Shiva blessed the fish with immortality, and Vishnu gave the country the name of the Fish-country (Matsyadésha.) The second account contains the root of Coorg-tradition. Siddhartha the King of the renowned Matsyadésha, had four sons. They were learned, heroic, strong in battle. The first of them longed to rule his father's kingdom. The second was addicted to pleasure, and served his elder brother. The third had a turn for philosophy. The fourth, the most talented of the four, gave himself to ascetic exercises and visited all the Tírthas, (places of holy water washing away sin,) but he felt also a strong desire after dominion, and was fond of worldly pleasure. His name was Chandravarma. In due time he took leave of his father and set out to seek his fortune. He was accompanied by a goodly army. He visited in turn many of the holy places, Jagannátha, Tirupati, Kanchi, Chidambara. At Shriranga he worshipped Ranganátha. At Dhanushkóti he bathed according to the precepts of the Shástras. Thence to Ráméshvara, to Anantashayana (Cochin), at last to Brahmádri. Here he dismissed his army and devoted himself to the worship of Parvati. Pleased with the fervent worshipper, the goddess appeared to him, and permitted him to ask a boon. Chandravarma replied : I desire a kingdom, better than my father's. I desire a wife of my own caste and a fruitful mother of children. I desire victory over mine enemies, I desire entrance into Shiva's heaven after death. Parvati replied: "all your desires shall be fulfilled, except the second. On account of the sins of a former life, you cannot obtain children born of a wife of your own caste. This wish you must forego in this life, in another life it may be fulfilled. You shall, however, have a wife of your own caste, and be enabled to fulfill every holy rite. But, besides her, you shall have a Shúdra wife." Saying this, she crea

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ted a Shúdra woman, twelve year's old, adorned with every charm; and gave her to Chandravarma. He received her at the hand of Párvati, “but," said he full of sorrow, "what will be the use to me of Shúdra children? I shall not have a real full-born son, and shall be debarred from heaven. What then is a kingdom to me? What is to me enjoyment? What then shall I do with this girl? Take back this woman, O Parvati!" Párvati says: "give up your sorrow, O Chandravarma. Through my grace thou shalt be happy in this life and in the life to come. Hear my word! Eleven sons shall be born unto thee. They will not be Shúdras. Being children of a Kshatriya father and a Shúdra mother: they will be called Ugra (fierce men.) They will be valiant men, worshippers of myself and Shiva, righteous, true and faithful, devoted to the Brahmans, fit to rule, honored by kings, in every respect, except the possession of the four Védas and six Angas, equal to the Kshatriyas. They will be thy joy in this life and in the next. In this holy country I will appear, in due time, a river rich in blessings, the daughter of Brahma, the daughter of Kavéra Muni, the wife of Agastya. From the sacred tank of the Rishi, near the roots of the holy Nelli tree, in the month of Tulá, I will flow forth and give many blesings to thy sons from love to thee. The country is dear to me as mine eye. Mlénchhas has now rule over it, enemies of gods and Brahmans, destroyers of elephants and other living things, subverters of the law, sword-handed, wrathful, of terrific valor, with frightful bodies, a burden of the earth, the offspring of drunkenness. By my grace go forth to conquer them. Do thou become the king of this land, uphold the laws and establish holy Brahmans." Párvati gave him a victorious sword, a white horse, quick as wind, and an army, and sent him against the Turks (sic!). Upon this Párvati disappear

ed. Chandravarma, by Párvati's blessing, overcame the

Turks (sic!). Then he collected his army, all the Rishis and all the Brahmans, to celebrate his marriage with a woman of his own caste, according to the Shástras. Both the king and the queen were crowned by the Rishis and Brahmans. Chandravarma now gave houses and lands to the Brahmans, and called also other tribes to settle in his kingdom. The country was called Matsyadésha, because a son of the king of Matsyadésha was its first king.

3. The third name of the country is Kródadésha. The following account is given of its origin. Chandravarma was the best of kings. His Kshatriya queen was barren, but his Shúdra wife bore him 11 sons. The first-born of them was Dévakánta. He and all his brothers were brought up according to the word of Párvati. Like Kshatriyas they received the name, the holy cord and the tonsnre, with due ceremonies. When they arrived at maturity, Chandravarma was anxious to obtain for them wives worthy of such princes. He heard, that the king of Vidarbhadésha had a hundred daughters born of Shúdra mothers. Ambassadors were sent to Vidarbha Raya, who cheerfully agreed to give his daughters in marriage to the valiant sons of Chandravarma. He himself accompanied them to the mountains of the Matsya country and to the palace of Chandravarma. A great royal marriage-feast ensued. Dévakanta, the first-born of Chandravarma, received twenty of Vidarbharaya's daughters in marriage. The second son sixteen, the third twelve, the fourth ten, the fifth and sixth each eight, the seventh and eighth princes received each seven of the princesses, and to each of the three youngest sons of Chandravarma four of the daughters of Vidarbharaya were given. When all the festivities were concluded, Vidarbharaya returned to his own country, but a good number of his people

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stayed with his daughters in the country of their adoption. Chandravarma's family multiplied greatly. Vidarbharaya's daughters became, by the blessing of Párvati, fruitful mothers. When age came upon Chandravarma, he grew tired of the world and of his kingdom. He called his sons together, placed the crown on Dévakánta's head, exhorted his sons to love and union, and retired with his two wives to the Himalaya, there to spend the rest of his days in the worship of Párvati and self-mortifying exercises. Before his departure, he told his sons and grandsons, that Párvati would soon be born in their country as the holy river Kávéri; "and you will be happy," he added, as long as you abide in the worship of Brahmans, of Shiva and of Párvati."

6.

Dévakánta was now king. All the houses of Chandravarmn's sons abounded in children. Each of them had more than a hundred sons. men of valor, strong of arm resembled the fangs of boars. room enough for them. The did not suffice to feed them.

They were all mighty and foot. Their nails Ere long there was not produce of their fields But they righted them

selves soon. They went out to prepare new fields for themselves. With the nails of their strong hands and feet they tore up the ground and levelled the slopes of the hills with the valleys in a circumference of 5 yójanas. Then they settled themselves anew in the country, the face of which they had changed by the strength of their owm arms. Around them they planted houses and families of Brahmans and other castes. Because this re-establishment of the country resembled the renowned deeds of the Vráhávatára (the boar-incarnation of Vishnu), the country of Chandravarma's sons was henceforth called Kródadésha, and its inhabitants Króda people. This word Króda is said to have been changed and corrupted by degrees into Kodagu, which

is the present, and probably was the original, name of the country.

From the time of the departure and prophecy of Chandravarma, his sons and their people waited for the appearance of the holy river Kàvèri. Two days before Tulàsankramana (the time of the Sun entering the sign of Libra) Pàrvati appeared in a dream to king Dèvakànta, and ordered him to assemble his whole people in a place, called Valamburi. There she would appear to them. Accordingly the whole tribe assembled at Valamburi. The river came rushing down the valley, and the assembled Coorgs bathed in the fresh flood. The violence of the stream turned off the knots of the women's dresses round to their backs, and the Coorg women (says the Puràna) wear their gowns in this fashion until this day, in remembrance of the first bathing of the Coorgs in the water of the Kàvèri at Valamburi. In the middle of the stream, Pàrvati appeared in person. "Ask a boon of me," she cried. The Coorgs asked for fecundity, for dominion, for riches and for a priest. Pàrvati answered: well; a priest you will find near the fountain of the Kàvèri, a friend of my father Kavèraràya, who has for three lives worshipped me ("three lives" does not here mean, father, son, and grandson, but three actual lives of the same person, who worshipped Pàrvati until his death, and, when he was born again according to Hindu theory, spent his second life, and after that his third life, in the service of the goddess.) The Coorgs went and found him at the sources of the Kàvèri. He taught them during a whole month, which they spent there, how to prepare food for their ancestors, and other holy rites. Since that day all the Coorgs assemble each year in the month of Tulà (October, November) to celebrate the great festival of their tribe in honor of Kavèri.