No. 27.-— 1884.] tissamaharAma archaeology. 



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has this year been begun at two of them. The two first- 

 mentioned dagabas are situated to the south-east of the 

 Tissa tank, a short distance below its enbankment, in what 

 is now the paddy field ; the other two large ones lie to the 

 west of the tank, nearer the river (the Magama-ganga), 

 which flows past at a distance of two miles from the tank. 

 1 may note here that Dr. Miiller has inadvertently fallen 

 into au error in stating that this river flows through the 

 tank. {Ancient Inscriptions in Ceylon, p. 40, footnote.) 

 The water is brought from the river to the tank by means 

 of a deep excavated channel, several miles long. In former 

 times the tank was supplied with water in a similiar man- 

 ner, but by a channel following a different course from 

 that now adopted. 



Surrounding these dagabas are numerous remains of 

 buildings which were doubtless, for the most part, wiluiras 

 built either by Mahanaga and his successors, or, in some 

 cases, by rulers of a somewhat later period. The statement 

 in the Mahavamsa (ed. Tumour, p. 217), to some extent 

 confirmed by the inscription in the Maharama (Ancient 

 Inscriptions, No. 4), that King Ilanaga " enlarged the 

 Naga Ma ha Wihara to the extent of a hundred lengths of 

 his unstrung bow''— that is, some 600 feet in length— will 

 give an idea of the area once covered by these structures ; 

 but now all that is to be seen above-ground usually consists 

 of the upper part of a few squared, upright pillars, which 

 formed part of the walls, or assisted in supporting the roof. 



On the western side of the Tissa tank, near the Msenik 

 and Yatthala dagabas, and not far from the river, there 

 are (besides the buildings which were occupied by the 

 priests) several other remains of edifices which appear to 

 have belonged to influential members of the laity, as well 

 as the ruins of what is said by some to have been the royal 

 palace,* a large hall about 140 feet long by 70 feet wide, 



* I should note, however, that the opinion of Jinaratana TerunnansS, 

 the priest who has charge of this place and the adjoining dagabas, is 

 that this was not a palace at any time, but a building belonging to the 

 Bhikkhu Congregation, and either a dining-hall ( danasdlaj, or more 

 probably a hall for prayers (banasdla J; and that in this case the elephant 

 tied to the ^Etabcenduwa may have been a temple elephant. This 

 opinion appears to be well founded. 



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