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302
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1876.
Lakshmaņa to go in search of Ráma, and Råvaņa ral pile, a burning-ground; bhumi = the earth, appeared before her and cunningly tempted ground. As one result of this, the placing of her to prepare to follow him, by asserting that the left hand on the heart at night will cause her husband had caught the antelope and was on the slumberer to dream most horrible dreams. his way back with his brother. Stooping down, Rama then came and dwelt at the present BhaRåvans, with his trident (shulam), lifted up Sitadrachallam, building a temple there (which and the ground on which she was standing, and is not supposed to be in existence now), and placing both her and the mass of the earth on calling the temple Bhadrâdu, and the village his chariot began to fly away. At that time Bhadrapuram. After a time he met with in the little village of Etapaka, a few Anjanuyuda and Sugrivada, and learning that miles beyond Bhadrâchallam, lived the Ravana was living on a certain well-known famous bird Jetayud u. On hearing Sita's hill in the gorge some distance below Rékaories of distress he immediately hastened to palli, he proceeded there and rescued his wife. the rescue, and met the chariot on the site At Parnasala they profess to show to visi. of the present Dumagûd em. A terrible tors in a certain vagu (nalla) a stone upon which battle ensued, and in the conflict so much Sitä sat. Certain marks on a rock resemble dust arose that the place was ever afterwards footprints, and are therefore called Sita's foot. called Dummugudem-dummu (Telugu) prints;' and on one rock especially there are =dust, gúdem=& village or hamlet. In the yellow stains, attributed to the yellow dye of struggle Râvana's chariot-wheels grazed the Sità's clothes, laid out there to dry after she top of the hill on the opposite side of the bad washed them. A small hollow in the vilriver, and the hill has ever since been called lage is said to be the spot where she was stand. Radhapu-Gutta :-radhapu, the adjective ing when Råvaņa lifted her up. formod from radham, a chariot,' and 'gutta,' a On the opposite side of the river, close to the hill. This scarped hill attracts the attention of foot of the Radhapu Gutta, is a small hill called all visitors to Damagûdem, and presents an ex- Nalugu Gutta, which is supposed to have ceedingly pretty sight when the rays of the rising been formed by the accumulation of nalugu (i.e. sun in the rainy season fall on the summit. a kind of soap paste) left by Sità after her
Ravaņa, despairing of victory by fair means, daily baths. asked wherein the secret of the bird's immense Some years after this, the people of the disstrength lay, promising faithfully to reveal trict, having learned that Rama had lived for wherein his own lay. Becoming possessed of some time at Bhadrâchallam, began to regard the required information and declining to act that town as sacred, and a certain bairagi took up to his promise, he soon conquered Jetayudu, up his abode there and built a small temple, and the latter fell down mortally wounded. carving a stone, and having placed it in the The bird's two wings fell down in the village temple worshipped it as the image of Råma. now called Réka palli, which is said to be a Thus far the legendary history. modification of the word Rekkapalli, according About 150 years ago Rama Dås, an official to a well-known rulo in Telugu grammar where of the Nizam's government, was sent to collect by the cutting off a consonant necessitates the the revenue of this tâluka, but instead of translengthening of the preceding vowel: réka (from mitting the money he spent it in building a Tekka) =a wing, palli= a village. The village temple and gôpuram. His superiors at last obwhere Jetsyado lived is called Y etap aka orjected to this, and sent a number of Rohillas Etapaks, i.e. Jetaya's pakn' :-pikara hut. and carried him to Haidarâbâd, where he died Before long, Râma retornou, and, not finding after an imprisonment of twelve years. Sitâ, followed up the tracks of Lakshmana, A certain Tirumalakshmi Narasimha Rau then coming at last upon the dead body of his faith- came, and, being much wiser than his predeful bird. Intensely grieved, he piled up a heap cessor, annually despatched part of the tribute, of sticks in the palm of his left hand, and plac- and devoted the rest to finishing the work coming the corpse of Jetayudu thereon he burned menced by Rama Das and beginning another it. Hence the left hand is called the kiti temple. Whilst he was thus engaged, a wealthy bhúmi, -kati the inflected form of kadu, a fune- man of Madras, named Varadarů madásu, with
