1837.] Specimens of Ceylon Coins. 299 



ing the reading Sri Maydtraya Malla, I remarked that, although princes 

 of this family name were common in Nepal, I could find none in the 

 Ceylon list to correspond. This observation elicited the following 

 note from Mr. Turnour, which in justice to his sagacious and correct 

 prediction ought to have been published long ago. 



" Note on Hindu Coin, fig. 22, of PI. L. vol. IV. — In your valuable 

 paper in the Dec. Journal, on Hindu Coins, you say that the name of 

 Malla does not appear in my Catalogue. He is doubtless identical 

 with Sahassa Mallowa in my epitome published in the Almanac of 

 1833. In the translation No. 6 of the inscription published in 1834, 

 you will also find him called Sahasa Malla. That inscription contains 

 a date, which led to an important correction in my chronological table 

 explained at page 176. He commenced his reign in A. D. 1200. 

 His being a member of the Kalinga royal family — his boastful visits 

 to India : — and Dambodinia (which you have called Dipaldinna) be- 

 coming the capital in about 30 years after his reign, where the for- 

 mer similar coins were found ; — all tend to shew that the coin in 

 question may be safely given to him. You will observe also by the 

 inscription that his title was Sirri Sangaba Kalinga Wijaya bahu, 

 surnamed Sahasa Malla. 



Randy, 17th March, 1836. George Turnour." 



There was no other Malla in the list, and therefore the assignment 

 was probable, but I laid little stress on it from the total variance of 

 the rest of the name. In August, 1836, Captain Ord, of Candy, sent 

 me impressions of the coins he had met with, and pointed out that 

 the first letter of the third line was not formed like W but open like ^. 

 To pursue the train of small causes leading to an important result, 

 when lithographing the Delhi inscription of the 10th century in vol. 

 V. page 726, the very first letter ^ struck me as resembling in the 

 squareness of its form, j£] the Ceylonese letter I had before mistaken 

 for ^j. The enigma was thus in a moment solved, and every subse- 

 quent reading, (for coins of this prince are exceedingly common com- 

 pared with others,) has confirmed the reading , 5ft??^n^'*3WW Sri mat 

 Sahasa Malla, in accordance with Mr. Turnour's conjecture. In 

 some few specimens the t of mat is either omitted through ignorance, 

 or worn away; but in general it is quite distinct. Marsden's read- 

 ing was Tf^jT ^*JT *T^ Maya day a malla. 



The ice once broken, it became comparatively easy to find owners 

 for all the other specimens either published in former notices, or ex- 

 isting unpublished in cabinets on the island. 



Capt. Ord, not content with sending me drawings of those in his 



