110 



Beport on the Mackenzie Manuscripts. 



[Jan, 



The remaining contents of the book are found to contain an account 

 of the supercession of the old Pandiyan kingdom, in the time of Chan- 

 dra Sec'hara, by the northern dynasty, of which Visvandfha NayaJc, was 

 the first; and coming, with considerable fulness of detail, down to the 

 end of the reign of Tirumala NayaJc. From this last mentioned circum- 

 stance; and fi om internal evidence, of style and manner, I perceive the 

 document to be a first part of the narrative, of which a second part, and 

 verbose continuation, down to the entire cessation of the dynasty, is 

 contained in MS. book, No. 31— Countermark 785, and noticed in my 

 first report (B. Telugu). A translation of this latter was published 

 by me among annotations in the 2d vol. Or. Hist. MSS. I did not at 

 the time know why the account therein commenced with the son of 

 Tirumala Nayalc ; but the present document, now met with, explains 

 the reason. The two parts being taken together constitute a complete 

 history of the northern Madura dynasty ; fuller in details than any 

 other one, I have yet seen. This part ought also to be translated. This 

 first portion is in much better preservation, than the second was hereto- 

 fore found to be. Still as the China paper on which it is written is 

 fragile, and the ink not good, its restoration has been judged suitable ; 

 since I regard the document as one of value. 



I have examined it in various places, so as to satisfy myself concern- 

 ing its contents, but the reign of Pedda-Crishyiapa-nayaTc, successor of 

 ViavanaV ha-nayak, was scrutinized with the most care, in reference to 

 the war against Tumbichi Nayak, and with a view to see if it confirmed 

 the statement in palm-leaf MS. No. 124 (see 3d report, B. Telugu 1), 

 respecting an invasion of Ceylon, by that king. The account of that 

 event is found herein ; with two minor variations of some consequence. 

 The invasion is attributed to a refusal by the Singhala king to send 

 pearls and elephants ; demanded by the Madura king, as a compensa- 

 tion in place of pecuniary tribute. Some difference is observable in the 

 incidents of the war ; and, especially at the close, the Singhala king 

 instead of being killed in battle, is represented as conquered, and con- 

 senting to send the pearls and elephants, and thereupon having all his 

 authority restored to him, and acknowledged. This attestation to the 

 leading fact of an invasion of Ceylon, from Madura is of importance. 

 There is also a repetition of the assertion in the aforementioned MS. 

 that Pedda Crishnapa Nayak, exacted tribute from the Malayalam 

 king. No external indications could have led me to expect any such 

 document in this book; and the need of patient research in the docu- 

 ments of a collection, at first so loosely and carelessly thrown together, is 

 the more apparent. 



