86 An Accoimt of Ancient Excavalions, 



[No. S3, 



or Fdntu-cuni, Pddai-ciirzi^ Pddu-cudi or Pandaval-samdthi ; so 

 they maintain for certain. 



These excavations, are not merely of one kind, or fashion. In 

 the places which I have seen, some are four-sided, some are round, 

 some are built in fashion of a* fort, some are very large, some small, 

 some a little small, some are covered over at top, some are without 

 top covering. In this way they are of very various sorts. Some of 

 them are called Simancal-curzi or sepulchres of honorable men, 

 some are called those of in some degree, honorable men — some are 

 those of common people, some those of poor people, some those of 

 beggars. In this way, it is said, there is great distinction of rank 

 observable. Besides, in the sepulchres of the honorable men, all 

 the wealth they had acquired was put, as it is said, and it is also re- 

 ported that many persons, after searching, took away the said wealth. 

 In other dwellings there was nothing (as to wealth) ; but only pans, 

 pots, a fixed Icurvi in wood (kitchen utensil) an instrument for 

 reducing cocoanut into pulp ; knife, bill-hooks without handles, 

 hatchets without handles, chunam-pots, round stones, curry-stones, 

 and hand-mills. In the Simancal-curzi countless treasures, they 

 say, are to be found ; and many persons have taken such away, as 

 people still assert, and very strongly maintain. 



Teanslatton 2d. 

 An Account of Ancient Excavations. 



1. About the 25th year of the era of Salivdhana certain Brah- 

 mans, Avho were astrologers, came from a great distance northward ; 

 and announced their astrological predictions to the people of this 

 (southern) country. 



They declared that on a certain day of a certain month, when the 

 sun would be in a particular constellation, there would be a fire- 

 rain; which would destroy all mankind. Whereupon the people of 

 this country, taking counsel one with another, with the view of 

 escaping destruction, and preserving their lives, went to the hills, 

 and brought thence large slabs, and great stones, and constructed 

 those stone-houses, under ground, which are now termed the 

 ancient excavations {Pdntu-curzicul) ; and, placing within them 

 needful provisions, they, at the time indicated (by the astrologers), 

 took refuge therein. But before the fire-rain, there was a golden 

 ehower. Several men incited by cupidity, went forth in order to 



• Cromlechs, 



