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HISTORICAL REMARKS
ON THE
COAST OF MALABAR.
ste
mos.
T. JN the book called Kera? Oedpuite, or, * The
TD erergingor the Coantey of Krad (of which,
during my flay at Calicut, in the year ¢793, 1 made
the belt tfinflation into Englith in my powes, through
the medium of a verfion firft rendered imo Perfian,
under my own inpettion, from the Malabaric copy
procured from one of the Rajahs of the Zamorin's
family,) the origin of that coatt is aferibed to the
picty'ot penitence of Purs/ex Rama, ot Parefram, (one
of the incarnations of Visuwy,) who, (tung with ree
morfe for the Blood he had fo profufely thed in over.
coming the Rajehs of the Kbeiry tribe, applied to
Vanya, the God of the Occan, to fupply him with
a tradt of ground to beftow on the Brébmenss and Va-
Runa having accordingly withdrawn fis waters from
the Gosokern (a hill in the vicinity of Mangalore) to
Cape Comorin, thig ftrip of territory has, from its
Stunt, as ying long te fot of the Sui (7 the
* Europeans called the Ghaxt) range of mountains, aca
quired the name of Malsalum, (i. €. Skirting at the Bot
tom of the Hills,) aterm that may have bech fhortened
ito Hialygm, ot Macon whence ae af probably
its
2 HISTORICAL REMARKS O
its"common names of Mulievar and” Malebars all
which Pursfram ig firmly believed, by its native Hindu
inhabitants, to-have parcclied out among. different
Migibea of Brélimens, and to have dircéted that the en
ire, t¥oduce of the foil thould be appropriated to theif
maintenance, and towards the edification of temples,
and for the fapport of divine worfhips whgnee it ftill
continues to be diftinguifhed in thelr writings by the
term of Kermbboomy, or, * The Land of Good Works
© for the Expiation of Sin,”
I. The countey thus obtained from ghe fea #, is
reprefented to have remaine? long in a marthy and
fearcely habitable ftate; ini .auch, that the firft oc~
cupants, whom Purefram,is thid to have brought into
it from’ the eaftern, and even the northern, part of
India, again abandoned it ; being more cfpecially fcared
dy the multitude of ferpents with which the mud and
flime of this newly immerged tract is related to have
then abounded; and to which numerous accidents are
aferibed, until Purefram taught the inhabitants to pro-
pitiate thefe animals, by introducing the worthip of
them and of their images, which became from that
period objects of adoration.
ILI. The country of Mulyslun was, according to
the Keral Oodputter, afterwards divided into the four
following Tookrees, or divifions :
aft. From Gowkern, already mentioned, to the Pe~
rombura River, was called the Tooreo, or Turn Rauje.
2d. From
+ Una manu‘ciipt acennnt of Matshar that Uheve foen, and
which is alenhed to a Hsthop of Virapoli, (the feat of a famous
+ Roman Catholic femmnary nea Cockip.) he obfe:ves, that, by
the accounts of the learned natives of that coait, it is fue more,
than ageo years fince the lea conic up to the foot of the Swahuen,
or Ghaut mountains; and that it once did fo he thinks cxtremels
probible fram the natuie of the pis and the quantity of fand,
SyRer-fbells, and other fraguents, met with jn imaking deep ex:
cave, .
THR COAST OF MALABAR. 3
ad, From the Perumbura to Poodumputeum was
called the Mfafbek Rowjg.
3d, From Poodum, or Poodpatumn, to the limits
of Kunetui, was cailed the Kers! or Keri? Raujé
as the principal feat of the ancient government was
fixed, in this middie divifion of Malabar, its name
prevailed over, and was in courfe of time underfteod
in a general fenfe to comprehend the three others.
4th, Feom* Kunety to Kunea Koomary, or Cape
Comorin, was called the Keep Regie; and theft four
grand divifions were pacelled out sno 2 greater nume
ct of Naadbs, (pronounced Naars, and meaning
diflsidts or countries,} and of. KBunds, of fubdivifions,
under the Jarzer denomination.
TV, “The proportion of the produc of ther lands,
that the Brébmens are ftated to have originally affigned
for the fupport of gavernment, amounted to only one
finth fhare? but in the fame book of Kerul Oodpatter
they are afterwards {aid to have divided the country
into three equal proportions; onc of which was con.
fecrated to fupply the expence attending religious
worthip, another for the fupport of goverament, and
the third for their own maintenance.
V. However this may be, according to the book
above quoted, the Brébmens appear to have firit fer
up, and for fome time maintained, a fort of republi-
can or ariftocratical government, under two or three
principal chiefs, elected to adminifter the government,
‘which was thus carried on (attended, however, with
feveral intermediate modifications) tll, on jealoufies
* atifing among thersfelves, the great body of the Bréb~
men landholders had recourfe to foreign affiftance,
which terminated, either by conqueft or convention,
in theic receiving to rule over them a Permal, or chief
governor, from the Frings of the neighbouring coun-
2 ty
