and the Hill Temple of Mehentéle. 491 
was brought by the priest Sumena SamenrEra, was deposited.” In the 
Rajavali, p. 184, it is said, « King Deweney Parisse afterwards caused 
caverns to be cut in the solid rock at the sacred place Meentala, and there 
he placed the higher orders of priests; he bestowed great alms upon the 
same, and abounded in good works.” 
It only remains to investigate the period of the foundation of Anaréd- 
hepura. 
It was not until the treaty of Sir Roserr Brownricc, in March 1815, 
that the English had free access to the interior of Ceylon; prior to this 
period their dominion was confined to a narrow ring or belt which went 
round the island, and shut the Kandyans up within it. In consequence, 
nothing was known of Anarddhepura, except by tradition or report. In the 
works which have been published since the English got possession of Colombo 
in 1796, no mention is made of this city except incidentally, in the sketches 
of the history of the island, derived from native records. The only account 
in any English author which I have found is that by Rosrrr Knox, and the 
date of which is antecedent to this period. Knox was many years captive in 
the Kandyan country during the dominion of the Dutch, and passed through 
Anarddhepura, when he made his escape in 1679 ; he thus mentions it : 
“« Now we set our design for Anarodgburro, which is the lowest place 
_ inhabited belonging to the King of Candy, where there is a watch always 
kept, and nearer than twelve or fourteen miles of this town as yet we had 
never been.” —P. 316. 
“To Anarodgburro, therefore, we came, called also Neur Waug, which is 
not so much a particular single town as a territory. It is a vast great plain, 
the like I never saw in all that island; in the midst whereof is a lake which 
may be a mile over, not natural, but made by art, as other ponds in the 
country, to serve them to water their corn grounds. ‘This plain is encom- 
passed round with woods, and small towns among them, on every side 
inhabited by the Malabars, a distinct people from the Chingulays.’—P. 322, 
“« Being entered into this town, we sat ourselves down under a tree and 
proclaimed our wares, for we feared to rush into their yards, as we used to 
do at other places, lest we should scare them. The people stood amazed 
as soon as they saw us, being originally Malabars, though subjects of Candy, 
nor could they understand the Chingulay language in which we spoke to 
Vox, III. 38 
