THE SACKED BO-TREE. G35 



and placed an altar before it." {Mahawanso, 

 ch. xli. Turnour's MS. Transl.) 



A.D. 567. The King Kitsri-Magha " covered the edifice of the 

 Bo-tree with sheets of lead." {Mahcnvanso, ch. xH. 

 Turnour's MS. Transl.) 



A.D. 586. Maha-Naga "constructed a parapet wall round the 

 Bo-tree, and covered it with a golden edifice." 

 {Mahatvanso, ch. xli. Turnour's MS. Transl.) 



A.D. 815. King Kuda Daapula Eaja " caused to be built a 

 house in honour of and near to the Bo-tree at 

 Anuradhe-pura-Nuwara ; he caused to be made 

 a figure of Buddha in gold, and was a favourable 

 king to the religion of Buddha." {Rajaratna- 

 cari, p. 79, Turnour's Epitome, p. 33 ; Maha- 

 U'anso, ch. xlix.) 



A.D. 1153. King Prakrama Bahu "repaired all the decayed 

 palaces of the city, cleared away the jungle, and 

 made a house around the Jaya maha Bodin wo- 

 hanse, i. e. the Bo-tree." {RajaratnacaH, p. 89 ; 

 Rajavali, p. 253 ; Mahmvanso, ch. Ixiv.) 



A.D. 1240. The author of the portion of the Rajavali which 

 records the reign of Wijayo Bahu, speaking of the 

 exhaustion of the solar race and the accession of 

 those kings of mingled blood who followed them, 

 describes them as the " descendants of the family 

 who had brought to Ce3don the Bo-tree still exist- 

 ingy {Rajavali, p. 257.) 



A.D. 1675. According to a pretended prophecy, the city of 

 Sitawacca, destroyed by the Portuguese in the 

 wars with Maaya Dunnai, was to be rebuilt "when- 

 ever the Bo-tree of Anarajapoora should lose one 

 of its branches ;" and in 1674, when it was learned 

 that a branch of the famous tree had been struck 

 by lightning, the Dutch took advantage of the 

 popular feeling to restore some of the buildings. 

 (Valentyn, ch. XV. p. 230.) 



A.D. 1724. Valentyn, who wrote his great work on Ceylon 

 about the close of the 17th century (he went to 

 India in A.D. 1686), says, in speaking of the 

 Bo-tree, "which tree is still to be seen at the 

 Great Pagoda," at Anarajapoora. (Valenty'N, 

 ch. iv.) 



