MALAYALIM LANGUAGE. 211
| വിശാഖം, | വട്ടകിണറപൊലെ, | Like a round well. |
| അനിഴം, | ഉണ്ടവില്ലപൊലെ, | „ a bow. |
| തൃക്കെട്ട, | ൟട്ടിപൊലെ, | „ a sort of spear. |
| മൂലം, | കാഹളം പൊലെ, | „ a trumpet. |
| പൂരാടം, ഉത്ത്രാടം, |
കട്ടിൽകാലപൊലെ, | „ legs of a bedstead. |
| തിരുഒണം, | മുഴക്കൊൽപൊലെ | „ a measuring rod. |
| അവിട്ടം, | ചക്രംപൊലെ, | „ a wheel. |
| ചതയം, | അഞ്ച നക്ഷത്രം, | Five stars. |
| പൂരൂരുട്ടാതി, ഉത്ത്രുട്ടാതി, |
രാവണൻ കട്ടിൽകാ ല പൊലെ, |
Like the legs of Ravenen's bedstead. |
| രെവതി, | മിഴാവപൊലെ, | „ a small sort of Tabor. |
These constellations are sometimes represented by different figures; thus,
| മകയിരം, | തെങ്ങാകണ്ണപൊലെ, | Like the eyes of a cocoa-nut. |
| അവിട്ടം, | പടവ പൊലെ, | Like a small ship, &c. |
The lunar ecliptic is used to show the constellation in which the moon
appears every day. It requires more than 27 days for the moon to make
one complete revolution from any point of the Zodiac, to the same point
again; but the natives intercalate the fractional parts in a way similar to
that of their other calculations. In common however, they reckon 27
days as the period of the moon's revolution round her orbit, giving to each
day one of the names of the above constellations, beginning with അശ്വ
തി; as അശ്വതിനാൾ.
Besides the above named constellations, they have another termed അ
ഭിജിത്ത, which is formed from part of the stars in ഉത്ത്രാടം and തിരു
ഒണം, as described in the following lines,
ഉത്ത്രാടത്തിൽ നാലാങ്കാൽ തിരുഒണത്തിലാദിയിൽ നാല
നാഴിക കൂടുമ്പൊൾ അഭിജിത്തായ നാളത.
When four Narikas (i.e. two from each constellation) from the
fourth part of Utteradem and the beginning of Tiruvohnum meet
together, they form Abighit day.
This അഭിജിത്ത നാൾ is merely used in some calculations to make
up an equal number of 28 days.
14. Their lunar year consists of 12 lunar months, reckoned from new
2 E 2
