and the Hill Temple of Mehentélé. 471 
with chunam, and thus to have been converted into columns, having definite 
forms and proportions. 
There is a tradition that there was formerly, on the centre of this square, a 
brazen chamber, which contained a relic held in much veneration ; but that 
the relic had been removed and the chamber destroyed during a period of 
persecution. It was only in connexion with this tradition that the natives 
appeared to us to attach any importance to the spot. 
At a few paces from the pillars, in a space which was kept carefully 
cleared, was a single pillar of gneiss in the same rough state, which was 
from fourteen to sixteen feet high ; and on the ground near it, there was a 
figure of a bull in a recumbent posture, similar to those usually seen on the 
pagodas and temples on the opposite coast. This figure was of hard blue 
granite, between five and six feet in length, and was said to be a fac-simile 
of one buried in the nearest dagoba, built by king DorGeémentrAsA. 
In reference to these ruins, we find, in the Ragavali, that, “ The king 
Gomany Ragan extirpated the religion imported into Ceylon by his enemies ; 
he caused to be built the daggoba Mirisawitz ; he caused pillars of stone to 
be cut and placed in forty rows, forty pillars in each row; he caused the 
above pillars to be covered with copper, and also to be brought through the 
air from Jambudivipa, the dawtoo of Bupnv.” We also find, in the Réja- 
ratndcari, that “he (DorGeément) also rebuilt the temple called Lowaw- 
mahd-Pawya, and embellished the same with ornaments of gold and silver 
and pearls. It being founded upon forty times forty pillars, there were 
raised upon the same nine storehouses, and he deposited therein much 
riches.” 
In the Mahdévansi, also, it is stated that the same king was destined « to 
build a house of nine stories high, for the sanctification of the priests, by the 
denomination of Lowaw-mahd-pawya ;” and that he, in consequence, desired 
the priests to send some réhatins into the divine world to provide him with 
a pattern of the divine palace. *« Upon this application, they commissioned 
eight rahatoons, who proceeded to the divine world called Tootisa Dewa 
Loka, where they saw the palace of the goddess called Beerany. So the 
rahatoons took a copy of this palace and delivered it to the king, who being 
exceedingly pleased, caused a building to be erected according to that copy.” 
" Frequent mention is made of the Low’-Mahd-Péya throughout the 
three histories, from which I shall not make further extracts, but add a few 
remarks upon the similarity which exists between these Thousand Pillars 
