84 CEYLON BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, 



The JS T agari characters Sri Lanheswar ?* 



Reverse. A rude standing figure,! with a flowing robe, 

 right hand extended over two emblems. 



Left hand supporting a crown or globe ? Beneath a 

 scroll, with circles or flower on the right. 



No. 2. A copper coin very similar, but more rude. The 

 inscription on the observe is Srignyadymth ? On 

 the reverse, the standing figure as before. 



" In Davy's Ceylon, p. 245, will be found a drawing, of an 

 antique gold coin, called a Dambadinia Ilhatra (rathra gold.) 

 which was found in the neighbourhood of Dambadinia, in the 

 Seven Korles, a place of royal residence, (no doubt identical 

 with Dipaldinna of Colonel Mackenzie). The drawing of 

 this coin is precisely similar to those of Plate Y. and to the 

 one now before the Society, and so is the copper coin alluded 

 to by Davy, as the Dambadinia chally (chally, means copper.) 



" Davy does not seem to have comprehended either the 

 devices, or the characters on his coin, for he has reversed the 

 engraving of the side bearing the inscription, and he supposes 

 both to be mere hieroglyphics. To an eye accustomed to 

 such objects, however, the standing and sitting figures are 

 very evident, as are the Nagari characters, although their 

 purport is not so clear ; indeed, of the half dozen, to which 

 we can now refer, no two seem to bear the same name ; nor 

 are we acquainted sufficiently with the ancient history of 

 Ceylon, to be able to fill up the doubtful names of the coins 

 from any well certified list of princes of Hindu dynasties in 

 Ceylon, of the Sooreaivanse (or Surybanse) race." 



The Singhalese, as stated by Dr. Davy, do call these coins 

 by the names of "Dambadeniya Ratran" and "Dambadeniya 

 challe," and persuade themselves that they were struck at 

 Dambadeniya, when it was the capital of their kings in the 

 13th century; but several circumstances lead me to doubt the 



* The prosperous Lord of Lanka or Ceylon. S. C. C. 

 f The standing figure is Vishnu. 



