Chap. IV.] 



BEAUTY OF TlIK KUAD. 



179 



places, who uimually pay their devotions before the 

 great statue during the festival in July, when the cere- 

 monies are solemnised by torchlight.^ 



For some miles the road crosses the marshy plains 

 that He between the river and the sea, on an embank- 

 ment, whose sides are shaded by long hnes of teak, a tree 

 which it has been attempted to naturahse in the island. 

 So long as it runs within a moderate distance of the 

 sea, the groves of coco-nut trees continue to surround 

 every hamlet ; but on turning more inland, these gra- 

 dually disappear, and are succeeded by the graceful 

 arecas, mixed with the kitool or jaggery palm."^ But 

 what most excites the wonder of a stranger, are the 

 flowering trees whicli adorn tlie landscape : the niurutu ^, 

 with its profusion of lilac blossoms, and the gorgeous 

 imbvd*, whose crimson petals thickly strew the ground, 

 when making way for the oblong pods that contain the 

 silky cotton, for which the tree is prized. 



In the numerous streams whicli are passed on tliis 

 route, the Singhalese are to be seen at all hours of the 

 day, indulging in their passion for the bath, in which they 

 imitate the Hindus ; and such is the disciphne to which 

 their skins are subjected, that it is not unusual to have 



' About thirty miles further east- 

 ward, on a tributary of the Kalany, 

 are situated the remains of the old 

 city of Sita-wacca, one of the most 

 ancient in Ceylon, if we are to 

 accept the tradition that it owes its 

 appellation to Sita, the Helen of the 

 Ramayana. Whilst the Portuguese 

 were at war in defence of their ally 

 the King of Cotta, Sita-wa<"ca was 

 the stronghold of their daring oppo- 

 nents, Maaya Dunnai and Raja Sin- 

 gha ; and it was eventually destroyed 

 by their relentless general Azavedo, 

 at the close of the 16th century. 

 The vestiges of the palace and temple 

 are still traceable ; they are con- 

 structed of he'WTi gi'anite, and in one 

 place a deep moat is crossed by a 

 bridge composed of five slabs four- 

 teen feet long and more than pro- 



portionate thickness. A sticking ac- 

 count of the ruins, as they appeared 

 in the year 1675, will be found in 

 Valentvx's Oiul <'» Xieiiic Oost- 

 Indien, pp. 207—220. The little 

 fort of Kuanwelle (Ranff-Welli, the 

 "Golden sand"), which was once 

 so important on the frontier of the 

 kings of Kandy, stands on an emi- 

 nence above the Kalany, a few miles 

 east of Sita-wacca. It is now the 

 residence of the civil officer in charge 

 of the district. The country aroimd 

 it is magnificent, commanding noble 

 views of the mountains near Adam's 

 Peak and the cataracts which descend 

 from them. 



^ C'an/ota urens. 



^ Lfi(/erstra'iiiia RcfiinfP. 



* Roinho.r Mahihariciis. 



