1844.] Contents of the Kerala Mahatmya. 101 



years. He then assembled the Brahmans, and promised to 

 give them rulers, each for 12 years, and brought from th*e 

 southern shore of the Caveri an excellent Samanta, whom the 

 Brahmans crowned king on the shore of the Vrihannadi [pro- 

 bably a viceroy of the Chola king]. On the Mahamakha feast 

 of the 12th *year they deposed him, and chose another. Twen- 

 ty-one kings having thus ruled in succession, the last r&n a- 

 way with the crown jewels. The Brahmans were in conster- 

 nation, but Parasu Kama promised again indigenous rulers* 

 and located two princesses at Sri Vardhana [Travancore] and 

 Mangalapura. The 3d Subhangi at Lacshmlsapura, married 

 to a Brahman. Her son Udaya Varma [head of the Colatiri 

 family] was crowned by the Brahmans as king of the northern 

 half, and presented by Shiva with a ring. He destroyed the 

 Racshasas [Tulu aborigines ?] with their families, and furnish- 

 ed a prince Allohala, to whom Parasu Eama had confided the 

 care of the Subrahmanya temple, for the pride with which he 

 had usurped the Brahminical territory of eight yojanas ex- 

 tent. Parasu Rama blessed the king, exhorted him to righte- 

 ousness, and prophesied that one of his successors would pre- 

 fer wicked Brahmans from the Tunga bhadra to the priests 

 of the country ; and thus become the author of a general con- 

 fusion of castes, which would prove the ruin of the country. 



From thence Parasu Rama proceeded to Gopacudapuri 

 (Eranadu) and founded the Samorin's dynasty (M. Tamuttiri) 

 by depositing a Samanta virgin with the Brahman chiefs. Her 

 son ruled in Curupuri, endowed with Parasu Rama's sword.— 

 Lavaputra, descendant of Ayodhya Cshatrias,was placed at Ba- 

 lapuri (Cochi) : his grandson by a daughter married to a Brah- 

 man was Rama Virya, whose dynasty Parasu Rama's white 

 umbrella (M. Vencotta cuda) is inherited. — But finally Parasu 

 Rama declared whole Kerala to be the property of the Brah- 

 mans of sixty-four Gramas, assembled at Gocarna. 



* Cycle of Jupiter, 



