866 Account of the Tooth relic of Ceylon. [Oct. 



"Thereafter the chief of rulers (Pa'ndu) having secured the prosperity of 

 his realm, resigning the cares of dominion to his illustrious son, and restoring the 

 tooth relic of Sugato to, and conferring great favors on, Gu / hasi / wo, permit- 

 ted him to return to his own dominions {Kdlinga). The protector of the 

 world, by the distribution of riches in charity in various ways, having gladdened 

 the distressed, and for a considerable period, led the life of piety which apper- 

 tains to the sacerdotal state, (i. e. became a Buddhistical priest,) after corporeal 

 dissolution (death) was transferred to the mansions in the realms of the Dewos, 

 and realized the many rewards of righteousness which were the objects of his 

 aspirations." 



To save space I revert to an abstract of the remainder of this chapter. The 

 relic is restored to Dantapura : a young prince of Ujjeni visits that city on a 

 pilgrimage to the relic : he thence acquires the name of Dantakuma'ro, and 

 Gu'hasi'wo bestows his daughter (IIe'ma'ma'la) with a rich dowry, on him in 

 marriage, and appoints him the custos of the relic*. 



The nephews of Khi'ra'dha'ro, who had led a wandering life, from the time 

 their uncle had fallen in battle, came, with a great force, to attack Dantapura 

 for the purpose of getting possession of the relic They fortified themselves 

 in its vicinity, and called upon Gu'hasi'wo either to surrender the relic, or 

 give them battle. " The ruler, on receiving this demand, instantly made this 

 confidential communication to the prince (Dantakuma'ro). • As long as there 

 is life in my body, I will not surrender the tooth relic to another. Should I 

 not be able to vanquish them, assuming the disguise of a brahman, and taking 

 possession of the tooth relic worthily adored by Dewos and men, fly to the 

 Slhala (Ceylon). 1 Having received this important injunction from his father-in- 

 law, Dantakuma'ro inquires who would receive and befriend him in Ceylon. 

 The king explains that it is a Buddhistical country, blessed with pious priests, 

 and that the reigning sovereign Maha'se'no had sent offerings to the relic, and 

 even solicited for a little of the holy water in which the relic had been bathed." 



Gu'hasi'wo then sallies forth with his army, and is killed in battle, by the 

 nephews of Khi'ra'dha'ro. Dantakuma'ro assuming the preconcerted dis- 

 guise of a brahman, escapes out of the town with the relic, and " proceeding 

 to the southward crossed a great river, and buried the relic in a sandbank of 

 that river.'' Returning to the city in his disguise, he brought away his spouse, 

 also in the garb of a female brahman, and resuming possession of the relic re- 

 mained in a wilderness. After many miraculous adventures, and in particular, meet- 

 ing an inspired thdro, who gives them advice and spiritual courage, the royal pair 

 reached the port of T&lamita and found there " a vessel bound for Ceylon, firmly 

 constructed with planks sewed together with ropes, having a well-rigged, lofty, 

 mast, with a spacious sail, and commanded by a skilful navigator, on the point 



* An office kept up to this day, and called in Singhalese " Diyawadana nilame" 

 which literally signifies "the water-bearing- chief," from the duty he had to 

 perform in the temple, till it was assigned to priests, who now perform that cere- 

 mony at the daily services that are celebrated there. 



