1 92 On the Principles of 



Puclawiya in pura, or the first day of the moon, she rises in 

 the second preya after it is day, and sets in the second r>seya 

 after it is night, in proportion to what is past out of the 

 tithi. On Diyawaka of the pura, or on the second day of the 

 moon, she rises in the 4th p. after it is day, and sets in the 

 4th p. after it is night. On jalawak of Awa, or the 

 4th day of the wane, the moon rises at the 8th p. after it is 

 night, and sets in the 8th p. after it is day, and so forth. It 

 should be noticed, that in general one tithi and mckata 

 exhibit in one part of the day, and another tithi and ngekata 

 in the next part of the day ; and so proportionally the 

 rising and setting of the moon is changed. Although the 

 above is the popular notion of the moon's rising and setting 

 time, its exact moment is known accurately by the position 

 of the moon in the Easi through which she passes, by a 

 reference to the Naskata of the day in a common lita, 

 "the Almanac." 



Each of the four quarter days of the moon is called poya ; 

 the full moon is called Pasaloswalui poya, and the new moon 

 Mdse poya. The first quarter is called maze giya atawaka 

 poya, and the last quarter pahaloswaka giya atawaka poya. 

 In the poya, or quarter days, the Budhists generally refrain 

 from worldly occupations, and engage themselves in religious 

 works, believing, on the authority of Budba, that on these 

 days the messengers of the god Ssekkfa or Indra come to the 

 human world, observe the deeds of the people, record each 

 man's actions distinctly in a book, and then carry it to report 

 to their master. 



The Singhalese use different modes of computing time or 

 finding the pseya of the day. The most common way, w hen 

 the sun or moon is visible, is by the shadow of a person cast 

 on a level ground measured with his own foot. The method 

 of doing it is thus. Leave off the awatchawa i( the extra 



