120 Aticient documents engraved on copper in possession^ o. 30. 



son) signifying the head of the whole Kerala. The present 

 Malay alam tradition agrees with the document in making a 

 Kerala (or Keya) the first of the Perumals. Vira Kerala is 

 still the hereditary name of the Cochin Rajas, whom the old 

 Jewish translation of III makes to be the descendants, of 

 the Perumals. 



Iravi Corttan must be a Nasra-ni name though none of the 

 Syrian priests whom I saw could explain it or had ever heard 

 of it. Is it to be brought in connexion with the Baliartes 

 of the Portuguese ? 



5. Mahodever patnam, the old name of Codunrilur, gene- 

 rally Codungalur,* (probably from S. Mahas, worship, feast). 

 The traditions of Jews, Christians, Brahmans and of the Ker- 

 ala Ulpatti agree in making Codungalur the residence of 

 the Perumals and the first resort of the western shipping. 

 The place is identified with the Tiruwanjiculam river-har- 

 bourf which one Cheraman Perumal is said to have declared 

 the best of the existing 18 harbours of Kerala, from whence 

 also he is •said to have sailed for Arabia. The Kerala Mahat- 



c 



myan, a Sanscrit work chiefly devoted to the praises of Colat- 

 tirij and Travancore, though it makes mention of nearly all 

 the residences of the 'Malabar Rajas, knows nothing of the 

 Royal glory of the town, which it calls Sri Kotara puri, and 

 extols as being rich in bazars filled with all sorts of merchan- 

 dize and famous for the great Bharani festival of Bhadra Cali 

 celebrated with the greatest profusion. I conclude from this 

 connected with the silence of I and III that the Colattiri was 

 on the whole jealous of the Perumals, and at least in the time 

 of these documents independent of him. 



There is at present a Raja at Codungalur one of the five 



* Cranganore. \ 

 t Lat. 10° 13' N. ( Eds, 

 X Cherical. j 



