6 



JOTJRNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. VIII. 



The tank and dagaba were again repaired by King 

 Kanittha Tissa, 155-173 A.D., according to the Situl- 

 pahuwa inscription. {Ancient Inscriptions , No. 16). 



As the date of the construction of these works is inti- 

 mately connected with the subject of this report, it is 

 important to endeavour to fix the actual time with some 

 approximation to greater accuracy than the ancient histories 

 can lay claim to. Mahanaga settled at Magama soon after 

 Dewanampiya Tissa succeeded to the throne, which, accord- 

 ing to the Mahavamsa, took place in 307 B.C. This event, 

 however, occurred considerably later,— apparently about 6Z 

 years afterwards. In dealing with this part of the subject, 

 lhave taken the opportunity of investigating thechronology 

 of the previous rulers of Ceylon, and of drawing up a 

 corrected chronological table for them. If this has been 

 previously done, of which I am not aware, such a table 

 is, at any rate, not usually accessible to students in 

 Ceylon. 



If we consider King Mutasfwa to have been 45 years old 

 when his youngest son was born— (his ten sons— if not 

 his two daughters — are explicitly stated to have been the 

 children of one mother ; MaL, p. 128)— the following will 

 be the probable ages and lengths of reign of the earlier 

 Kings of Ceylon, according to the Mahavamsa:— 



King. 



Accession. 



Length of .Reign, 



Age. 



B.C. 



Years. 





Wijaya 



543 



38 



65 



Panduwasa Dewa ... 



504 



30 



55 



Abhaya 



474 



26 



70 



Pandnkabhaya 



437 



70 



107 



Mutasiwa 



367 



60 



146 



Dewauampiya Tissa. 



307 



40 



156 



Uttiya 



267 



10 



158 



Makasiwa 



257 



10 



166 



iSuratissa 



247 



10 



174 



Sena and Guttika 



237 



22 





Asela 



215 



10 



204 



Elara 



205 



44 



70 



Kakawannatissa 







64 



Dutthagamini * ... 



161 



24 



68 



Saddhatissa ••• 



137 



18 



S4 



Of course such ages would be utterly preposterous, in 



