IS-JtT.] ' f or Scythian Vesiiges, Sfc, 79 



have to make, of another very brief paper, relative to chiefly one lo- 

 cality ; and to close the whole with some general annotations. 

 Hitherto the subject, I believe, has received but little attention from 

 Europeans ; but it may be deserving of more ; and possibly the per- 

 sons best qualified to pursue an investigation would be gentlemen 

 of the order in society specified in the document immediately fol- 

 lowing. 



The paper which, in 1836, I prepared, as an introduction to the 

 subject, is here annexed : " Some time since when I had issued a 

 prospectus Avith the intention of publishing some native manuscripts 

 one of them being the " Pandion Chronicle," I met, at the reading 

 room of the Literary Society, with a gentleman deservedly well 

 known in the ecclesiastical, and literary circles, who, while hinting 

 some doubts, whether any thing could be successfully accomplished 

 towards elucidating the ancient historj^ of the peninsula of India, at 

 the same time inquired if I had met with any book, or manuscript, 

 referring to certain curious ancient remains, which he alluded to as 

 existing specifically near Ghittoor ; consisting of small grotto-houses, 

 or possibly tombs, which on being opened had been found to contain 

 pots, or jars, which tombs, or grottos, the natives termed Panja-Pan- 

 daval (or the five Pdndavas). This gentleman further added that 

 a Surgeon (now a member in the Medical Board) had carefully 

 examined these pots (or urns, as we may suppose them to have 

 been) and declared decidedly that the bones did not belong to the 

 human species. It was also added, that the tombs or houses, were 

 very small, and could not, at any time have been human abodes; as 

 also that Colonel Mackenzie had published an account of them ; 

 and that some reference to them might be found in (the then) Colo- 

 nel Welsh's Reminiscences. 



"The subject was at that time quite new to me; but was borne in 

 mind. Down to the present time I have not been able to meet with 

 Colonel Mackenzie's printed account; though doubtless he made 

 use of materials in his collection, to which I have presently to ad- 

 vert. The account by Colonel Welsh of the Pdnty-ivdr and their 

 singular mountain-top dwellings, above the ghauts, I subsequently 

 had an opportunity of perusing ; and found these to be quite a dif- 

 ferent subject of consideration. These bandits, merely assume that 

 they are descendants of the ancient, and aboriginal, inhabitants of 

 the Mysore country : the term Pantya-ivar meaning only ancient 

 people ; and possibly they may descend from the OyisaJa or ValaJa 



