No. 27.— 1884.] TISSAMAH Alii.MA ARCHEOLOGY. II 



inhabitants than was contained in three very small shallow 

 tanks. This would undoubtedly not suffice for the wants of 

 any large population. 



When the extreme likelihood that there were no artificial 

 tanks — or, at any rate, none but tanks of the smallest size — 

 in the Island before the advent of Wijaya is considered, the 

 absolute necessity of a previously existing and unfailing 

 natural water-supply at the site of the city, such as could 

 only be found in one of the rivers, is apparent. In their 

 need of fresh water the invaders must, without any doubt, 

 have landed at the mouth of one of the rivers. On this, if 

 the water-supply were sufficiently good, and to be depended 

 on, and other things were favourable, their first settlement 

 would probably be founded. Tambapanni must therefore 

 be looked for near the mouth of a river which always con- 

 tains a good supply of potable water near its mouth, yet 

 which is not liable to have its banks overflowed in the wet 

 seasons. This considerably reduces the list of possible sites. 

 For one or the other of these reasons the north-western 

 rivers— the Malwatta-oya (or Aruvi-ai*u), the Modaragam- 

 ova, the Kala-oya, and the Mi-oya — must all be abandoned, 

 as well as many other sites which have been suggested as 

 likely ones. Dr. M filler has expressed an opinion (Ancient 

 Inscriptions, p. 23 ) that the settlers may have merely come 

 across from South India, in which case, as he states, traces 

 of the capital should certainly be in existence near either 

 the Aruvi-aru (or Malwatta-oya) or the Modaragam-oya. 

 But from my acquaintance with the lower portions of these 

 rivers, I am able to state that no such ruins are to be found 

 near their mouths. 



In this uncertainty we have valuable evidence in the old 

 historical works, particularly in the Di'pavamsa, which 

 Dr. Oldenberg has shown to be an earlier work than the 

 Mahavamsa, and most probably to contain, in some measure, 

 literal extracts from the original Atthakatha. I venture to 

 annex an extract from it regarding Wijaya's landing, the 

 italics being mine : 



" That crowd of men having gone on board their sbip, sailing 

 on the sea, were driven aivay by the violence of the wind, and 

 lost their bearings. They came to Laihkadipa, where they dis- 

 embarked and went on shore The red-coloured dust of 



