CHAP. III.] 



EARLY IMPORTS. 



447 



slaves, chariots, and horses were frequently transmitted 

 from India. The riding horses and chargers, so often 

 spoken of *, must necessarily have been introduced from 

 thence, and were probably of Arab blood ; but I have 

 not succeeded in discovering to what particular race 

 the " Sindhawa " horses belonged, of which four purely 

 white were harnessed to the state carriage of Dutugai- 

 munu. 2 Gold cloth 3 , frankincense, and sandal-wood were 

 brought from India 4 , as was also a species of " clay " 

 and of "cloud-coloured stone," which appear to have 

 been used in the construction of dagobas. 5 Silk 6 and 

 vermilion 7 indicate the activity of trade with China ; and 

 woollen cloth 8 and carpets 9 with Persia and Kashmir. 



Intercourse with Kashmir. Possibly the woollen 

 cloths referred to may have been shawls, and there is 

 evidence in the Raja-tarangini lQ , that at a very early 

 period the possession of a common religion led to an 

 intercourse between Ceylon and Kashmir, originating 

 in the sympathies of Buddhism, but perpetuated by 

 the Kashmirians for the pursuit of commerce. In the 

 fabulous period of the narrative, a king of Kashmir is 

 said to have sent to Ceylon for a delicately fine cloth, em- 

 broidered with golden footsteps. 11 In the eighth century 

 of the Christian era, Singhalese engineers were sent for to 

 construct works in Kashmir 12 ; and Kashmir, according 



1 Mahawanso, ch. xxii. p. 134, 

 &c. &c. 



2 Ibid., ch. xxiii. p. 142 ; ch. xxxi. 

 p. 186. 



3 A.D.459. Mahawanso, ch. xxxviii. 

 p. 258. 



4 Ibid,, ch. xxiii. p. 138. 



5 Ibid., ch. xxix. p. 109 ; ch. xxx. 

 p. 179. 



6 Ibid., ch. xxiii. p. 139 ; Rajarat- 

 nacari, p. 49. 



7 Ibid., ch. xxix. p. 169 ; Rajarat- 

 nacari, p. 51. 



8 Mahawamo, ch. xxx. p. 177 ; 

 Rajavali, p. 269. Woollen cloth is 

 described as "most valuable" an 



epithet which indicates its rarity, and 

 probably foreign origin. 



9 Mahawanso, ch. xiv. p. 82 ; ch. 

 xv. p. 87 ', ch. xxv. p. 151 ; carpets of 

 wool, ib. ch. xxvii. p. 164. 



10 The Rajutaranffini resembles the 

 Mahawanso, in being a metrical 

 chronicle of Kashmir written at 

 various times by a series of authors, 

 the earliest of whom lived in the 

 12th century. It has been translated 

 into French by M. Troyer. Paris, 

 1840. 



11 Raftitarantfini, b. i. si. 294. 



12 Rajataranyini, b. iv. si. 502, &c. 



