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JOURNAL, R,A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



deposited 8 lacs of hirannas at each of the four gates of the 

 Lohapasada (Mah. p. 163) ; and the other mentions the gift 

 of 200,000 silver pieces (rupiyd) to the priesthood, by 

 Abhaya, son of Sirinaga, 231—239 A.D. {Dip., xxii. 37). 



In all other cases previous to Mahanama's time, in which 

 allusion is made to money in Ceylon, there is not only 

 nothing to show that kahapanas of copper were not referred 

 to, but there is often good reason for thinking that copper 

 alone was intended to be understood. Gold and silver were 

 doubtless used much more freely in India than in Ceylon, both 

 as mediums of exchange and for decorative purposes. This 

 is evident when it is remembered that gold does not now 

 exist in any but small quantities in Ceylon, and that 

 silver is still more rare. We cannot assume that the 

 greater part of these metals has been washed out of the 

 quartz before our time. It seems to be very unlikely, too, 

 that gold was really made use of in the instance above 

 referred to. The money was to be given to the labourers 

 employed in building the Lohapasada, and it can hardly be 

 supposed that they would be paid in gold.* In this case, 

 hiranna may very possibly be an interpolation of Mahana- 

 ma's. Excluding this one instance, then, there is nothing 

 whatever to indicate that up to the third century A.D. any 

 but copper money was in large circulation in this country. 

 When it is named, this money is always called kahapana. 

 Seeing, therefore, that two of the oblong coins certainly date 

 from before Christ, and that another (No. 4) most probably 

 does, that no copper coins but kahapanas or parts of kahapanas 

 are known to have existed in Ceylon at that time, and that 

 the Indian kahapana has been represented by a pre-Christian 

 sculptor as a rectangular coin, I conclude that we have at 

 last obtained specimens of one of the subdivisions of the 

 Simhalese kahapana, 



* I should note, however, that in one of the Mihintale inscriptions, 

 which Dr. Muller attributes to Kassapa V. (937 to 954 A.D.) it is 

 ordained that the workmen at the Ambasthala Wihara were to be paid 

 in " kalandas" of gold. This may merely refer to the amount of their 

 pay ; it does not necessarily indicate that gold was actually paid to the 

 men. In any case, it would of course be their yearly wages, and not 

 pay given to them for short periods of service, as would be the case at 

 the Lohapasada (Ancient Inscriptions, No. 1 14.) See Appendix, Note 4. 



