places as Nalanda, half-way between Matalé and Dambulla, which, though never a capital, was the headquarters of Parakrama the Great when he made war on his uncle, King Gaja Bahu, in Polonnaruwa. Here the mighty warrior built a fortress, and here there is a ruined shrine called Gedi-gé, dating from the eleventh century, which possesses some features of interest and is described in the 1910-11 Report. Or to Medigiriya, with its Wata-dagé adorned with many pillars and a Buddhist-railing" wall, and nine Buddhas of different sizes. Even then the chance visitor to Ceylon will have gained but a very small idea of the vast number of ruins scattered over the northern part of the island, and of the incredible patience and pertinacity of the Survey Authorities in hunting them out, unearthing them, and making them accessible. The circuit sections of the reports hardly mention the days of soaking rain, the nights spent in leaking huts, the difficulties of crossing unbridged rivers and tearing or cutting through jungle thorns, to say nothing of plagues of insects, chances of fever, and dangers from wild animals, but to those who know Ceylon these are "taken as read." Of the work accomplished, the innumerable inscriptions unearthed and deciphered, the splendid carvings saved and replaced, the contribution to and illustration of the ancient history of the island, no praise can be too high. Thus, and only thus, have we been enabled to visit these old Cingalese sovereigns in their royalty, to see visions of the fair towns with broad streets, of the images of silver and gold, of the brick and granite palaces in their prosperity, to gain ideas of their constant fighting and strange methods of warfare and provisioning their armies, of their personalities and characteristics from the days of Dutugemunu B.C. to the days of his great successor Parakrama, who, in many respects, resembled him in history and prowess, in the twelfth century A.D. With Parakrama the Cingalese reached their last high-water mark; from thence they waned, and the days of the Kandyan kings mark the low-water mark of depravity and cruelty so far as royalty was concerned. Note. These distances are in many cases taken from the motor-tour prospectus of Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co., Ltd., Ceylon. Sigiriya to Anuradhapura 37 to Dambulla ΙΟ 14 to Habarane 15 52 59 to Kandy 55 28 to main road 15 28 87 43 INDEX Abhayagiriya, 27, 65, 96, 111 Adam's Bridge, 63 Peak, 8, 14 Aggabodhi III, King, 179 - VII, King, 179 Anuradhapura, chap. iii et seq.; · Polonnaruwa, 196 250 Bird of Paradise, 168, 238 Brick pits (Anuradhapura), 110, 143 Buddha, life and doctrines, 6 et seq., - statues of, 55, 66, 101, 107, 208, Chandravati, Queen, 213 Citadel (Polonnaruwa), 199 Council Chamber (Polonnaruwa), 196 Dagabas, 65, and see various names Dewanampiatissa, 6, 19, 53, 86, 146, 153 Dutugemunu, King, 21, 61, 66, 67, Eight Sacred Sites, the, 58, 65, 91 Elala's Tomb, 123 |