556 Facsimiles of Ancient Inscriptions. [Sept. 



modern — it is so like Tamul in many letters that I think a Madras pan- 

 dit would find little difficulty in decyphering it. 



Other inscriptions from Ceylon, PL XXVI. XXVIII. 

 The preceding note has called to my recollection a number of other 

 fragments of inscriptions in nearly the same character which were 

 sent to the Society in 1833* by His Excellency Sir R. W. Horton. 

 They were collected from various spots in the Matele district by 

 Captain Forbes, as marked on the accompanying plate : and, His 

 Excellency says, thousands of the same nature exist on the island. 



The inscription from Haburenni offers the best chance to the decy- 

 pherer from its very perfect state : — In the 4th line I read with ease 

 the words paramara Maharaja. ...Sri mad... .Vijaya Patisara puta deva. 

 The same word □ ew vijaya occurs very frequently in the course of the 

 inscription. It is a name of great celebrity in the Ceylonese history, 

 as the founder of the earliest dynasty. The opening letters of the in-^ 

 scription are precisely such as appear on our first Canouj coins : — they 

 run Mujenagama.. . 



I am not aware whether the inscriptions so successfully decyphered 

 by Mr. Armour, and published in the Ceylon Almanac, include any of 

 this class — but I presume not, as they generally refer to periods much 

 more recent, as the reign of Sahasa Malla, in the 12th century, 

 when we know by the coins discovered at Dambedinia, that the Nagari 

 hardly differed from the present, form. Moreover, they are stated to 

 be in the Cingalese language. 



Inscriptions from the Caves of A j ant a, PL XXVIII. 



When I inserted in a former Plate (IX. see page 348) the rude 

 facsimile of an inscription taken for me by Messrs. Ralph and 

 Gresley, I forgot that I had in my possession several of a similar 

 nature collected by the same parties during a visit to these caves some 

 years ago, which were in vain shewn to the pandits of Benares and to 

 the Secretary of the College there. 



Not being aware that the measurements and drawings made by Dr. 

 Bird for Sir John Malcolm have ever seen the light, while the brief 

 notice and rude sketch published by Lieutenant Alexander in the 

 second volume of the Roy. As. Soc. Trans, is any thing but satisfac- 

 tory, I think it but tardy justice to put on record the materials so 

 kindly communicated to myself. 



One inscription (fig. 11) was taken with red paint on cloth from the 

 base of a large statue of Buddha, and, curious enough, we here again 

 trace the three initial letters " ye dharma' of the Buddhist formula ; but 



* See Proceedings As. Soc. 30tli Oct. 1833. 



