gAlle trilingual stone. 123 



the fifteenth century, and the reference in the Chinese chronicles 

 is clearly to the older capital Jayawardhanapura (modem Kotte), 

 on the sea-board, the seat of Government from circa 1391-1565. 

 The Sinhalese annals relating to this period are very scanty, and the 

 true account of the Chinese missions and the events which ultimately 

 led to the capture and deportation of the Sinhalese monarch by 

 the Chinese can only be gathered by a careful comparison of the 

 Chinese histories with the Smhalese historical fragments. For this 

 a complete translation of all the passages in the Chinese chronicles 

 referring to Ceylon is necessary. From the references Tennent gives 

 in the passages quoted in Appendix IX. and Appendix X., it is 

 clear that the Chinese historians refer to the transaction recorded 

 in the stone. 



From the above it would appear that the tablet commemorates 

 the second visit of Cheng-Ho to Ceylon, referred to in the Chinese 

 texts. Probably it was engraved in China by the order of the 

 Great Ming Emperor Yung-Lo, and transported with gifts for the 

 Sacred Tooth of Buddha then deposited at Kotte. It would seem 

 that an attempt made by Cheng-Ho to seize for his master the 

 most venerated relic of the Buddhist world culminated m the 

 struggle in which the Sinhalese monarch fell a victim to Chinese 

 strategy. But, as previously noted, nothing definite can be arrived 

 at till the Chinese chronicles are carefully analysed in the light 

 of Ceylon history. Perhaps the Ceylon Government, which has 

 displayed a practical interest in the discovery by securing the 

 tablet for the Museum , getting it photographed , and having a proper 

 translation made, will take steps to obtain this information. 



The Saddharmaratnakara, a Buddhist work, contains the only 

 contemporary allusion to the event yet discovered in the Sinhalese 

 books : — 



" From that time forward religious harmony prevailed among 

 the priesthood up to the 15th year of Bhuvaneka Bahu V. Up 

 to the fourth year of Bhuvaneka Bahu there was fulfilled 1,929 

 years after the death of our Sage (1382 a.d.). Thereafter there was 

 the own son of Alakeswara Prabhuraja, Kumara Alakeswara, his* 

 father" s nephew Vira Alakeswara, the latter' s younger brother Vira 

 Bahu Epana, his son Vijaya Epa, his younger brother Tunayesa, 

 whose father's elder brother Vira Alakeswara, having been defeated 

 by his younger brother Vira Bahu Epa, fled the country. There- 

 after he returned and reigned twelve years. 



" Afterwards, in consequence of the sins of a former birth, he fell into 

 a snare of the Chinese and went away ; thereupon Paralvrama Bahu 

 Epa, the grandson of Lanka Senevirat, who had been previously 

 mentioned, ascended the throne in the month of Poson in the year 

 of Buddha 1958 and 1722nd year from the establishment of the 



* " His " refers throughout to the name immediately preceding. 



