and the Hill Temple of Mehentéleé. 495 
its temples defiled and defaced: but a party professing the faith of Bupp’Ha 
always remained in the strongholds and fastnesses of the hill country. The 
records and sacred books were there preserved ; and after periods generally 
of short duration, their native kings came down from the mountains, 
resumed the empire, and restored the religion of Bupp’HA. 
A succession of kings, with frequent though short interruptions, made 
Anarddhepura their capital from the time of its founder to that of Mrninpu 
the Third, who commenced his reign about 1,300 years after the death of 
Bupp’ua, and reigned forty-eight years; and thus we find that this city 
was not only the chief seat of the religion of the country, but the residence 
of its kings during the long period of 1,300 years. After this period, the 
city appears to have been deserted; but we find that PAracramaBAuv caused 
the ruins of Anaradhepura to be repaired ; caused the cupola of Ruanwelli, 
of a hundred and twenty cubits in height, to be repaired completely, with 
three other cupolas, namely, Abaya-giri, of a hundred and forty cubits high ; 
Jdta-wdna, of a hundred and sixty cubits high ; and Meressa-avatie, of eighty 
cubits high, which had also been thrown down by the dhamilas, and were 
overgrown with wood, and frequented by wild animals, such as tigers, 
bears, &c.. He also built Lowd-mahd, which is on each side a hundred 
cubits high, by raising up the sixteen hundred pillars of rock ; then, having 
restored all the ruins of Tapd-réma, he repaired the sixty-four cupolas at 
Myttyagiri, &c. This king commenced his reign in the 1809th year of 
Bupp’sa, or four hundred and sixty-five years ago, and his having repaired 
these temples accounts for their present state of preservation.* 
* According to Mr. TurNour, Anarddhepura ceased to be the capital in the 1312th year of 
Bupp'uA, and was made so again by Meurnpv, in A.B. 1566—the date assigned to PArac- 
RAMABAHU is A.B. 1696, or A.D. 1153. 
