dangerous, but you will notice the natives do their bathing on shore!"

From the rest-house southward along the bund of the tank the way leads to the remaining sights of Polonnaruwa. It is a fascinating walk, made joyous by the hum and chatter of the happy wild things who live by the way. The old circuithouse is passed, covered with a mass of pink antigonon, showing up against the dark striped orange and maroon leaves of the crotons, growing the size of trees beside it. In the narrow track it is necessary to step carefully in order not to stumble over the dull-coloured tortoises, as large as footballs, that are feeding in the grass. Sometimes, but not frequently, a perfect little specimen of a marked tortoise, his quaint shell a beautiful and intricate pattern of gamboge and sepia, may be noticed.

The boughs of the large trees ahead are convulsed at our approach, and an avalanche of monkeys, who have been feeding on the thickly growing yellow seeds of a large banyan, precipitate themselves one by one across an aerial gulf, landing in a mass of swaying twigs. They live in a Paradise of long, swinging lianas and twisted, natural ropes and abundant food and good company, unharmed by man. In some of the far outlying districts monkeys are eaten still, but only by people who are very poor. Mr. Perera reports one of such monkey-eating tribes at Ataragallewa in a miserable condition; he came across them in the course of circuit exploration in 1912, and describes them as "haggardlylooking creatures."

In the days of the city's prime there were buildings even in the area of Topa Wewa itself. Some of these have been excavated. One of them was a dagaba which had been rifled by the Tamils, who, as usual, had done their work thoroughly. A part of a brick Yantra-gala was discovered; this was one of the twenty-five hole variety, and some of its compartments contained antiques in bronze in the form of gods and animals. Beneath, further investigation revealed a copper coin (date circ. A.D. 1200) and a few other trifles. The most important find, however, was a dwarf obelisk, I foot 8 inches in full height, with seven projecting horizontal ribs on its sides. It was painted in colour, and was surmounted by a small dagaba of thin beaten gold, made hollow. This was obviously a relic-casket, for it contained a gold coin and seventeen gems. There were various other small finds, such as bronze gods, cobras, insignia, and utensils, but all intrinsically of little value.

Other dagabas and viharas have been excavated in the bed of the lake; one mound disclosed a building which may probably have been a royal palace, for it was evident there were several such subsidiary residences, occupied according to the changes of the seasons.

After about a mile the bund crosses the ancient spill-water of the lake, which now might almost be mistaken for natural rock, so broken and tumbled are the mighty blocks of stone.

A little way further the path bifurcates, the straight branch going on to the next village, and that on the left turning away from the lake. A

notice board announces in Cingalese, for the benefit of pilgrims, that this is the way to the Potgul Monastery.

Up and down goes the track, giving a glimpse of lovely glades, before it leads to an open space with a huge mass of rock on the left. Turning sharply, we come face to face with a tall and imposing rock-cut statue quite unlike anything else yet seen. This is commonly called the Statue of Parakrama, but without reason, for though of his date, obvious evidence proclaims it not to be a king, but a holy man." The figure is II feet 6 inches in height, and looks much taller than this, as it is cut clear out of the rock-face, with no roof to dwarf it.

Mr. Bell says:

"Of neither King, nor Buddhist abbot is the rock-cut figure, the lithic representation. Clearly it is the presentment in granite, perhaps exactly twice life-size, of some once famous Hindu guru. Clad only in a loin cloth and tall head-dress, barebodied, save for the upavita or Brahmin cord, wearing no ornaments, heavy in build and features, with beard long and grizzled, the statue possesses no single trait of that divinity which doth hedge a King. Moreover the palm-leaf roll of the veda held in both hands as though being studied, and the whole appearance and pose of the figure, stamp it unmistakably as a rock-hewn portrait of a revered religious teacher from the Indian continent." He adds in a note: " Perhaps the statue represents that 'Kapila the ascetic' for whom Parakrama Bahu built an eagle-shaped building adorned with divers works of art, and ornamented with peaks and the like." (1906 Report.)