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forces of the sovereign, protecting the symbols. The inscription

is very short:—

(62.)

Gāmiņi dhama rājasa putasa Aya Asalisa leņe.

The cave of the Noble Asāli, of the son of the devout

king Gāmiņi.1

Mr. Bell, the Government Archaeologist, met with some cave inscriptions in the North-central Province, left by the sons of Saddhātissa, the brother of Duṭṭha-Gāmiņi. One of these, at a hill called Kuḍā Arambaedda-hinna, which is part of Ritigala, is as follows (Annual Report, 1893, p. 9). The king is of course Lajjitissa (119-109 B.C.).

(63.)

(La)jaka Tisa maharaje wihara karawaya Abadaļuka wawi saga dini.

The great king Lajjaka Tissa caused the wihara

to be made (and) gave the Abadaļuka tank (to) the Community.

(64.) Another at the same place is-Gamani Abayi kubara saga dini.

Gāmaņi Abhaya gave the field (to) the Community. Apparently this belongs to Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi before he came to the throne in 104 B.C.; it is noteworthy that he does not give himself the title Noble.'

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In his Annual Report for 1897, p. 11, Mr. Bell mentions another inscription by Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi at Min-vila, and at p. 9 one by Lajjitissa at Duwegala, but gives no copy or transliteration of them.

(65.) He records one of nearly the same period over a cave at Saessãēruwa, in the North-western Province, and gives a transliteration of the first part of it as follows:

Devanapiya Maharajaha Gamaņi Abayaha jita
Abi Anuridiya, etc., the rest probably being merely
the usual dedication of the cave to the monks.
Abhi Anuridhiyā, daughter of the great king Gāmaṇi
Abhaya, beloved of the Gods, etc.

Mr. Bell attributes it to a daughter of King Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi;

1 I have two other inscriptions of one district in the North-western Province, in which a 'Parumaka Asaliya' is mentioned, but evidently he is some other person, his father being a chief called Någa.

it may be gathered from Mah., i, p. 129, that this king had one whose name is not given by the annalists.

Through the kindness of my friend Mr. F. Lewis of the Forest Department in Ceylon, I am able to add a recently found inscription cut at a cave at Kusalāna-kanda, near Rūgama, in the Eastern Province. It was discovered and copied by his Forest Ranger, and has not been examined by Mr. Lewis; but it appears to be so important in connection with the identification of the authors of several other inscriptions, that although it may prove to require some correction I now give a facsimile (Fig. No. 151), and a transliteration and tentative translation of it as it stands in the hand-copy sent to me.

(66.)

Upaja Naga p(u)te Raja Abaye namā tatā-p(u)te
Gamani Tisa namate nakarate sudasane sagasa.
Born the son (of) Naga (and) by King Abhaya
named (his)' own son' (the prince) named Gāmaṇi
Tissa has prepared the 'Beautiful' (cave) of the
Community.

This agrees so accurately with the account in the Mahavansa (i, p. 129) of Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi Abhaya's adoption of the son of his brother, King Khallata-Nāga, that it appears to settle the question of the identification of the sovereign called Gāmiņi-Tissa, who is thus Mahācula Maha-Tissa.

It still leaves some difficulties. In the first place, the letters are all of the very earliest shapes, with the bent r, the angular s, and the cup-shaped m; one would not expect to find all these forms still in use during the reign of Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi. Secondly, we have the Gal-lena inscriptions which follow, that appear to belong to the same prince, who calls himself in them merely 'the Noble Tissa,' and uses a decidedly later type of letters. The difficulty in connection with the writing may perhaps be explained by assuming that there was still a retention of the old forms of letters in the beginning of Waṭṭa-Gamini's reign, while an alphabet more in accordance with that used in India was coming into use by the stone-cutters after he had regained the throne in 88 B.C.

With only two exceptions there is a peculiarity observable in Gāmiņi-Tissa's inscriptions; in six out of the eight that

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are now known he gives a name to the cave that he dedicates to the monks, while in other cave inscriptions the proportion of the caves so named does not exceed three or four in a hundred. The following inscription was discovered by Mr. H. Nevill at Henannegala, in the south-eastern part of the Eastern Province, and was published by him in the Taprobanian (Vol. i, p. 38, ff.).

(67.)

Undescribed symbols. Gamiņi Tisaha pitaha ca

Majama Rajaha ca niyata gama nisa paribegani sagasa Giritisa game, Karajinitisa gama, Wila gama, Kasuba nagare Malaga Naka like. The villages assigned by the father of Gāmiņi-Tissa and by the Majjhima Raja (King of the Middle Country) as a resource for the food of the Community (are) Giritissa-gama, Karajinitissa-gama, Wila-gama. Written (by) Malaga Naga of Kassapa nāgara.

It is rather strange that the name of Gāmiņi-Tissa's father, Khallāta-Nāga, is not inserted in this inscription. The king of the 'Middle' Country, that is, the Malaya or hill district, may have been Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi, who took refuge there when the Tamil invaders occupied Northern Ceylon in 104 B.C. Possibly this inscription was cut by Gāmiņi-Tissa during that period.

Following the last we have a series of five inscriptions at Gal-lena wihāra, in the North-western Province, all recording the dedication of caves, four of which are distinguished by special names.

(68.)

Devānapiya Mahā rāja Gāmaṇi Abhayasa puta

Tisayasa Mahā leņa1 agatānāgatasa cāt(u) disa sagasa. The 'Great' cave of Tissa the Noble, son of the great king Gāmaṇi Abhaya, beloved of the Gods; to the Community of the four quarters, present or future.

1 Dr. E. Müller has lene. Anc. Inscriptions, p. 73.

2 Tisaya Tissa + Aya, as at Kota-daemu-hela below, where both forms occur. See also Dr. Müller's inscription numbered 34 (a) in which the son of a King Abhaya is called Tisaya, 'the Noble Tissa.'

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FIG. 153. Facsimiles of Inscriptions,

are now known he gives a name to the cave that he dedicates to the monks, while in other cave inscriptions the proportion of the caves so named does not exceed three or four in a hundred. The following inscription was discovered by Mr. H. Nevill at Henannegala, in the south-eastern part of the Eastern Province, and was published by him in the Taprobanian (Vol. i, p. 38, ff.).

(67.)

Undescribed symbols. Gamiņi Tisaha pitaha ca

Majama Rajaha ca niyata gama nisa paribegani sagasa Giritisa game, Karajinitisa gama, Wila gama, Kasuba nagare Malaga Naka like. The villages assigned by the father of Gāmiņi-Tissa and by the Majjhima Raja (King of the Middle Country) as a resource for the food of the Community (are) Giritissa-gama, Karajinitissa-gama, Wila-gama. Written (by) Malaga Nāga of Kassapa nāgara.

It is rather strange that the name of Gāmiņi-Tissa's father, Khallata-Nāga, is not inserted in this inscription. The king of the 'Middle' Country, that is, the Malaya or hill district, may have been Waṭṭa-Gāmiņi, who took refuge there when the Tamil invaders occupied Northern Ceylon in 104 B.C. Possibly this inscription was cut by Gāmiņi-Tissa during that period.

Following the last we have a series of five inscriptions at Gal-lena wihāra, in the North-western Province, all recording the dedication of caves, four of which are distinguished by special names.

(68.)

1

Devanapiya Mahā rāja Gāmaņi Abhayasa puta Tisayasa Mahā leņa agatānāgatasa cat(u) disa sagasa. The 'Great' cave of Tissa the Noble, son of the great king Gāmaṇi Abhaya, beloved of the Gods; to the Community of the four quarters, present or future.

1 Dr. E. Müller has lene. Anc. Inscriptions, p. 73. 2 Tisaya Tissa Aya, as at Koṭā-daemu-hela below, where both forms occur. See also Dr. Müller's inscription numbered 34 (a) in which the son of a King Abhaya is called Tisaya, the Noble Tissa.'

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