Voyage to the East Indies

Virapatnam—Seminary there—Error of Ptolemy the geographer—Apis—Error of some modern geographers—Etymological catalogue of places in Carnada, Tanjaur and Madura.

M. Jallabert had given-me a particular account of a seminary at Virapatnam, in which young Indians who embraced the Christian religion were educated. As education is an object which deserves the particular attention of the traveller, we made a little excursion thither from Puduceri. Vira, in the Samscred language, signifies strong or courageous; and Patna, or Patana, a city. Virapatnam, therefore, signifies the strong city. This place, at present, is a small town situated at the distance of six miles from Puduceri, towards the south west, on the banks of a river, which takes its rise in the mountains on the east, and, flowing part Virapatnam, discharges itself into the sea on the south side of Puduceri. Pudu in the Tamulic and Malabar languages, signifies new; Puduna, newness; Ceri, a town: Puduceri therefore signifies the new town. From this etymology it is clear that Puduceri cannot be a place of any antiquity; and it was indeed built by some emigrants from Virapatnam. When the Arabians first came to India, several cities lying on the sea coast arose in the like manner. It is therefore ridiculous when certain geographers, who endeavour to explain Ptolemy’s geography, consider cities first built in modern times to be the same as some of those mentioned in that author, though they must undoubtedly have been unknown to him, as they were not then in existence. It deserves also to be remarked, that Ptolemy, in giving the distances of places, generally errs from two to three degrees of latitude. The reason is, that the ancient travellers were accustomed to reckon the latitude according to the length or shortness of the day; and, consequently, to determine the distance of one place from another in the same manner. But as the day and night near the equator are almost always of equal length, it may readily be conceived, that the degree of latitude in which a place was situated could not be accurately ascertained in that manner; and that Ptolemy, and all those who depended upon him, must have fallen into errors[20]. The case has been nearly the same with M. D’Anville, as will be shewn hereafter.

The seminary of Virapatnam was situated in a palm-garden; or, to speak more correctly, in a garden planted with coco-nut trees. It was founded by M. Mathon, a celebrated member of the so called Missions étrangères, who, at the time we were there, presided over it as rector. The building resembled a convent, but was much better divided; and so contrived, that these oriental seminarists did not find the least impediment, either in their study, their bodily exercise, or their other labours. Between three side apartments, where the three tutors lodged, was a large hall on the ground floor, in which were constructed two rows of small chambers all adjoining. They were separated from each other by thin wooden partitions, of only three or four palms in height; so that each of the students had an apartment to himself, and all of them could be observed by their teacher. The teacher sat at a desk, where he read his lessons; and, while employed in teaching, he could with one view see every thing that was doing in the different apartments. The pupils not only studied in these apartments, but also slept in them. A table, on which lay a mattress, supplied the place of a bed; and both above and beneath it another small table was suspended, which could be lowered or raised up at pleasure. If any of these young people wished to write, he had no occasion to leave his chamber, as he had nothing to do but to sit down at the foot of his bed; and when he wished to go out, he had only to remove his table and fold it up. On the other table above the bed were books, paper, pens and ink; his long seminary dress, and several small articles necessary for preserving cleanliness. The doors of the hall, which were exactly opposite to each other, stood always open to afford a free passage to fresh air; but no one could go out unperceived by the tutor, who in his apartment was continually observing every thing that passed. The refectory was situated in another part of the building; and it was customary to read in it during meals. The shops of the taylor, shoemaker, and carpenter, together with the printing-office and ovens for baking bread, were without, and all occupied by seminarists; for each of them was obliged to learn a trade. They all went bare-footed; and one of their employments was to water and look after the young palm-trees which were planted in the garden. Their time was so divided, that they studied daily four hours; devoted one hour to manual labour; and spent the remaining part in prayer, singing and meditation. On two days in the week they conversed in their mother tongue; but on other days they were obliged always to speak Latin. M. Mathon shewed me a bull of his present holiness Pope Pius VI. issued in favour of this seminary, and in which he bestowed great praises upon it. This institution was destined merely for young persons from China, Cochinchina, Tunquin, and Siam. It is much to be lamented that no establishment of the like kind is to be found here, for the natives of Malabar, and other parts of the peninsula of India, who are all formed to the ecclesiastical state in other countries, and return, for the most part, men of corrupted morals.

On the day of my return to Puduceri, I had an opportunity of seeing a very singular scene; as on that day the god Apis was led in procession through the city. This deity was a beautiful fat red-coloured ox, of a middle size. The Brahmans generally guard him the whole year through in the neighbourhood of his temple; but this was exactly the period at which he is exhibited to the people with a great many solemnities. He was preceded by a band of Indian musicians; that is to say, two drummers, a fifer, and several persons who with pieces of iron beat upon copper basons. Then came a few Brahmans, and behind these was an immense multitude of people. The Pagans had all opened the doors of their houses and shops, and before each stood a small basket with rice, thin cakes, herbs, and other articles in which the proprietors of these houses and shops used to deal. Every one beheld Apis with reverence; and those were considered fortunate of whose provisions he was pleased to taste a mouthful as he passed. Philarchus conjectured, as we are told by Plutarch in his treatise on Isis and Osiris, that Apis was originally brought from India to Egypt by the inhabitants of the latter. Plutarch himself asserts that the Egyptians considered Apis as an emblem of the soul of Osiris; and, perhaps, he here meant to say, that under this expression they understood that plastic power by which Osiris had produced and given life to every part of the creation. I shall, in another place, endeavour to prove, that Osiris was nothing else than the Sun, and consequently what among the Indians is represented by the idol Shiva, or Mahadèva. Hence it happens, that this Shiva, the emblem of the Sun, rides on an ox; and that in the solemn invocations of the Brahmans he is called Pashupadi, that is, the man of the cow. The cow again is nothing else than a symbol of the goddess Ishami, or the woman, as the Indians are accustomed to call the Isis to whom the cow is dedicated when they speak of her by her sacred name. On the Egyptian monuments Osiris, as the symbol of the Sun, is represented with rays around his head; and his wife Isis bears horns, the symbol of the cow, and also of the new moon, between which and the sun there is the same relation as between wife and husband. On the Indian monuments the idol Shiva has an ox under him; and the goddess Ishami, as she is represented in one of the oldest Indian temples, is leaning with one of her arms on a cow[21]. Pliny in his Natural History, speaking of Apis, makes use of the following remarkable words: “When he eats out of the hand of those who come to consult him, it is considered as an answer. He refused to have any thing from the hand of Germanicus Cæsar, and the latter soon after died[22].” From this it appears that the Egyptians entertained the same opinions respecting Apis as the Indians. In Egypt, as well as India, people were accustomed to consider him as an oracle; to place food before him, and, according as he accepted or refused it, to form conclusions in regard to their good or bad fortune. Does not this evidently shew an analogy in the religious veneration which both these nations shewed to Apis? As the ox, or Apis, represents the plastic power of the sun, the cow, in the like manner, is a symbol of the plastic power of the moon and the earth. The ox, or Apis, is called in the Samscred Uksha, Bhadra, Urszabha, Gau, and Mahisha; but, in the Malabar and Tamulic languages, Kàla, Muri, and Cruda. The cow in the Samscred is called Mahey, Saurabhei, Gò, Usra, Mahà, Shranguini; when she is red, Argiuni; when she is white, Rohinni: in the Malabar and Tamulic languages she is called Pashu, Gova. All these appellations express some of the properties of oxen and cows. Thus, for example, Bhadra means good; Mahisha, great, magnanimous; Mahà, a large cow, a noble animal; Shranguini, handsome, ornamented, beautiful. The idolaters of Malabar call her Ama or Tala, mother; and the ox Appen, father. May not the name Apis employed by the Egyptians and the Greeks be the corrupted Appen, or Appa of the Indians, which signifies father or creator? The Egyptians were accustomed to give to their Isis the horns of a cow, instead of a head dress. The Indians also worship the cow as a divinity. Most of the houses belonging to the Pagan Indians, not only at Puduceri, but upon the whole of both the coasts of Malabar and Ciòlamandala, are covered on the outside and inside with cow-dung. The Pagans are accustomed to drink cow’s urine, in order to purify them from their sins. When near the point of death, they take in their hand a cow’s tail; and, according to their belief, if they die in this manner, they are immediately transported to paradise. I have already said, that the cow is a symbol of the moon and the earth. For this reason she is also in India the goddess Parvadi or Isháni, Ishi or Isha; that is, the woman, the hallowed; under which appellation they understood the moon. She is also the goddess Ma or Lakshmi, that is the great, dedicated to the beautiful goddess; and all these sacred names properly signify the earth. The cow has evidently a mystic sense also, which denotes the plastic power of the moon, and the fertility of the earth. For this reason she is held so sacred, and honoured so much, that in Malabar, and every other place where the Pagans have the superiority, any person who kills a cow is hung on a gibbet. The ox which represents Apis, must every three years give place to another. If he dies in the course of these three years of his deification, he is committed to the earth with all that pomp and ceremony observed at the interment of persons of the first rank. Various pagodas, or pagan temples, have on their front the figure of a cow, or perhaps two, of a colossal size[23].

The habitations of the Pagans at Puduceri, as well as on the coasts of Malabar and Ciòlamandala, are in general very low and dark. In the last-mentioned district they are built of bricks dried in the sun, and are covered with palm leaves. The Pondiyalas, or warehouses, in which the Indians keep their merchandise, are also very dark, especially at Puduceri and Madraspatnam. As a great deal of muslin is sold at both these places, it is not improbable that the merchants employ such a mode of construction, that the faults of their wares may be better concealed.

Krishavaram, the blessing of the god Krishna: a town distinguished on the maps by the name of Quichenavaron.

Cirangam, or Cirangapatnam, the city of the beautiful limbs: from Cir, beautiful; Anga, a limb; and Patnam, the city. It is the Cheringam of the Europeans[24].

Celiaolam, the slimy pond; the Chelicolon of the Europeans.

Tricolùr, the town of the three pools, or places of lustration. On the maps it is called Tricoloùr.

Palancotta, the castle of the bridges, for several bridges must be passed before one can arrive at it: from Pàlam, or Pàlan, a bridge; and Cotta, a castle. On the maps it is called Palancottè.

Names of Cities and Towns in the Kingdom of Madura.

Madura, Matura, and Madhura, the lovely, the mild city, or the city of the hero Madhu. It is the capital of the kingdom of Madura, which takes its name from it, but by the Europeans is called Madure. This kingdom is named also Pandi, or Pandimandala, the land of Pandi, Pando, or Pandava, an ancient Indian king, by whom, according to the opinion of the Brahmans, it was founded. Pliny calls this city Modusa regia Pandionis; but Ptolemy gives it the name of Methora.

Tricinnapalli: from Tri, three; Cinna, small; and Palli, a temple or a school. At present it is the capital of Madura, and on the maps is called Trichenapali.

Manelùr, the town on the sand: a town.

Tindacalla, the dirty stone or rock; on the maps Tinducallu. It is the Tindis of Ptolemy and Arrian.

Tirnaveli, or Tirunnaveli, the place where the tide ends: is at present a considerable city.

Mantòpo, or Mantòpu, the garden on good soil: a city.

Ciangracoil, the temple of Ciangra, or Shiva: on the maps called Sangaravacoil.

Uttamapàleam; from Uttama, the best; and Pàleam, or Pàliyam, the house of government. On the maps it is called Uttamapaleon.

Names of Cities and Towns on the Coast of Pescaria, or, as the ancients called it, Paralia.

Ràmanàthapuram, the city of Rama, of the lord. On the maps it is called Ramanadaburon.

Vayparra, the three large rocks; a town which is situated near these rocks.

Tùtucuri, or Tùducudi, a town or place where linen cloth is washed.

Mannapara, earth and rocks; from Manna, earth; and Pàrra, a rock.

Vadakencolam, a pond or bath towards the north; at present a city.

Gòvalam, the circuit of the cow; at present a town: the Colis or Colias of the antients, lying not far from Tovala. It is a strong fortress belonging to the king of Travancor, and guards the passage from the kingdom of Madura to Cape Comari. On the maps it is called Covalan.

Names of Cities and Towns in the Kingdom of Maissur.

Maissùr; from Maï, colour; and Ur, a land; Maissùr, the land of colour. It is not improbable that it obtained this name either from the reddish earth found there in abundance, or the dye plants it produces, and with which the cotton cloth is dyed. This kingdom lies between Carnada, Madura, and the coast of Malabar.

Bengalùr, the white land, the white earth. This name is given to the capital where the nabob Hayder Aly Khan formerly resided. It is a considerable city, strongly fortified.

Ciringapatnam, the capital and fortress where the nabob Tippoo Sultan Bahader resides. It lies at the distance of twenty leagues from Bengalur, towards the west. On the maps it is called Chiringapatnam.

Dhermapuri, the city of good works, or the city of virtue; from Dherma, virtue; and Puri, a city. On the maps it is called Darmapuri.

Dharàburam, or Dharàpuram, the city where the rain water runs off; for it lies at the bottom of that ridge of mountains called the Gauts, from which the water pours down in torrents. On the maps it is called Daraburu.

Budhapadi, the town of Budha, an Indian idol. On the maps, Budapari.

Gòculatùr: from Go, a cow; Cula, a herd; and Ur, the land or town; consequently the land of the herds of cows. On the map, Guclaturu.

Cinnabellapuram, the small city of strength. On the maps called Sinnaba’lambaram.

Ciandrapati, or Tschandrapadi, the spot in the moon. On the maps Sandarupati.

Of such changed and corrupted names a great many more might be produced, but most of them so mutilated, that their real meaning can no longer be guessed, and people would only lose themselves in uncertain conjectures if they endeavoured to discover their etymological origin. It, however, appears by those above mentioned, that some of the Indian cities and towns received their names from Indian deities, others from local circumstances or the nature of their situation; and that such appellations cannot have originated from the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, or Romans. In the eastern part of India no traces of Sesostris or the Greeks are to be found, as some learned men in Europe have erroneously asserted. That India was already civilised in the time of Sesostris, shall be proved hereafter. In regard to the Grecian language and mythology, these were not known in India before the invasion of Alexander the Great, and even then only in some of the maritime cities of the northern part of the country[25].

After this digression I shall now give a short account of the kingdoms of Madura, Tanjaur, and Carnada, according to the information I received from the missionaries resident in those countries; for, as I was not able to remain longer on the coast of Ciòlamandala than from the 26th of July till the 20th of October, it was impossible for me in the course of these few months to learn, by my own experience, every thing that regards this remarkable land. The reader, therefore, will not take it amiss, if I here insert what was communicated to me by intelligent missionaries, who had spent the greater part of their lives in those provinces.