286 
E. A. Gait — The Koch Kings of Kamarupa. 
[No. 4, 
came from Nepal, two from Kamarupa, one from Kasmira, four from 
Benares, three from S'onitapura (the Modem Tezpur) and two from 
Mithila. Ten. months later, each of his wives gave birth to a son, the 
names of whom were NaraSimha, Malla Deva, who was afterwards known 
as Nara Narayana, S'ukladhvaja, Gosain Kamala, Maidan, Ram Chan- 
dra, S'ura Simha, Mana Simha, Media, Vrishaketu, Rama Narayana, 
Ananta, Dipa Sirhlia, Hemadhara, Megha Narayana, Jagat Chandra, and 
Surya. 
Being undecided as to who should succeed him, Visva Simha, 
following the advice of Sada S'iva, caused 18 different articles (includ- 
ing gold, silver, iron, earth, &c.) to be tied up in bundles, and asked his 
sons to bring each one a bundle. Nara Simha brought the bundle of 
gold, and so was appointed to be ruler of a foreign country. Malla 
Deva brought the bundle of earth, and was thus selected to succeed 
his father as king. S'ukladhvaja, who brought the bundle of iron, was 
made Yuvaraja, while Gosain Kamala, because he brought the bundle 
of wheat, was declared to have for his inheritance unspotted fame and 
pure glory, and to be destined to construct roads, monasteries and tanks. 
Minor appointments were allotted to the other sons, according to the 
contents of their bundles. 
Visva Simha died, after reigning 25 years, of sores brought on by 
the curse of a Brahman,* but before his death, he enjoined his minister’s 
never to get brides for his family from foreign races, but only from 
amongst the Mech, Koch and Kacharf tribes. It is said that he was 
carried up to heaven from S'onitanagara in a chariot driven by Nandi, 
who had been sent to earth by S'iva for this purpose. 
Gunabhiram tells a story which is not referred to in this Purusha- 
nama. He says that Visva Simha re-discovered Kamakhya. The story 
runs that he went to Nilachala, where he found only a few houses 
of Meches. No one was at home except one old woman, who was rest- 
ing under a fig-tree, where there was a mound which she said con- 
tained a deity. Visva Simha prayed that his followers might be caused 
to arrive, and his prayer was at once granted. He therefore sacrificed 
a pig and a cock, and resolved, when the country became quiet, to build 
a golden temple there. He ascertained that, the hill was the site of the 
old temple of Kamakhya, the ruins of which he discovered, while the 
image of the goddess herself was dug up from under the mound. Sub- 
* lie had asked the Brnhman why people worship the big toe of a Brahman, 
and on being told in reply that it was because it contained white blood, which is the 
blood of Brahma, he had his toe pierced through with a chisel. No white blood 
was seen, but red blood flowed and could not be stopped, and so the Brahman died 
saying, “ As you have caused me this pain, so you also shall die of sores.” 
