mudram, together with the description and plans of the bridges which have been built, and are now building across the two branches of the Caveri, were furnished to me by RAMASWAMI MUDELIAR, the intelligent and wealthy Jághírdár of the island. As regards the antiquities of this celebrated place, I regret the imperfection of the memoir; but I am willing to hope that it will not be considered wholly destitute of merit. By the curious in architecture, the faithful representation of the bridges, and the plain description of the manner in which they are constructed, will be valued; while, to the observer of the human mind, and the speculator upon the progress of improvement in India, it must be an object of interest to mark the modes of thought and feeling entertained by a Hindu, who, in strict accordance with the precepts of his religion, undertakes a great public work, which would do honour to the professor of any religion, and to the citizen of any country, in any age. With a view of exhibiting, not only RAMASWAMI's natural sentiments, but his manner of expressing them in the English language, I have made very few corrections in the composition of the memoir. The first part was less perfect in style than the last; but in it I have preserved the original language, with as few alterations as could possibly be made, without leaving it in a state which would have shocked the ear of the English scholar. In the latter part, containing the account of his own bridges, where the subject-matter came home to his own business and bosom, and where, consequently, RAMASWAMI Wrote with more ease and vigour, I did not find it necessary to make more than one correction, and that so trifling, that I may say the last part is presented to the reader in its origi

nal state.

It may here be proper to point out the inaccuracies into which HAMILTON has fallen in describing the falls of the Caveri. The height of each fall is much underrated; that of the Gangana Chuki being about three hundred and seventy feet, instead of from a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet; and that of the Birra Chuki about four hundred and sixty feet, instead of a hundred feet, as stated by HAMILTON.

The Wellesley bridge at Seringapatam traverses the river in a winding direction. This tortuosity, it will be observed from a reference to the plans, is also the characteristic, in a much greater degree, of the bridges more recently constructed by RAMASWAMI,

who derived the idea from observing the line of the ancient ruins still standing in the bed of the river; and, as he himself remarks, the manner in which his first bridge has stood against the severest floods, proves the excellence of the principle which he has adopted. (Signed) J. LUSHINGTON,

Sec. Asiatic Department.

ACCORDING to tradition, the island of Sivasamudram is the most holy of places it has its situation in a forest, and was the residence of the seven Rishis (or patriarchal sages) during the Trétáyuga, the second or silver age of the world. It is said, that as these Rishis or Tapaswis were once performing their ceremonies, two serpents, named TACSHACA and VASUKI, apprehensive of the attack of GARUDA BHAGAVAN (or the divine bird and vehicle of VISHNU), came to these Tapaswís for protection, who offering them an asylum, obtained a promise from one of the serpents, that named VASUKI, that the people who should in future come to this place should not be exposed to the venom of his species. VASUKI having given this promise, the Tapaswís remained performing their devotions. It is said also that God appeared to VASUKI, and offered his protection upon the same promise; and as VASUK! was offering up his devotions to God, the seven Tapaswis came to visit God, and being alarmed at the earnestness of VASUKI's devotions, they also addressed their prayers to God with great fervency of spirit, until God granted them their desire, that no man should in future cast his eyes upon VASUKI until all appre hension from the serpents that should thereafter be generated on the island, should have ceased. God, moreover, directed VASUKI to live under ground, and only gave him liberty to come out at such time as he had to perform his Pújás. VASUKI accordingly lived in the Pátálalóca, and became a worshipper of RUNGASWAMI. While God was thus receiving Pujás from the Tapaswis and VASUKI, Some Brahmadévatás and other devotees came also to visit him here daily, and perform their ceremonies.

It is farther said, that the moon having been cursed by God's priest upon some occasion, and deprived of her brightness, she prayed to I's'WARA, and requested of him to allow her her full splendour; whereon he, favouring her with his presence, told her that she should go and make her devotions in the holy place called Dandakáraniam

(where the seven rishis and other devotees were passing their time in a holy manner), and assured her that he would appear to her there and fulfil her wishes, by restoring her to her brightness. The moon did as she was instructed, and performed her devotions, by which she obtained her wish. This circumstance of the moon's having obtained her full brightness, made a great impression on the hearts of all those who resorted to the island, so that they said, “That whosoever worshipped I's'WARA in the name of SOMESWA RASWAMI (or the lord of the moon) on that island, and would perform religious ceremonies, distribute alms, and perform the tarpanams (or ceremonies to their deceased relations), and feed the Bráhmans, would undoubtedly obtain the remission of all their sins, and would also meet with every prosperity and the enjoyment of their wishes, in like manner as the moon had been restored to her bright

ness.

It is said also, that while these tapaswis and other devotees were passing their time in offering their pújás in this holy place, one JAMBUCASURA, a giant, and of the sect of the great RAVANA, gave great annoyance to them, and they finding it a great interruption to their devotions, quitted the holy place and proceeded to the Godávari, which is to the north of Dandakáraniam ; but a virtuous tapaswí, one of the seven rishis, seeing this, feared that the removal of these tapaswís, and other devotees from the island, would cause the place to become desolate; he therefore prayed earnestly to BRAHMA that the giant might be destroyed: whereupon BRAHMA appeared to him, and told him that RAMASWAMI would proceed to Landcadwipa to avenge him of his great adversary RAVANʼA, by way of Dandakáraniam, when he would appear to him, and his wishes for the destruction of the giant named JAMBUCASURA, would be fulfilled by RAMASWAMI's disguising himself in the shape of a woman and killing him. The other rishis, when first acquainted with the promise made by BRAHMA to the above rishi, were not quite satisfied, and put little faith in the promise, but BRAHMA once more appeared to them, and told them to fear nothing from the giant, for that God would not leave them, but reside on a tree there till the giant their enemy was destroyed. Thereupon the rishis, returning to the island, continued to perform their devotions; and while they were doing so, RAMASWAMI forthwith came to the island and destroyed the giant, to the great astonishment of all the rishis and other devotees: and after performing ceremonies to his deceased father in this holy place, went away. When they saw this, they glorified BRAHMA for the victory over the giant their enemy. The

rishis after this lived in great tranquillity for a long period, and then passed away to the other world, from which time the island became desolate till TERUCHOLARA YEN discovered the place.

TERUCHOLARA YEN, of the Cshatriya caste, was a petty king of Karaladésem, on the Malabar Coast, who having by some accident fallen into the great sin called Brahmahatyá (slaying a Brahman), found it necessary, in compliance with the behests of the S'ústras, to proceed to the river Cúverí to expiate his sin, by performing devout ceremonies, building temples, and distributing alms. As he travelled in search of a place where he might accomplish his intended purpose, he came to the island of Sivasamudram, where the river Cáverí nearly terminates; and deeming it a suitable place, he settled himself there, and became the first king of the island. Here he exerted all his authority, and applied all his resources to the erection of temples, provided for the performance of daily pújás and ceremonies, and granted agrahárams to the Brahmans. He also ob. tained possession of twelve other villages on the western side of the neighbourhood of the island. The population was at this time comparatively small and poor. In his reign the Rangaswámí pagoda was erected. These possessions were governed by him in peace about a thousand years ago; and after his death, VISHNUVARDHANEN, his only son, succeeded him, and ruled over the kingdom in peace till the day of his death, when he was succeeded by his son SRIRANGARAYEN. The reigns of these three sovereigns are supposed to have lasted about eighty years; and after the death of SRIRANGARAVEN, the island and its dependencies went to decay for a short time.

After a lapse of time, GANGARAYEN, a petty prince of Umattun in the district of Mysore, also of the Cshatriya caste, but of the sect of SIVA, is said to have visited the desolate island; and finding it quite in a ruined state, he took measures for its improvement, and built a fort with gates of brass, and a bridge on each of the branches of the Cáverì, by which the island is formed. He also repaired the dilapidated pagoda of Rangaswámí, and enlarged the ruined pagoda of Sómés’waraswámí, which is said to have been found on the island when TERUCHOLA RAYEN, the first king, took possession of it. This prince is said to have committed suicide by plunging himself into the cataract which is formed by the western branch of the river. The following are said to have been the circumstances which led to this desperate act.

It is stated that in GANGARAYEN's reign a chakler, named Uм

BAH, having discovered a root which had the quality of making a man invisible, ground it into a very fine powder, and mixing it with a little oil, made a mark on his forehead with the composition, which, causing him to be invisible, he formed the audacious design, and actually achieved the enterprize, of frequenting the table of GANGARAYEN, and feasting on the luxuries of the king's dishes. He continued to do this, it is said, for the space of about twelve long years, until, the consumption at the king's table on these days being unusually great, the queen observed it, and wished to know the cause of the extraordinary consumption. Having laid her plan, she one day made GANGARAYEN, bathe in a very warm bath, after which she had meals placed before him, all of which were very hotly seasoned, and caused him on eating to perspire a great deal. The invisible chakler being at the same time at the table partook of the same hot dishes, which causing him also to perspire violently, his enchanted mark dissolved and dropped off, when he was instantly discovered by the prince, and on being questioned who he was, declared the truth, and fell dead on the spot. The king finding that he was defiled by having eaten with a chakler, consulted the s'ústras which directed him, for the expiation of so great a sin, to plunge himself and his wife into the Caverì. In obedience to this mandate, he caused his favourite mare to be saddled, and taking his wife behind him, proceeded to the falls of the western branch, from the precipice overhanging which he leaped into the "roaring whirlpool" beneath. This fall has hence received the name of Ganganachuki, or the leap of GANGARAYEN, and the most perpendicular part of it is called, " The Mare's-tail." This prince is said to have reigned about sixty years; and after his death, his younger brother, named NONACHI GANGARAYEN, SUCceeded him. He governed the country in the greatest tranquillity, supporting and encouraging, as his brother did, every devotional ceremony and charitable institution. After a short time, however, finding the possessions of his hereditary kingdom too small, he seized some districts belonging to the Poligars, viz. Palliam, Singanellore, Bundahully, Hajipuram, Colligal, Muduganda, Jiraganellore, and Gundagalem. He had a son GANGARAYEN, and a daughter named MINATCHAMA, who was given in marriage to ACHYUTARAYEN, a petty Rájú of a Drúg called Kelemalay, near the Mudhalli Hills. NONACHI GANGARAYEN reigned peaceably for the space of about forty years; and after his death, his throne was left to his son, who after a peaceable government of about thirty years, was dethroned by his brother-in-law ACHYUTA