354 THE SINGHALESE CHRONICLES. [PART III. 



B.C. But it was not the priests alone who were captivated 

 61 ' by the generosity of Elala. In the final struggle for 

 the throne, in which the Malabars were worsted by the 

 gallantry of Dutugaimunu, a prince of the excluded 

 family, the deeds of daring displayed by him were 

 the admiration of his enemies. The contest between the 

 rival chiefs is the solitary tale of Ceylon chivalry, in which 

 Elala is the Saladin and Dutugaimunu the Cceur-de-lion. 

 So genuine was the admiration of Elala's bravery that his 

 rival erected a monument in his honour, on the spot where 

 he fell ; the ruins of which remain to the present day, 

 and are still regarded by the Singhalese with respect 

 and veneration. " On reaching the quarter of the city 

 in which it stands," says the Mahawanso *, " it has been 

 the custom for the monarchs of Lanka to silence their 

 music, whatsoever procession they may be heading ; " 

 and so uniformly was the homage continued down to 

 the most recent period, that so lately as 1818, on the 

 suppression of an attempted rebellion, wfyen the de- 

 feated aspirant to the throne was making his escape by 

 Anarajapoora, he alighted from his litter, on approach- 

 ing the quarter in which the monument was known to 

 exist, " and although weary and almost incapable of 

 exertion, not knowing the precise spot, he continued 

 on foot till assured that he had passed far beyond the 

 ancient memorial." 2 



Dutugaimunu, in the epics of Buddhism, enjoys a 

 renown, second only to that of King Tissa, as the 

 champion of the faith. On the recovery of his kingdom 

 he addressed himself with energy to remove the effects 

 produced in the northern portions of the island by forty 

 years of neglect and inaction under the sway of Elala. 

 During that monarch's protracted usurpation . the minor 

 sovereignties, which had been formed in various parts 

 of the island prior to his seizure of the crown, were 



1 Mahawanso, ch. xxi. 



2 FORBES' Eleven Years in Ceylon, vol. i. p. 233. 



