388 



THE SINGHALESE CHRONICLES. 



[PART III. 



perennial spring, periods for seed time and harvest 

 being regulated by the taste of the husbandman." This 

 statement has reference to the multitude of tanks which 

 rendered agriculture independent of the periodical rains. 



Fa Hian speaks of the lofty monuments which were 

 the memorials of Buddha, and of the gems and gold 

 that adorned his statues at Anarajapoora. Amongst 

 the most surprising of these was a figure in what 

 he calls " blue jasper," inlaid with jewels and other 

 precious materials, and holding in one hand a pearl of 

 inestimable value. l He describes the Bo-tree in terms 

 that might almost be applied to its actual condition 

 at the present day, and he states that they had recently 

 erected a building to contain " the tooth of Buddha." 

 This was exhibited to the pious in the middle of the 

 third moon with processions and ceremonies which he 

 minutely details. 2 All this corresponds closely with the 

 narrative of the Mahawanso. The sacred tooth of Bud- 

 dha, called at that time Ddthd dhdtu, and now the 

 Dalada, had been brought to Ceylon a short time before 

 Fa Hian's arrival in the reign of Kirti-Sri-Megha-warna, 

 A.D. 311, in charge of a princess of Kalinga, who con- 

 cealed it in the folds of her hair. And the Mahawanso 

 with equal precision describes processions conducted 

 by the king and the assembled priests, in which 



1 It was whilst looking at this 

 statue that FA HIAN encountered an 

 incident which he has related with 

 touching simplicity : " Depuis que 

 FA HIAN avait quitte la terre de 

 Han, plusieurs annees s'etaient ecou- 

 le"es ; les gens avec lesquels il avait 

 des rapports etaient tous des homines 

 de centimes etrangeres. Les mon- 

 tagnes, les rivieres, les herbes, les 

 arbres, tout ce qui avait frappe ses 

 yeux etait nouveau pour lui. De 



Rlus, ceux qui avaient fait route avec 

 li, s'en e"taient scare's, les uns 

 s'e"taiit arrete"s, et les autres e"tant 

 morts. En re"flechissant au passe", son 



C03ur etait toujours rempli de pen- 

 se"es et de tristesse. Tout a coup, a 

 cote de cette figure de jaspe, il vit 

 un marchand qui faisait hommage 

 a la statue d'un eventail de taffetas 

 blanc du pays de Tsin. Sans qu'on 

 s'en apercut cela lui causa une emo- 

 tion telle que ses larmes coulerent 

 et remplirent ses yeux." (FA HIAN. 

 Foe-koue-ki, ch. xxxviii. p. 333.) 

 " Tsin " means the province of 

 Chensi, which was the birthplace of 

 Fa Hian. 



2 FA HIAN, Foe-kmie-ki, ch, 

 xxxviii. p. 334-6. 



