. The first is the 

 most full ; differing chiefly in the encomiastic portions ; in which it is 

 the more florid of the three. The last copy is the smallest ; the writing 

 being minute and close. 



The tale seems to me fictitious ; but the following brief notice, or 

 epitome, may help towards forming a judgment, on that point. 



Vira-durendra-raja YxAedi'm Vijayanagaram. He had a nam- 

 ed Tatva-pracasa-pillai. One day when the king, accompanied by his 

 minister, went out to hunt in the forest, he came to a spring of water 

 named " the looking-glass" ; near to which was a writing cut out in a | 

 stone to the effect that " the king, who listened to the counsels of his 

 minister would perish.'" The king consulted with his minister, concern, 

 ing the said writing. The minister took counsel within himself ; to the 

 avirport, that his influence over the king would cease, and that his own 

 life would be endangered. In order to avert such a result, he seized the 

 king ; threw him into the spring ; and, returning to the city, usurped 

 the kingdom. The late king's wife Chennamena-devi , to avoid a contem- 

 plated outrage, privately niade the escape, being pregnant ; went to 

 Chandra-giri ; and there subsisted, in a miserable manner, by gathering 

 and selling fire-wood. The king of Chandra-giri, designing evil to- 

 wards her she left that place, and went to Arasanctpuri where a native 



