74 



( i\ VI.ON RRAN< JT- 



ROYAL 



a STATIC s< >( I KTT, 



go to the residence of the truly devout Yathavuken, 

 they went to his hermitage (a ) with celerity. 



Those who thus went sought him with affection, and 

 found him with delight, flourishing in the hermitage even as 

 the mountain of mercy. He arose from his Yoga medi- 

 tation on the lotos seat, and they imparted to him all that 

 the dancing God had revealed to them. 



As soon as those words entered the ears of the benevo- 

 lent (Vathavuren), he, recollecting what the God had 

 before then revealed to himself, instantly proceeded along 

 with them, and having adored the Lord of the sanctuary, 

 and obtained his grace, approached the gem-set Mandapa* 

 where the infatuated (Buddhists) remained, but consider- 

 ing it an evil to behold their faces, he caused a curtain to 

 be put up, and took his seat behind it. 



The Chola-kmg, attended by the Brahmans skilled in 

 the Vedas, expounders of the Pur anas, men of science and 

 men of greatness, hastened to the sanctuary, worshipped 

 the God, and then repaired to the resplendent gem-set 

 Mandapa, where bowing to the feet of the graceful devotee, 

 he seated himself on one side upon a beauteous seat, like 

 the full moon. 



The iM-king rising and bowing down to the Ch6la-temg. 9 

 paid him the arrears of his tribute (b), and blessed him, 

 saying, " O king, mayest thou live ! may est thou live pros- 

 perously ! " As he stood, the king of kings rejoicing greatly , 

 and saying to him, "the elephants thou has presented are 

 very excellent (c), and the rubies which thou has presented 



(a) In the original Pannasale ( &»\ the same with the 



Singhalese Pansala. 



(6) In the annals of the Singhalese, it is no where stated that 

 their kings were ever tributary to the Chola-kings. It is true 

 that the Cholians invaded Ceylon at different times, and more 

 than once made themselves masters of the north-west coast, in- 

 cluding the capital Anurapura ; but the native kings did not 

 remain tributary to them ; they either retreated southwards and 

 lived in concealment, or were captured and transported to the 

 continent. 



fc) It would appear that Ceylon has been celebrated for its 

 elephants from the most early periods, for Pliny tells us, that 

 Onksicritus had described " the elephant bred in this island'' 

 as "bigger," and "more fierce and furious for war service than 

 those of India" -'see Holland's Plinies Natural! Historic. 

 P>onke VII, Chap. XXII" printed at London. 1601. 



