Chap. I.] 



THE ALU WIHARA. 



573 



century before tlie Christian era, scribes employed by 

 the Singhalese king reduced to writing the doctrines of 

 Buddlia, which had been pre^'iously preserved by tradi- 

 tion alone. ^ The scene is a very extraordinary one ; — 

 huge masses of granitic rock have been precipitated 

 from the crest of a mountain, and on these other inasses 

 have been hurled, which in then- descent have sphntered 

 those beneath into gigantic fragments. In the fissm-es 

 caused by these convulsions numbers of small apartments 

 were formed at an early period, only two of whic]i now 

 remain. The principal one is almost concealed beneath 

 the overhanging brow of an enormous boulder in a gloomy 

 recess, darkened by beethng rocks, and shaded by the 

 surrounding forest. 



THE ALU WIHARA. 



We passed the night at Nalande, thirty miles north 

 of Kandy, and slept in the small Eoman Cathohc clnu-ch, 

 which was prepared for (^lu^ reception by screening 

 off the altar. This was a kind of accommodation for 



1 See aide, Vol. I. Pt. iii. ch. viii. p. 375. 



