April — sept. 1859.] Copper Plates of Malabar. 8a 



or Magans. The Hindoos through mistake call the Mussulmans 

 also Boudhas, and from that error they fell into this other, that 

 the last Peroomal embraced the Mussulman faith, and the Mussul- 

 mans in former days taking advantage of this ignorance of the 

 Hindoos, invented several fables about the Peroomals in honor 

 of their own religion. It may thus be safely concluded that both 

 the parties are now in error on this point. One Zeirroodeen Mo- 

 kadom, an Egyptian Mussulman, who visited Malabar about the 

 time of the Portuguese, admits this being an error, in the work he 

 wrote in Arabic about Kerala. 



The Peroomal first chosen having been a native of Cheram (now 

 called Salem, and which comprised also Coimbatore) he was there- 

 fore called the " Cheraman Peroomal," and this affix was given to 

 all the succeeding Peroomals who came from Cheram, till it even- 

 tually became a regular title. This fact may clearly be observed 

 from the Copper Plate No. I, which calls the country Cheraman 

 lokoun ( Cheraman' s country) long before the celebrated and ac- 

 knowledged last Cheraman even made his appearance in Malabar. 



There appears to be some mistakes in a few letters made by the 

 engravers of these Copper Documents ; and when compared with 

 the present improved system of the language, some inelegancies 

 in the composition and style also are apparent ; but these have not 

 the slightest material effect upon the real meaning of the contents. 

 Here follow the Documents. 



Copper Document No. I. 



" Beginning from Sri Veera Kerala, the Earth Ruler, the Man- 

 " lord, the Emperor, the Sceptre has been swayed through a regu- 

 " lar succession of many hundred thousands of years, when Sri 

 " Veera Raghava Chucravurti (the Emperor Veera Raghava) was 

 " in possession of the country and was seated in the Royal Palace, 

 " (the following grant was made) in the year when Jupiter was in 

 " Capricornus, on the 21st of the month of Meenom, Saturday, 

 " when [as it is further implied] Saturn was in Pisces and on the 

 " day of Roham, the 4th Asterim. 



" We have given Manigramom (the village called Mani) to 

 " Iravi Corten (Curten) of the town of Mahadevor, the grand 

 " Chettiar [Merchant] of the Cheraman' s country. We have 



