o9-2 THE RUINED CITIES. [Part X. 



his birth.' The exterior is profusely decorated with ar- 

 chitectiu'al devices m chunam, and the character of the 

 whole, so imhke that of the Buddliist buildings in 

 other parts of the island, is corroborative of the state- 

 ment in the Mahawanso, that Praki'ama the Great 

 brought artists from the opposite coast of India to con- 

 struct the buildings at Pollanarrua, and repair those of 

 Anarajapoora.- The style seems to belong to the Sara- 

 cenic period, and the grand entrance to the temple at 

 the eastern end is flanked by two polygonal turrets, 

 which forcibly recall the outhne of the Kotub ]\£nar at 

 Dellii. The porch was originally guarded on either 

 side by two figures in alto-relievo, only one of which re- 

 mains, and at the extremity of the main aisle, is reared 

 a gigantic statue of Buddlia, formed of brickwork coated 

 over with chunam. It is partially concealed by the 

 debris of the fallen roof, but the portion uncovered 

 measures fifty-eight feet in height from the knees to the 

 crown of the head. 



I had reason to regret that the destruction of the 

 roof of this extraordinaiy temple, and my want of pre- 

 paration for a special examination of that portion of the 

 ruins, rendered it impossible for me to determine a 

 highly interesting point in reference to this colossal 

 statue. Allusion has already been made to the identity 

 in certain particulars observable between the Buddhist 

 temples of Ava and those of Ceylon.^ Amongst the 

 buikhngs at Paganmyo, on the L'awaddi, is a pagoda 

 kno^vn as the " cave of Ananda," and in it a gilded 

 figure of Buddha, similar in attitude to that in the 

 Jayta-wana-rama, stands in a vaulted cell, situated at 

 the fiu'ther extremity of a darkened aisle. Into the 

 alcove in which it is placed the only hght tliat is ad- 

 mitted streams through an opening so situated as to 



' Hajaratnacari, p. 18; Mahn- ■ so'sT^HiKE^T'sIliston/of Chrisfiani/!/ 



vciii.so, eh. Ixxvii. ; Rnjavuli, p. 252. I in Ce;/I(»i, p. 38. 

 A side-^new of tho elevation of this - ^IdhairanRO, rh. Ixxv., Ixxvii. 



temple will be found in Sir .1. K.mkr- * See (lufi; p. o7S. 



