68 



CEYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY* 



wearing the tiara of well-nourished hair, but once pro* 

 nounce the word "Ponnambalam" they would derive the 

 same benefit as if they had repeated the prosperous penta-* 

 grammata (a ), with their tongues twenty one thousand and 

 six hundred times." Thus said the ascetic of unfailing re- 

 nown. 



" O king, who art destitute of the holy ashes (b) i as well 

 as of the pentagrammata ! this is the import of the word 

 " Ponnambalam " which I pronounced." Thus spake the 

 ascetic, whose mind was (stable) like a mountain; and the 

 Buddhist hierarchy thereupon, became exasperated, and 

 thus addressed him: "Is there any God besides the Lord 

 of whom the three Pitakas have declared. 



" Going hence I shall go to Tillei, and contend with him 

 (Siva), and cut asunder his dancing foot rings and pendant 

 flag, and then proclaiming to the world that Buddha, who 

 sits under the shade of the Bodhi tree (c ) is only God, 

 convert the sanctuary there into a temple for his worship." 



Saying, "I shall accomplish this object in three days," the 

 Buddhist, with anguish of mind, arose from his seat, mount- 

 ed a beautiful palanquin, and attended by a retinue of his 

 disciples, traversed speedily the sparkling wavy-ocean, land 

 and woods, and arrived at Puliyoor. 



The king also having resolved to visit the golden sanc- 

 tuary that he might obtain a cure for his beloved daugh- 

 ter, who was dumb, mounted his incomparably splendid 

 state palanquin, and attended on all sides by his army^ pro- 

 ceeded to the Chola country ( d) } and entered the precincts 

 of Tillei. 



The Buddhist, who preceded him, having alighted from 

 his palanquin in the bounds of Tillei (e ), repaired to the 



(«) In the original Panchashara [u^&a&styir^ : the five letters, 

 forming the mystical Saiva formule Na-ma-si-va-ya i. e. "Ado- 

 ration to the only God." 



(6) In the original Vib'hute («8y£) : the ashes of the burnt 

 cow- dung, with which the Saivas mark their forehead, breast and 

 arms twice a day. 



(c) Bodhi (Qun0) 9 the same with Bogha, Ficus religiosa. 



\d) In the original "the country of Senni" (©*«OTsrf)«»®) which 

 is a title of the Chola-king. 



(e) The original has "Tillei the city of the fire-bearing God, 

 whose hands are red." 



