32 On the Syrian and Jewish [No. 9, new series, 



construction, the former two have been numbered I and III, and the 

 last II precisely as was previously done in the Madras Literary 

 Journal No. 30 of June 1844, page 115 to 146. 



It may be inferred from the Kerala Mahatingam (a very loose 

 and vague Sanskrit Book) that this country derived its name Ke- 

 rala from one Veer a Kerala, the first Prince who governed it. It 

 is, though, the opinion of some that as this country abounds with 

 cocoanut trees, termed in Sanskrit Kera, it owes its name to that 

 circumstance. But, though what the Kerala Mahatinayam relates 

 might be accepted, seeing that the Copper Plate Document No I. 

 proves that Veera Kerala was the first Prince of Kerala ; yet on 

 the other hand there may be no harm in surmising, that this name 

 of Veera Kerala may have had reference to the said country of Ke- 

 rala which he governed. 



It is difficult to learn clearly the history of the family of this 

 Veera Kerala, but from various Sanskrit and other works such as 

 the Mahatinayam, "Ulpati and others, it appears pretty clearly, if 

 we reject obvious fables, that Parasoo Rama a Brahmin eventually 

 gained possession of the country from Veera Kerala's descendant, 

 and after improving it to a great extent, introduced therein his own 

 caste people, to whom he ultimately committed its government. 



It is very clear, that the Brahmins above alluded to, soon sepa- 

 rated themselves into two grand divisions, one the worshippers of 

 Varahom (the superstitious incarnation of the Boar) and the other, 

 worshippers of Sharabhom (a peculiar huge bird). The former 

 distinguished themselves by the name of Punneyoor Gramakar 

 (Boar-villagers), and the latter by that of Chovoor Gramakar 

 (Bird-villagers), and they endeavour by all possible means to re- 

 tain these designations and distinctions up to the present day. 

 These comprise the Numboori Brahmins of Malabar, as distin- 

 guished from the Brahmins of any other district. This division 

 among the Malabar Brahmins is evident from the Copper Plate 

 No. I, the Boar- villagers and the Bird- villagers are the principal 

 witnesses therein. 



But at the same time it may easily be gathered from the Scanda 

 Poranoom and other works (after rejecting obvious fables) that the 

 Brahmins who lived in the country between Oanjarote Pooya 



