242 
ON THE QRIGIXAL INHABITANTS 
with a shrill voice that the person who would eat his head 
would become a king ; until he fell into the hands of a gang 
of thieves, who were resting under a Eadamba tree. They 
killed the bird and asked a woman, Puspavatl by name, who 
was living near by, to cook the peacock and to distribute its 
flesh amongst them. While the woman was preparing the 
peacock, and the thieves were bathing, her son came home 
very hungry, and, as he wanted something to eat, his mother 
gave him the head of the bird in ignorance of what was in 
store for him who ate it. When he had eaten it, the thieves 
returned, partook of the remainder of the meat, but were 
astonished that after staying a while, none of them was 
proclaimed king. They fetched the woman, who, when hard 
pressed, told them what she had done, and that her son 
had eaten the head of the peacock. The thieves found that 
it was of no use to fight against destiny and submitted to 
their fate. 
The king Anakapurandara of Jayantipura had died at that 
very time without leaving any living issue behind and, as 
was the custom in these circumstances, the ministers let the 
state elephant loose with a watervessel containing holy water. 
While thus roaming about, he came to the spot in the forest 
near which the son of Puspavati was Living close to the 
Kadamba tree. The elephant bowed down to the youth, 
who ascended the animal and was canied by him to Jayantl- 
pui'a, where he was joyfully received, placed on the royal 
throne and anointed as king. He assumed henceforth the 
name Mayuravarma Kadamba and ruled for a loug time 
gloriously over the coimtry. 
The election of a king is in Indian legends often entrusted 
to a state-elephant, and widely spread is also the belief that 
he who eats the head of a peacock becomes a king. The 
peacock is in Sanskrit called Jlaj/ilra, hence the name 
Mayuravarma, which the youth accepted. So fai* as the 
person and his origin are concerned, the two legends diifcr, 
as one refers to Trinetra and the other to Mai/ilrararma 
