Chap. VIL] 



THE FINE ARTS. 



471 



the Eajavali relates, in speaking of the army of Dutu- 

 gaimiinu, that in its march the " ratthng of the sixty- 

 four kinds of drums made a noise resembhng thunder 

 breaking on the rock from behind which the sun rises." ^ 

 The band of Devenipiatissa, B.C. 307, was caUed the 

 talawachara, from tlie muUitude of di^ums ^ : chank- 

 shells contributed to swell the din, both in warfare^ 

 and in rehgious worship ^ ; choristers added their 

 voices ^ ; and the triumph of effect consisted in " the 

 united crash of every description, vocal as well as in- 

 strumental." ^ Although " a full band " is explained 

 in the Maliawanso to imply a combination of " all 

 descriptions of musicians," no flutes or mnd instru- 

 ments are particularised, and the incidental mention of 

 a harp only occurs in the reign of Dutugainnnm, B.C. 

 161.^ JoiNViLLE says, that certain musical principles 

 were acknowledged in Ceylon at an early period, and 

 that " pieces are to be seen in some of the old Pah 



1 Rajavcdi, pp. 217, 219. At the 

 present day, there are four or five 

 varieties of drums in use : — the tom- 

 tom or tam-a-tom, properly so-called, 

 which consists of trw^o cylinders placed 

 side by side, and is beaten with two 

 sticks; — the daelle, a single cylinder 

 struck with a stick at one end, and 

 with the hand at the other; — the ou- 

 daelle, which is held in the left hand, 

 and struck with the right ; — and the 

 hern, which is suspended from the 

 beater's neck, and struck with both 

 hands, one at each end, precisely as a 

 similar instrument is showTi in some 

 of the Egyptian monuments. 



^ 3Iahawanso, ch. xvii. p. 104. 



3 B.C. 161. Ilahaivanso, ch. xxv. 

 p. 154. 



* B.C. 20. Rajavali, p. 51. 



^ Mahmvanso, ch. xxv. p. 157. 



^ Mahawanso, ch. xxvi. 186. 



''' Mahawanso, ch. xxx. p. 180. 

 The following passage in Upham's 

 translation of the Mahawanso, ch. 

 Ixxii. vol. i. p. 274, would convey 

 the idea that the >:'Eolian hai-p was 

 meant, or some arrangement of 



ANUIENT EGYPTIAN AND MODERN SIN- 

 GHALESE TOM-TOM BEATERS. 



strings calcidated to elicit similar 

 sounds: — '' The king Prakrama built 

 a palace at the city of Pollanarrua ; 

 and the stone works were carved in 

 the shape of flowers and creeping- 

 plants, loith f/olden networks which 

 f/nve harmonious sounds as if they 

 toere nioved by the air.'''' 



4 



