m 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June i, 1886, 



value. Previously it would eeem not to have entered 

 ijto the diet of the people, though undoubtedly grown 

 Ml orchards for its tender fruit, the juice of which was 

 ;ot only used for drink, but fco mix lime iuto a cement. 

 I'his agrees with the earliest name, kasap;cngedi, or as- 

 iriiigent water-fruit. The tradition is precise, universally 

 believed, and bound fast by the existence of the statue, 

 rhe only variation in it is that he is soTietimes called 

 ivushtha llfija, or the Leper king, and it is then added 

 that he caused this statue to be cut in gratitude for his 

 cure, after bathing in the sea here. It is not unlikely 

 Agrabodhi was altlicted with a cutaneous disease, was 

 cured of it by sea-batting here, and the free use of 

 coconut oil prescribed by some voyager both as food 

 and ointment; and that he caused his own statue to be 

 carved as a grateful memorial, erecting the Agrabodhi 

 Vihara, aild planting up the coast, for three yodnns in 

 length, with coconut grovfs. 



The dress and ornament of the statue are consistent 

 with the theory that the Kushtha Kaja's portrait is that 

 of Agrabodhi himself. 



The coconut groves of the coast for three yoduns in 

 length, from A'eligama to Dondra, are certainly of con- 

 siderable anti«iuiby, and those ports are also of extreme 

 antiquity. I do not hesitate then to say, that the ac 

 count intlie Mahawansa, and the tradition at Veligama- 

 so consistently support each other, as to leave no doubt 

 they refer to one event. 



The introduction of coconut cultivation in order to 

 supply the dady wants of the people being thus in- 

 augurated, we next learn from the Mahawansa, that 

 Kasyapa, the Yuva Kaja who succeeded his brother Sri 

 Sangabodhi, and successfully contested the throne with 

 the rivil line under Dhatopa Tisa, planted coconut 

 gardens. 



After this the cultivation probably became geueral, 

 as we hear no more details of plantations made by the 

 kings. Probably the innovation of toddy drawing, and 

 distillation of spirit, which naturally followed such ex- 

 tensive cultivation, caused the plantation of coconuts to 

 be viewed with distrust by the Buddhist hierarchy, who 

 ceased to recortl this cultivation as a work of merit. 

 — The record of the plantations of Agrabodhi, and 

 Ka.syapa, undoubtedly shows that spirits were not then 

 distilldd Irom the coconut toddy. 



I Dropose to have a careful drawing made of the 

 Kushtha Kaja statue, for publication hereafter in this 

 journal. For a further extension of a Kushtha R.aja 

 trailition, see nixtiiote. Editor. 



Cochin Lk<;knu of Kusi Ra.ia and the Hoi'o.nut 

 I'Aijr. 



This same tradition of a king being connetitod with 

 t be introduction or crt^ation of coconut ])alms, is found 

 ia Cochin. I find in Day's Cochin, p. 53.1, that tradi- 

 tions there state that ICusi Haja, a strenuous worshipper 

 of the Divine I'nity, rejectid ollVrings to iiif<Tior 

 divinities, and became iilniust ei|ual to a goil, <-n\iliug 

 many grams now grown by mau. 



Becoming arabilirms, he meditated creating a superior 

 race of men, but aftei* completing Ihe head, tlu^ drnd- 

 gods, aUrnied, persuaded him to dt^^ist. The lieail be- 

 came a coconut tree, and "U'as dedicated to Uanesa, 

 lord fif science, aiid jiroteetor of learneil meu. 



There seems little doubt that this legend and that of 

 the Kustha Raja are ecninected. It is (|uite probable 

 th.at Malabar merchants, linding the Agrabodlii statue 

 reverenced as that of the king who fiist planted coco- 

 nuts for geueral use as food, hastily confused it with 

 the legend of Kusi Raja's cieation of the tree, ami 

 perhaps gave offerings under that impi'ossion. It would 

 follow that the villagers of Veligama, gratified by the 

 honour shown to theii' local celebi-ity, would accept the 

 Kusi liaja tradition as part of their own, whether their 

 king was already known as Kustha llaja, or whcdher 

 that name and the " leper " incidcMit, grew up out of 

 the Cochin legeml of Kusi. 



The esplanaiiou already triooted in the previous imte, 

 seems, hovvt:ver, most natural. If Agrabodhi, alUicted 

 with skin disease, was cured by the advice of a Rlidabar, 

 who prescribed the free use ui coconut as an ariiele of 

 bis diet, and its employment as an unguent, telling the 

 king the legend of the miraculous creation of the tree 



by Kusi Raja, lingering traces of the name Kusi would 

 readily suggest the epithet Kustha, for the king. Even 

 now the use of coconut as food, is regarded as a help 

 to the cure of skin disease, so common among the 

 natives, and arisiug from an irritating diet. 



In this view of the case, the statue may liave been 

 cai'ved in honour of Kusi ]i;ija. As, however, no 

 traditional type of efllgy existed for Kusi, even in that 

 case it is likely enougii Agrabodhi's own effigy was 

 adopted, and he himself regarded as a rebirth of Kusi, 

 just as Maha Sen was treated as an incarnation of 

 Skanda. 



The name and account of Kusi at once suggest the 

 Cochin legend is a version of the Greek tradition regard- 

 ing Dionysos. The name Kusi itself may be a tatsaiua 

 with the Greek chusis, a libation, &c., chumos. sap, and 

 the other derivatives from the same root. In Sinhalese 

 kusi means agriculture, whence kusaka the plough, and 

 also the ploughman. For the Indian traditions identified 

 by the Greeks as referring to their own Dionysos, the 

 reader is referred to the ludika of Megasthenes, as 

 collected and edited by Schwanbeck. For an English 

 translation by McOrindle see the Incl. Ant., Vol. VI. 

 p. 113. 



In connection w'th this interesting notice of the 

 coconut palm, we should be glad to receive inform- 

 ation as to the earliest mention of the tree in Sinhalese 

 literature and whether such mention favours the idea 

 of the palm being indigenous. 



CEYLON PKODUCE IN THE LONDON 

 MARKETS. 



Political uncertainty combined with gener.al trade 

 depression has tended to keep the produce markets 

 in Loudon in a quiescent and languid state dur- 

 ing the first quarter of the present year, and, 

 although the position of some articles is un- 

 doubtedly stronger owing to the recent prevalence of 

 low prices having somewhat checked supplies, an 

 entire absence of all outside speculation prevents 

 any appreciable chan.^e for the better taking place. 

 In fact, the position is unchanged — no better, and 

 no worse. But the next move of importance can 

 hardly fail to be an upward one for most articles 

 in Mincing Lane, and yet so far people are very 

 loatli to believe in this probability. In the same 

 way when everything is most prosperous, and 

 men .are coining nuincy, it is generally most 

 diOieult to make them believe that values are 

 inllated, and a coU.apse will he the result. The 

 market for Pia>,-t.\tion Ckvi.o.v Coffkh, especially 

 tor well-made and colory coffee on the whole 

 has been fairly satisfactory, and decidedly higher 

 than at this period last year. The smaller sup- 

 ply naturally accounts for this. Coffee generally 

 shows but little change. Stocks on the Continent 

 are still enormous, whilst supplies Irom llra/il 

 arc steady, regular and continuous. On the 3Ist 

 March the average daily receipts at Rio amounted 

 to 8,300 bags, and the stock to 'i.50,000 bags at 

 Santos at the same date, the average daily re- 

 ceipts were 3,7U0 bags, and the stock was .320,000 

 bags, the local market there being tiuoted weak. 

 In the face of these large totals, the immediate 

 future of coffee, except for scarce colory and 

 bold kinds, can scarcely show any rise of im- 

 portance. 



As regards Ci.vciiona our natural presumptions, 

 we are bound to acknowledge, have been ."lome- 

 what faulty. The rise we expected has so far 

 not taken place. Although indications of a rise 

 in a special' article may be justly relied on from 

 figures, some circumstance not previously calcul- 

 ated on may occur to delay or postpone beyond 



