1 12
Buchanan’s journey through
cuous figure. They are faid to be yearly increafing in height; and no part of the formercity is now to be feen, except the tops of fome of the temples, and cavaliers. Thisis a curious phenomenon: but circumftances would not permit me to inveftigate theparticulars on the fpot. The natives attribute it to the prayers of a woman, who wa3drowned while flae was eroding the river to vifit the place, and who, while dying, wifhedthat it might be overwhelmed by fand. One temple only has efcaped ; the legend con-cerning which is extremely abfurd. A mendicant came one day to Talacadu, intent onmaking an offering toMahadeva, or Ifwara. The temples dedicated to that idol were,however, fo numerous, that he was much at a lofs how to procure an offering for each,fo as to avoid giving offence to any idol that might be omitted. With his whole means,which were very flender, the holy man purchafed a bag of peafe, and offered one ateach temple; but all his peafe were expended, and one idol dill remained, to whichno offering had been made. Of courfe it was highly offended at the preference givento the others by a perfon of his holinefs; and, to avoid their infolent boafting, it tran-fported itfelf acrofs the river, where it now ftands at Malingy, while its former com-panions are buried in fand. Near it is a fila fafana, or infeription engraved on ftone ;but unfortunately it is not legible, as it might probably have thrown fome light on thehiftory of Talacadu.
The Cavery here is at prefent a fine large and deep river, flowing with a gentleflream about a quarter of a mile in width. In the hot feafon it is fordable; but afterheavy rains it rifes above its prefent level ten or twelve feet perpendicular, and then itschannel is completely filled. Once in nine or ten years it rifes higher, and occafionallyfweeps away a hut; but its floods are never very deftruftive,
The only ferry-boats on this large river are what are called donies, or bafkets of acircular form, eight or ten feet in diameter, and covered with leather. They tranfport-with tolerable fafety men and goods; but cattle muff fwim, which is both a fatiguingand a dangerous enterprize. Bamboo floats, provided with a hawfer, fo as to formflying bridges, would make an excellent and cheap conveyance. From the north fideof the Cavery a fine canal is taken by means of a dam, and waters much land nearTalacadu.
3d October, — I went to Satteagala, diftant from Malingy four Sultany coffes; but,owing to the deepnefs of the roads, I was obliged to take a circuitous route, a circum-ftance that never happened to me in any other place above the Ghats. A fmall villagenamed Caleuru, is the laft in the prefent dominions of Myfore. Mulur, the firfl placein the Company’s territory, is one cofs and a half from Malingy, and is a prettly largeopen village.
From Mulur I went one cofs to Coleagala, an open town which contains above 600houfes. It is the refidence of a tahfildar, or chief of a taluc, or diftrift; for theofficers in the Company’s territory differ from thofe in Myfore. It has two large tem-ples, and is a confiderable mart for the traders between Seringapatam and the countrybelow the Ghats, and near the Cavery. Coleagala fignifies the plundered town; whichappellation was bellowed on it after it had been pillaged while under the dominion ofGanga Raja, to whom it formerly belonged.
From Coleagala to Satteagala the diffance is two coffes and a half. The countrythrough which I paffed. to-day is in general very fine, and much better cultivated thanthat between Narafingha-pura and Malingy.
4th October. — I went to vifit the ifland of Sivana Samudra, or the fea of Siva, andits noble cataracts. From Satteagala, the upper end of the ifland is one Sultany cofs;
and