1847-] The rock temples of Dambool, Ceylon. 345 



them to be gilt, celebrated a great puja at the cost of seven lakhs of 

 money, and as is thus recorded upon this stone, gave to this cave the 

 name of Swarna Giriguhaaya" (i. e. the cave of the golden mountain.) 



Such are the contents of the lengthened inscription which prominently 

 strikes the eye of the observer on first advancing to the caves of Dam- 

 bool, and the picture which it gives us of the government of Ceylon in 

 the twelfth century is far from contemptible. The caves themselves 

 are five in number — the first three stretching from east to west, are the 

 older, and the more laboured structures, the remaining two, forming an 

 obtuse angle with the others, being much more recent and comparatively 

 insignificant. The excavations are separated from each other partly 

 by remaining portions of the rock, and partly by artificial walls, and 

 they stretch into the heart of the mountain to various distances from 

 fifteen to one hundred and thirty feet. The ground plan of them which 

 I annex will perhaps give a better idea of their relative positions than 

 a mere description. 



In height they vary from ten to thirty feet, being generally more 

 lofty at the entrance, and gradually decreasing in height as they advance 

 into the rock. The cave usually called the first, as being the first the 

 visitor reaches, is also the most easterly, and is but a few yards distant 

 from the inscription just treated of. It is called the Maha-Deva-Devale, 

 (the temple of the great god,) the title not referring to Buddhu, of 

 whom there is a gigantic colossal statue in the cave, but to Vishnu, a 

 statue of that deity also placed in it being considered of superior sanctity. 

 On entering the Maha-Deva-Devale, the visitor at first sees but little 

 difference between it and the interior of the other wihares scattered in 

 such profusion over our island. It is not till his attention is directed 

 to the fact that the gigantic recumbent image before him is a portion 

 of the rock around that he becomes sensible of the peculiar nature of 

 the cavity in which he stands. The figure of Buddha is forty-seven 

 feet long, his head rests in the usual manner on his right hand, the 

 right arm being bent beside him, the hand again rests on a pillow, in 

 which is apparent the impression supposed to be made by the weight of 

 his head and arm — the whole being cut out of the solid rock around, 

 together with the bed on which he lies. Being rather doubtful of this 

 fact of which the priest had just informed me, and being anxious to be 

 certain about the matter, in a moment of thoughtlessness, I knocked 



