GUIDE TO THE COLOMBO MUSEUM. 193 



There are a few Tamil ola manuscripts recently presented to the 

 Library. No attempt to collect Tamil manuscripts has been made, 

 as the Tamil language belongs to Southern Lidia, and aU the import- 

 ant works in that language are those composed there. 



The manuscripts locally made consist of works in the Sinhalese, 

 Pali, and Sanskrit languages. Those in Pali relate mostly to 

 Buddhism and grammar, and predominate the rest in bulk owing to 

 the Buddhist text, the commentaries {Atthakaihas) thereon, and the 

 scholia (Tikas) on the Atthakaihas. 



The Atthakafhas (Sinhalese, atuva) are the volumiaous translations 

 made by Buddhaghosa Thera, the Indian Buddhist monk (410-432 

 A.D ), from the Sinhalese commentaries by Mahinda Maha Thera 

 (307-258 B.C.), who introduced Buddhism to Ceylon, and the Tikas 

 are works subsequently composed by erudite monks of Ceylon, 

 India, and Burma. Of grammatical works, some were composed 

 in India and Burma. 



The Sinhalese works consist of prose translations of religious works 

 in Pali, a few historical prose works, all of which are based on the 

 Mahavansa and Dipavansa, and poems, most of which embody 

 Jataka stories. 



The works in Sanskrit, the least m number, are mostly on medicine, 

 astrology, grammar, and other scientific subjects, and are generally 

 provided with Sinhalese paraphrases, as most of the PaU works are. 

 They are books mostly composed in India. The larger number of 

 books of the series of ancient Sinhalese readers, including the 

 Amarakosha (composed m Lidia), are in Sanskrit and with Smhalese 

 paraphrases. 



The authors of these works were mostly Buddhist monks, who 

 were generally teachers of the laymen, both in religion and letters. 

 The Sinhalese kings, who were generally proficient in Sinhalese, 

 Pali, and Sanskrit, as well as in the sixty -four Oriental arts and 

 sciences, were also authors of several important works. 



The most voluminous work in Pali is the J atakatthakatha {i.e., the 

 commentary on the Jatakas), and in Sinhalese its translation, 

 commonly known as the Jatakapota. 



MUSEUM COMPOUND. 



Stone Antiquities. 



Owing to lack of room in the Stone Gallery, several stone anti- 

 quities have been temporarily housed m a palm-thatched shed at 

 the back of the Museum. Chief among these is the large sedent 

 Toluwela Buddha from Nuwarawewa tank at Anuradhapura. 

 Writing about this fine specimen, Mr. H. C. P. Bell, the Archaeological 

 Commissioner of Ceylon, says : — 



" This Buddha is admittedly the finest yet brought to light at 

 Anuradhapura. In mere size it yields to the seated Buddha of the 

 outer cii'cle, which measures 7 feet 6 inches in height by 7 feet across 

 the knees. But in other respects it surpasses all three statues near 

 the Jetawanarama. The wonderful sharpness and depth of the 

 features, the softness of expression , the symmetry and repose of the 



43-12 ■ ( 7 ) 



