C r o c o d i l e
G a r r i s o n .
T he T unge-
B A D R A .
C i t y of B is-
NAGUR.
peared to be great, but is now filled with riibbiih : within the
fort is the citadel. Pavernier, p. 72, fays, that *the great ditch
was filled with, crocodiles, by way of garrifoil, to prevent all ac-
t'efs by way o f water. Lieutenant Moor, p. 334, has his doubts
about this, imagining that there never was any water in this fofs.
That fuch garrifons have exifted I doubt not. I have read in
Purchas, ii. p. 1737, that in Pegu, the fofles o f fortified places
were flocked with thofe tremendous animals, not only to keep
out eiiemies but to prevent defertion. This praflice has certainly
been of great antiquity in fome parts of India: Pliny,
lib. vi. cap. xx. mentions it as ufed in a fair city o f the Horata,
a people I cannot trace: “ Horatce,” fays the naturalift, “ urbe
« pukhra foflis paluftribus munita, per quas Crocodili humani
■“ corporis avidiflimi, aditum nifi ponte, nomdant.
T h e Krijhna, a b o v e a n d b e l o w it s c o n f lu x w i t h t h e Beema, is
f o r d a b l e ; a n d a f e w m i le s b e l o w it s c h a n n e l is f i x h u n d r e d
y a r d s w id e , ' m a d e h o r r id w i t h t h e n u m b e r a n d ru d e n e f s o f t h e
v a r io u s fo rm e d r o c k s , w h i c h a r e n e v e r c o v e r e d b u t in t h e r a in y
f e a fo n .
T h e Pungebadra is another vaft branch of the Krijhna. It
falls into it in Lat. 16“ 25', and originates extremely fouth, from
a doubtful fountain. Towards its lower part it divides into three
or four fmall branches, which rife remote from each other; the
moft fouthern is the Coorga Nayrs country ; the moft northern
from the head of the Ghauts oppofite to Onore, and fcarcely
twenty miles from the fea. What muft give this river great
celebrity, is its having had on its banks, in Lat. 15” 22, the
fplendid city Beejanaggur or Bifnagur. Perijhta fays, that it
■ 5 was
was founded in 1344 by Belaldeo, king of the Carnatic, which-
in thofe days included the whole peninfula. It was vifited by
Co-far Frederick, a Venetian traveller, in 1565, and found de-
ferted and ruinous, having been faeked by four confederated
Mahometan princes two years before, on which its monarch
had retired ta Penuconda, as before related. Frederick fays that
its circumference was twenty-four miles. Mr. Kennel has
given us a view o f its prefent ftate from Lieutenant Emmit, who
vifited it in 1792. “ On the north-weft fide o f Comlapour fort,”
(fays Mr. Kmmit) “ diftant half a mile, there are a great num-
“ ber of rugged hills covered with pagodas, which have once
“ 'been very beautiful. This place has been inclofed in ftrong
“ ftone-walls On the eafi fide, and bounded by the river on the
“ weft. The circumference of the whole appears to be about
“ eight miles, though I was told much more. Betwixt the im-
1 menfe- piles of rocks crowned with pagodas, I traced feveral
“ ftreets from thirty to forty-five yards wide, fome of them how
“ producing fine rice : there is one ftreet remains pretty per-
“ fe<St, it is near the S. W. angle o f the bounds. It extends about
“ N. E. and S. W. half a mile, and is about thirty-five yards
“ broad, having colonnades o f ftone on each fide, and a very
“ large pagoda at the S. W. end in perfeCt repair. I On the weft
“ fide of this ftreet there is a large mango grove, which is
“ bounded by the Toombuddra. There are a number, o f ftreamS
“ through thefe ruins, that have formerly been employed to fill
“ a great number of canals, the remains of which appear .all
“ over this once delightful place. I enquired of a number of
“ people the name o f this place, all o f whom told me it waS
P 2 “ called