very interesting ruins of the Beréndi-kówila, a temple built, or commenced to be built, by the "lion-king," Rája Sinha I., so named by his father, the king Máya Dunnai, but known and execrated in Buddhist annals as "the Apostate Rajah." This king, renowned as a warrior from the time. he was eleven years old, to the day of his death, when he had attained the age of 120 years, resolved upon the building of this temple, to be dedicated to the worship of Káli, as an atonement for some atrocious acts of cruelty committed in the course of his life. The approach of death seems to have terrified him. "Oppressed by the recollection of his monstrous barbarities, he sent for some of the leading Buddhist priests to attend him, and when they had come into his presence, he interrogated them as to the hope of pardon for his sins. The priests, whether emboldened by the sight of the sunken form of their aged persecutor, or

Beréndi is the Sinhalese form of the Hindu term Bránḍi. The derivation of the term is doubtful; probably it is a corrupt form of one of the names of the goddess Káli, the consort of Sivá; and assuming, with FORBES, the tradition to be correct which states that this kówila or temple was erected by Rája Sinha on the advice of the Aandiyás, who were worshippers of Sivá, the attributes of Brándi, or Káli, were such as would peculiarly attract and suit the constitutional temperament of the king. He would believe that by her aid he could destroy his enemies, since in sacrificing to her "An enemy may be immolated by proxy, substituting a buffalo or goat, and calling the victim by the name of the enemy through the whole ceremony, thereby infusing by holy texts, the soul of the enemy into the body of the victim: which will, when

impelled by the workings of conscious rectitude, replied, 'that they could hold out no hope of forgiveness in a future state.' Sinha, in whose nature the stern will of absolutism had been too deeply implanted to depart but with the soul that enshrined it, raised his eyes lit up with a scarcely human fire, and in his rage at their presumption, and as he deemed it, disloyalty, ordered them all, with the exception of the chief priest, to be shut up in a house and burnt alive. After incurring in this manner the vengeance of heaven, he sent for the priests of another temple: these, warned by the fate of their brethren, responded in a more soothing tone to his question, declaring indeed that so great a sinner could not hope for absolution but by repentance, but that as his majesty felt contrition for his enormities, they would endeavour, by the force of their prayers, to procure a sojourn for him in some intermediate region between heaven and earth, instead of an abode where he would be tormented by

immolated, deprive the foe of life also.'"-MOOR's Hindu Pantheon, p. 83. Edit. 1864.

Kówila is the term applied in Ceylon to a temple dedicated to an inferior Hindu god or goddess, in contradistinction to Déwála, which is applied to a temple dedicated to a superior deity. The two words however are similarly derived, and have the same signification. The one is Tamil, and the other Sanskrit; the Sinhalese apply the Tamil term to Hindu temples built by Tamils, and use the Sanskrit word for the temples to Hindu deities built by themselves The officiating priest of a Déwála is generally called a Kapurála, while that of a Kówila is called a Pattinehami.

devils. This answer seemed to compose the inquietude of the dying king, and he not only saved their lives but loaded them with presents, which they refused to receive. He requested them also not to take to heart the massacre of their brethren, which he had ordered in a paroxysm of rage. On receiving an assurance of forgiveness, he soon after gave up the ghost." Some of the native traditions however aver, that the priests he sent for on the second occasion were the Aandiyás, to whom, for the consolatory answer he received from them, he gave the custody of Adam's Peak; that he recovered from his sickness, and under their advice set about the building of the Berendi-kówila, which was left incomplete at the time of his death.

Whichever of the preceding statements as to the origin of the Berendi-kówila is correct, is perhaps a matter not now possible to determine, but the ruins themselves, although of no great antiquity, are unquestionably amongst the most interesting in Ceylon, and are moreover of easy access to the traveller. Dr. Davy and Captain Forbes both notice them, but at the times of their visits the overgrowing jungle had more or less concealed them from view. In this respect we were more fortunate, for the owners of the property, the priests of the Daladá Máligáwa, or Palace of the Tooth↑ at

* PRIDHAM'S Historical, Political and Statistical Account of Ceylon and its Dependencies, vol. i. p. 96.

† For an account of this temple-palace, and its worshipped relic, see Appendix F.

Kandy, had leased the grounds for a term of 99 years to the incumbent of a Buddhist vihára at Cotanchina, near Colombo; and the lessee was making the most of his bargain. The jungle was nearly all cleared, and the crops of grain we saw growing seemed to indicate considerable fertility of soil. Our visit was greatly facilitated by the courtesy of Mr. J. W. Gibson, the Commissioner of Requests and Police Magistrate of the District, who obligingly accompanied us, although the drenching showers which fell were the cause of no small discomfort at the time. We crossed the Sítáwaka-ganga at the ferry, also used as a ford when the water is low, the track of which is paved with broad flag stones, said to have been brought from the kówila; and after proceeding a short distance along the Yatiyantota road, turned to the right, the ground gradually rising, until we came to a ravine which forms a kind of base to the triangular knoll, on the summit of which the ruins are seen. Across this ravine a singular bridge permits access to the precincts of the kówila. It consists of five huge stones. admirably dressed on their upper surface, each fifteen feet long, varying in width from two feet to three feet and a half, and in thickness from twelve to eighteen inches. One of these is broken through the middle, and a native legend by way of accounting for the fracture, states, that owing to a woman crossing it when affected with a natural infirmity, the goddess to whom the place was dedicated became so incensed, that she caused the stone to split in two, and thereby precipitated the offender to the bottom of the ravine,

The surface of the hill, or slope of ground, at some distance beyond the bridge, is scarped and levelled into a series of terraces or platforms. The first and lowest is a parallelogram about 280 feet in breadth; the second about 180; on and near the northern end of this is the third, a square of 80 feet, and on this again, perhaps twenty feet from its northern side, the fourth, a square of 20 feet. The sides of each face the cardinal points, those of the north overlooking what may be called the apex of the triangle, round which the river makes a sharp curve. Retaining walls of massive carved and moulded granite stones surround the first, third and fourth platforms; and from the angles of the walls of the fourth, which is wholly paved with broad flags, rise the handsome clustered pillars which formed the temple. A narrow groove or channel is cut through one of the carved blocks at the southwest angle, the use of which is not very manifest, unless it was to carry off the blood of animals slaughtered in sacrifice to the goddess. Flights of steps lead to the platform from the centre of each side, and corresponding steps are placed in each of the walls of the terraces below. Traces of such steps are also seen down the steep face of the hill to the brink of the river, from which, in its windings above and below, the Berendi-kówila must

* All Hindu altars, I am informed, have a passage to let out the water which the Brahmans pour upon them for the purpose of purifying them from the defilement which they are supposed to contract when the gods feast upon the offerings which are there placed.