viswanat'ha nayaca. 
47 
made prisoner ; the Raya,, however., pardoned him at 
the intercession of his son, whom he advanced to still 
higher dignities. Soon after this, the King of Ma- 
dura, the successor of that prince who had been re- 
stored to his crown by the valour of Yiswanat’ha, 
dying, and his family becoming extinct, the noble son 
of Nagama Nayaca was advanced to the throne by his 
sovereign, as a reward for his distinguished services. 
Immediately upon being invested with the insignia of 
sovereignty, he departed for his capital, and com- 
menced those improvements at Madura which were 
so splendidly completed by his successor of the eighth 
descent, of whom I shall have presently to speak. 
He enlarged the fort, constructed temples, cut tanks, 
sank wells, built colleges, raised dams to check the 
force of the periodical inundations from the river, 
dug water-courses, — and, in short, did everything 
which a wise political foresight could suggest to im- 
prove his dominions and the general condition of 
those whom he had been so liberally appointed to 
govern. He protected travellers and pilgrims pro- 
ceeding to the sacred shrine at Ramisseram from 
the rapine of the Polygars, who, under the assumed 
sanction of their own petty regality, committed the 
most outrageous violations of the public peace. These 
were finally reduced to subjection, and the pilgrim- 
ages made to the shrine were no longer interrupted. 
About this time, Viswanat’ha, having sent a confi- 
dential officer with a considerable force to chastise 
five refractory Rajahs, his troops were defeated, and 
the Prince was obliged to take the field in person. 
Uniting his forces with those of his officer, he attack- 
