ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



CEYLON BRANCH. 



REPORT ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES 

 AT TISSAMAHA'RA'MA. 



By Henry Parker, F.G.S., F.Z.S., F.R. Hist. Soc.,&c , 

 Irrigation Officer. 



INTRODUCTION. 



TissamaharAma is well known to be in the south-east of 

 the Island— twenty miles by road to the north-east of 

 Hambantota, and about six and a-half from the mouth of 

 the Magama or Kirinde-ganga. It is also known as the 

 site of the large dagabas built by Mahanaga, the third son 

 of king Mutasiwa, and his successors—the chief one being 

 the Maharama— and of the Tissa tank, or Tissawsewa 

 (commonly called Tihawa), presumably constructed by the 

 same son of Mutasiwa, which has been restored during 

 recent years. Five miles from Tissawtewa and three 

 from the village of Kirinde is the village of Magama, 

 said to be at the site of the ancient southern capital, 

 M again a, on the bank of the Magama-ganga. A mile 

 to the eastward of Tissa wtewa is a larger shallow reservoir, 

 long since abandoned, the bund of which now goes by the 

 name of Yoday&kandiya. This tank is probably the 

 Dura and Duratissa tank of the Mahavamsa. The waste 

 water of Tissawa3wa flowed into this reservoir by a wide ex- 

 cavated channel, and there can be no doubt that the object 

 of this larger tank was the irrigation of a considerable part 

 of the land lying between Tissawaewa and the sea; Tissa- 

 wsewa itself being of small capacity, and evidently originally 

 intended to provide water chiefly for the use of the large 

 28—85 a 



