84 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



From Heramiti-pana four paths start. First the patii to the 

 summit just described ; second, the main path down to Ratnapura, 

 the Gilimale-para ; third, an abandoned path that crosses the 

 Ganguli-helli gorge and again joins the Gilimale-para at Dharma- 

 raja-gala ; fourth, the Erane-para, which branches at about a mile 

 from the ambalam, one branch crossing over into Maskeliya and 

 cutting into the Maskeliya-para at its junction with the Kehelgama- 

 para, and the other descending rapidly towards Kunudiya-parawida 

 and Higgashena. This last I only explored for a mile or two and 

 found nothing. In one place, just off the path, I found a space about 

 20 ft. square beaten quite flat and hard by elephants ; it was like a 

 small room, being walled with thick bamboos. 



The abandoned path descends very steeply below a cliff called 

 Yaku-at-awa to the Sitala-ganga, which is crossed by a very rocky 

 ford, where tradition says many lives have been lost in rainy 

 weather ; certainly nothing seems more probable, and it is possible 

 that this may have been the reason for the newer and easier route 

 being substituted. From the ford the path rises a little and then 

 proceeds along a level ridge for some distance before descending 

 to the two caves kno\vn as Telehi-lena or Sanguli-galge. 



Below this level ridge and to the south of the path a small stream 

 runs, on the other side of which there is a jumbled mass of rocks 

 containing many hollows and a few caves. One of these caves, 

 though it has no drip ledge, has at one time been inhabited, as can 

 be told from the floor being roughly levelled, stones being jammed 

 into the hollows between the rocks. 



Telehi-lena consists of two caves. One formed by an overhanging 

 rock is 21 ft. long, 12 ft. wide, and quite high enough to stand up 

 in ; it has a drip ledge all along its length. The floor is roughly 

 paved with different sized dressed stones, and just outside the cave 

 is one short wedge-marked stone pillar. From the mouth of the 

 cave a good view may be had of the Peak. The other cave, 

 which is farmed by one large boulder lying across two others, 

 measures 16 ft. by 6 ft., and varies from 9 ft. to 3 ft. in height. 

 Several flat dressed stones lie in it, one of which looks like a curry 

 stone. 



From here the path lies through a fairly level piece of ground 

 overgrown with thick bamboos, and crossed and re-crossed by 

 elephant tracks. It joins the main path at the top of the Dharma- 

 raja-gala flight of steps. 



This abandoned path, which is known as Gangulihelli-para, is 

 entirely overgrown and has trees lying across it ; if it were not for 

 the cut steps in all the steep rocky places, it would be hard to find 

 and harder to climb. 



I tried to climb the Yaku-at-awa cliff, but only succeeded in 

 reaching a ledge about 20 ft. up, where water was standing in a little 

 pond. 



