Adam's Peak. "See frowning o'er the vale below, CHAPTER X. FACSIMILE FOOT-PRINTS. · ANURA'DHAPUra, — KurunEGALA. — ALU-VIHA'RA. NA'THA-DE'WA'LE'. GANNORUWA. ALAGALLA.—KOTTIMBULWALA-VIHA'RA.- DEWANAGALA. — KHETTA'RA'MA-VIHA'RA. — RAMBODA. - BADDEGAMA. SITAKANDE. -HOT-SPRING OF MAHAPALASSE. - - JUST as in Moscow the Russians have a facsimile of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, to which the faithful of the Russo-Greek communion make pilgrimages, "The Wanderer in Ceylon." and honestly, if ignorantly, believe that the merit which they acquire in such pilgrimages is only but in a very slight degree less than what they would have gained had they gone direct to the hallowed fane in the sacred city itself; so in Ceylon there are numerous facsimiles of the Srí-páda, to which the old and infirm, and those Buddhists who cannot undertake the journey to the Samanala, reverently repair, and make their offerings of flowers and perfumes; and although they admit that the merit of such offerings is inferior to that of those offered on the Srí-páda itself, at the summit of the Samanala, such as it is they eagerly covet it, distinguishing the quality of their pious merit-bringing gifts by the term "uddésika pújá," or substitutionary offerings. Fa Hian, the Chinese pilgrim of the fifth century, refers to the foot print on the Samanala, and also to one impressed by Buddha on some place north of the city of Anurá lhapura; this latter has not been identified, but was probably a facsimile, to which no great sanctity was attached. At Kurunegala, the capital city of the island from A. D. 1319 to 1347, there is a facsimile of the Srí-páda, on the top of the enormous Etugala, or Elephant's rock, so named from its having become so rounded and worn by time, that although 600 feet in height, it has acquired the form of a couchant elephant, Here was situated an ancient temple, to which access was had by means of steep paths and steps hewn out of the solid stone. This is still the resort of Buddhists from many parts of the island, their chief object of veneration being the facsimile Srí-páda; and from this point they can see the towering alp of Adam's Peak, although distant about forty miles, This copy is said to have been originally cut to gratify the pious desires of a daughter of one of the kings, who was unable to perform the pilgrimage to the Peak and personally make her offerings on the holy foot-print. Lamenting her inability, the priests had compassion upon her, and resolved that a copy of the foot-print should be cut on the summit of Etugala; this was done; the distress of the Princess was removed, and the place soon became recognized as a legitimate place of pilgrimage. It was from this place that the usurping king Vasthimi Kumáraya, was killed by being precipitated headlong by a band of assassins, when on his way to join an assembly of priests to which he had been invited. Unsuspicious of danger he accepted the invitation and was thus treacherously slain. This usurpation, tradition says, led to the next monarch forsaking the place and removing the capital to Gampola. There is another facsimile at the Alu vihára in Matale; of the rocks of which Major Forbes gives the following account: "Amongst the recesses of these crags the doctrines of Gautama Buddha were first reduced to writing, and under their huge masses many temples were formed at a very early period. These temples were destroyed by the British troops in 1803, and only two out of eight have been since restored. On one of the highest pinnacles is a print of Buddha's footstep, similar to that on Adam's Peak, from which it is copied; and a small hollow is formed in the rock near it, for the purpose of receiving the offerings of the pious. On a neighbouring crag are the remains of a dágoba, and amidst its scattered fragments a stone cut into twenty-five compartments; in the centre one of these the relic of Buddha had been placed, and the remaining cells in the stone had contained the offerings made when the relic was deposited. Through the middle of the Aluewihare rocks there is a broad natural street of unequal height; to reach this you must ascend a flight of rude steps, then pass through a crevice, and again ascend until you come upon a flat rock, which is pointed out as the spot where the King Walagambahoo assembled the priests, who here compared their texts, which were then, or soon afterwards, committed to writing, and form the Banapota or Buddhist Bible. This took place about ninety-two years B.C.; and for two hundred and fourteen years previous to that time, if not from the date of Gautama's death, his doctrines had descended by tradition only."* At the Natha déwálé in Kandy, is a third copy of the foot-print. This was formerly on the Senkadagala, a hill behind the Kandy Kachcheri. The rock bearing the impress was a few years ago conveyed to the déwale where it is now seen. A fourth facsimile exists, (some say it is an original one), on the top of a mountain on Gannoruwa, close to Peradenia; and a fifth on the summit of a mountain at Allagala. This is known to have been made by the zealous restorer of Buddhism, the Sangha Rája Saranankara, who about 124 years ago brought over to Ceylon Siamese priests of the Upasampada order, and revived the religion of the country after a long period of dormant inactivity and declension. A sixth copy was cut on the top of the Kotimbulwala vihára rock in the Atakalan Kóralé of the Sabaragamuwa district. This was the work of a pious priest who resided in the vihára about eighty years ago. It was originally a mere outline; but the late chief priest of the vihára had it cut deeper, and made more of a facsimile than it had previously been. At Dewanagala in the Four Kóralés there are two facsimiles, the origin of which I have not ascertained. There is also one at Khettáráma vihára, about a quarter of a mile inland from the 37th mile-stone on the Galle road, made by Mahagoda Dhammadassi Terunanse, of the Malwatta estab lishments. In the Southern Province, there are two copies; one at Ramboda, on a rock adjoining the high road to Galle, near the Police Court at Balapitimodare ; and another at Baddegama, about fourteen miles southeast from Galle. The Rev. James Selkirk says of this, "I went with the interpreter this evening to a small temple, about two miles from Baddagama, where is a mark of the Sri-páda, or blessed "Recollections of Ceylon," 1844; p. 468. |