606 



MEDIAEVAL HISTORY. 



[PART V. 



speaks of the monkeys with beards like a man (Pres- 

 bytes ursinus, or P. cephalopterus\ and of the "fierce 

 leech," which lurks in the m trees and damp grass, and 

 springs on the passers by. He describes the trees with 

 leaves that never fall, and the " red roses " of the rhodo- 

 dendrons which still characterise that lofty region. At 

 the foot of the last pinnacle which crowns the summit 

 of the peak, he found a minaret named after Alexander 

 the Great 1 ; steps hewn out of the rock, and " iron pins 

 to which chains are appended" to assist the pilgrims 

 in their ascent ; a well filled with fish, and last of all, on 

 the loftiest point of the mountain, the sacred foot-print 

 of the First Man, into the hollow of which the pilgrims 

 drop their offerings of gems and gold. 



In descending the mountain, Ibn Batuta passed 

 through the village of Kalanga, near which was a tomb, 

 said to> be that of Abu Abd Allah Ibn Khalif 2 ; he 

 visited the temple of Dinaur (Devi-ISTeuera, or Dondera 

 Head), and returned to Putlam by way of Kale (Galle), 

 and Kolambu (Colombo), " the finest and largest city in 

 Serendib." 



1 In oriental tradition, Alexander 

 is believed to have visited Ceylon in 

 company with the "philosopher Bo- 

 linus/' by whom De Sacy believes 

 that the Arabs meant Apollonius of 

 Tyana. There is a Persian poem by 

 ASHBEF, the Zaffer Namah Stondari, 

 which describes the conqueror's voy- 

 age to Serendib, and his devotions at 

 the foot-mark of Adam, for reaching 



which, he and Bolinus caused steps 

 to be hewn in the rock, and the 

 ascent secured by rivets and chains 

 See OFSELEY'S Travels, vol. i. p. 58. 

 2 Abu Abd Allah was the first who 

 led the Mahometan pilgrims to Ceylon. 

 The tomb alluded to was probably a 

 cenotaph in his honour ; as Ibn Batuta 

 had previously visited his tomb at 

 Shiraz. 



