original receptacle of the sacred "Collar-bone." The shell of the present building is, as a matter of fact, quite modern, and of an altogether different shape from the original one, but it encloses a core of great antiquity described by Mr. Fergusson as being "older, or at least as old, as anything now existing on the continent of India." A wood-cut in his widely known book, The History of Indian Architecture, gives a view of the dagaba as it appeared in 1870, when it was purely of the puddingbasin type like the larger dagabas, but on a very small scale. The original work is enclosed in the present graceful dome, which is the shape of a bell. This springs from a circular platform, reached from the ground by a fairly steep flight of steps. The bell at its base is 40 feet, 6 inches in diameter. It is capped by a circular spire tipped with two crystals. From pavement to crystals is 63 feet (J. G. Smither). The chief beauty of Thuparama, however, is found in its slender columns, some of a great height, which spring from the platform encircling it. There are four rows of these, varying from 14 feet to nearly 23 feet in height. Each of the carved capitals in the first three rows is made from a separate stone and fitted on to the shaft with a socket. They are finely decorated like those at Lankarama (see p. 90). The original number of pillars was 176 and of these 42 are missing. The use of these pillars has been often questioned. It is hardly possible to suppose they supported a roof, as any such roof would not be tall enough to enclose the dagaba itself. In the Mahawansa it is mentioned that great coloured pictures, representative of scenes in the

life of Buddha, were carried in festival processions. It may possibly be that these pictures were suspended from the posts like screens. However, the posts may have been merely used to support garlands of flowers strung from one to the other.

The dagaba was constructed in the reign of King Tissa (307-267 B.C.), and in it was installed the Collar-bone relic. A long account is given of the ceremony. The relic was placed on the back of the state elephant, whereupon "the delighted elephant roared." The dagaba itself consumed in the building “thousands of bricks," and among them a receptacle was excavated for the relic. Close by the king then built a vihara, or temple. The Mahawansa also tells us that before the building of the dagaba the site was

with the thorns called Kadambo."

overrun

In the reign of many kings the decoration of Thuparama occupied a prominent place. Agghabodi VI (A.D. 741)1 made for it a cover of gold ornamented with bands of silver set at distances." Udaya (A.D. 901)1 "covered Thuparama with a band of gold." Sena IV (A.D. 972)1 "made a door of pure gold for the relic house at Thuparama." It was treasure of this kind which repaid the Tamils for coming over to the island and raiding it.

At the foot of the long flight of steps leading up to the platform is a great cistern, hewn out of a block of stone, and about a hundred yards eastward across the road is a similar, but larger one. This, the natives say, with that in

1 These dates are taken from Mr. Wijesinha's version of the Mahawansa.

genuity in detail which characterises them, was the "drinking-trough of King Dutugemunu's state elephant." East-north-east of Thuparama at the corner of the Y Road going north is a small dagaba which is traditionally called "Sanghamitta's Tomb," after the princess-missionary who brought the Bo-tree branch to Ceylon.

We may return from Thuparama by the eastern section of the Inner Circular Road, which is mainly formed by the Sacred Road running north from the Bo-tree. The first object noticed is the modern hospital, successor to so many far back in the ages. If we could only have seen them and studied their methods, what quaint superstitions and customs we might have discovered. So many times are hospitals mentioned among the works of merit of the ancient kings that an elaboration of them would become tedious. Among them Kasyapa IV (A.D. 912) built hospitals both here and at Polonnaruwa "for the prevention of pestilential diseases," and not only so, but "dispensaries for medicine."

Passing on down the road till we come almost abreast of Ruanweli, we see the slab where King Dutugemunu is supposed to have lain dying. At the back of the little platform on which it stands is one of the curious stones, already referred to, where the representation of a house is carved. This house stands on open columns with three storeys in the centre and two at each side. Mr. Still says:

By this stone of humble purpose we are given a clue to the form of the buildings before

the superstructure all collapsed. I consider this stone to be one of the most interesting in the City."

He did not know of a much more elaborate specimen, since discovered near the Outer Circular Road (see p. 130).

A little further south, still beside the road, is one of the curiously shaped "medicine-boats," or sarcophagi, of which three are known at Anuradhapura; in this the rude outline of a human being is hollowed out of the stone. Down a side road to the left is the post office, formerly the resthouse, and beside it are the ruins of a large mahapali, or alms-hall, which is generally supposed to be that built by King Tissa II in the first century B.C. It was burnt down and reconstructed by Mahinda IV at the end of the tenth century A.D.

The most interesting feature remaining is the very perfect specimen of a stone boat or canoe lying along the east side. It is 44 feet 3 inches in length. There is no doubt as to the use of these great boats, they are distinctly described in the Mahawansa as a "receptacle shaped like a boat to hold rice," and are always found in connection with alms-halls. Usually there are two, a larger and smaller, standing at right angles to each other, but here there is only one remaining. This mahapali is noted in the records of many kings. When Silameghavana (A.D. 614) had killed his predecessor, he "entered the beautiful city of Anuradhapura, ... and when he had saluted the Order and the Bodhi, he rendered the honours

that were due to the three thupas, and patronised the alms-hall. In a time of great scarcity he distributed milk-rice among the Order, mixed with ghee and honey, and supplied the monks with water-strainers also. He gave largely to the beggar, the wayfarer, and the mendicant, and by divers acts of charity gained their love. And being kind-hearted by nature, he even gave away cake-money among the children."

In the centre of the mahapali there is a floral altar with representation of the prints of Buddha's feet.

North of the post office, bounded by the Inner Circular Road on one side and by Abhayagiriya on the other, is a tract of ground crossed by numerous paths, but apt to be swampy and not altogether desirable unless the way is carefully chosen. In it lies Selchaitiya dagaba, now a small shapeless mound, with a few carved stones. It is still visited by pilgrims, as the little flags and blackened altars testify. It was built by King Lajji Tissa (119 B.C.), and has a reputation for sacredness.

The Inner Circular Road leads back to the bazaar, and to reach the hotel there are other roads below Ruanweli which can be taken if preferred.