1 8 3 4.] Account of Mamallaipur. 3 



by his family to revise and prepare for publication bis papers 

 on Mamallaipur : a task which I have undertaken not without 

 great diffidence. Had my lamented friend survived, he would, 

 I doubt not, have made many emendations in them, which 

 ■cannot on many accounts be done by another hand. 



It will be seen that neither Mr. Braddock nor Mr. Taylor 

 has treated of the Inscriptions at Mamallaipur, otherwise 

 than incidentally. Those who wish for some account of them, 

 may be referred to the valuable article by Dr. Babington in 

 the 2d Volume of the Transactions of the Royal Asiatic So- 

 ciety. He says that he noticed three kinds of inscriptions at 

 e * Mahamalaipur," two of which have remained undecyphered, 

 and that it is highly probable that there are other kinds to be met 

 with in the neighbourhood. The first he alludes to is an an- 

 cient Tamul Inscription on a face of rock, by the side of the 

 inner entrance to theVaraha Swami Pagoda (No. 29 in the Map.) 

 He gives no copy of it* but states that " it records' a grant to the 

 " Varaha Swami Pagoda of a quantity of land." The lan- 

 guage of this inscription renders it doubtful whether it is of 

 earlier or later date than some cf the others, which are in Sans- 

 crit. Dr. Babington says that throughout this Tamul inscription 

 the place is called " Mahamalaipur," which he translates " city 

 " of the great mountain/' adding that the word Maha may imply 

 <e greatness of sanctity or renown." This if correct might be 

 adduced as proof of the more recent age of the inscription ; 

 for the hill is by no means remarkable, otherwise than for the 

 i( sanctity or renown" which the sculptures may have procur- 

 ed for it. It will be seen however that the Rev. W. Taylor 

 speaks of two inscriptions, in which the place is called 

 Mamallaipur, with two I's, and if this orthography is correct, 

 which he seems to think it is, the translation of Dr. Babing- 

 ton is of course overthrown, since mallai does not mean " hill." 

 The present name of the place in common use appears to be 

 Mavalavaram, and not Maha-balipuram, as some have stated. 

 The latter mistake can scarcely be regretted however by those 



