No. 29.— 1884.] 



KALI KGV1LA. 



311 



The site of this temple is within a few yards of the 

 former ferry over the Bentota river. At this spot well- 

 marked traces of the foundation of some superstructure in 

 very old cabook, crumbling almost to dust, are met with 

 to support the tradition. The usual pond that is seen in 

 the immediate vicinity of most of the dewalas and temples 

 is clearly traceable here, even though it is now overgrown 

 with jungle, and filled in with earth enough to admit even 

 of a plantation of cocoanut trees on it. I have it also on 

 the authority of the incumbent of one of the viharas in the 

 neighbourhood, that he had himself removed coral-stones 

 from the site of this pond to his vihara for building 

 purposes. Even at the present day a slab of granite, used 

 as the threshold of the chief entrance to the Bodimalu 

 Vihara, is admitted to have been removed from the site of 

 this k6vila by Kalavila Terunnans^, a late incumbent of that 

 vihara. It is also said that about thirty years ago, 

 a villager, while removing earth from this site, fell in 

 with a lamp. But I have not been able to trace this 

 lamp to the parties at present in possession of it. The 

 man's descendants disclaim all knowledge. His eldest 

 daughter, however, has a faint recollection of her father 

 having mentioned the discovery of this lamp in the family, 

 but of its subsequent history she is able to say nothing ; 

 whether through actual ignorance of the facts, or through 

 fear of. confession leading to the confiscation of the article, 

 or to consequences more serious to herself, it is difficult to 

 say. The marked difference, besides, in the appearance of 

 the soil on this supposed site, as compared with the soil 

 all round, is also very suggestive. The soil in almost the 

 whole village is composed of loose sand, much like what 

 might have been thrown up from the river, — indeed if the 

 village was not itself originally the bed of the stream. But 

 on a spot of about fifteen or twenty yards, nearly square, not 

 only is the surface-soil dark-brown in colour, and gravelly, 

 but the deeper you dig the more marked are the traces 

 about the surface of cabook that has already crumbled, and 

 lower down of cabook in course of crumbling ; while it is a 



