350 



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



[Vol. VIII 



to the Kofmale mountain, accompanied by his forces. He caused 

 great offerings to be made about the mountain, and with a 

 gladdened heart, saw the relic and the bowl there ; then the lord 

 of the earth being pleased in mind, as if he had obtained either 

 precious treasures such as chakraratna, &c, or a great hidden 

 treasure, or as if he was about to attain Nirwana, — being 

 possessed of wealth equal to that of King Maudhatu, — took the two 

 relics, and, with great festivities, carrying them from village to 

 village and from city to city, brought them to the delightful city 

 of Dambadeniya, where good people had commenced splendid 

 decorations and festivities. The learned king, after having daily 

 made great offerings to these relics, thought " I will carefully 

 prepare a permanent and safe place very difficult of access, in 

 such wise that hereafter w 7 hen other kings come (here) these 

 relics may not suffer ar. the hands of foreign enemies." Having 

 thus thought, he caused to be built a splendid relic house on the 

 top of Beligala, as beautiful as a divine mausion come down 

 from heaven, having first fortified it around in such a way that 

 no earthly enemies could reach it, but only celestial beings. 

 All round it, the learned king caused a monastery to be built — 

 with beautiful tanks, ponds, ambulance-halls, diurnal and 

 nocturnal resting-places, which had many palaces and courts 

 about them : he then respectfully deposited the two relics in the 

 relic-house with great festivities. Upon priests firm in faith 

 and zealous in the protection of the relic, he bestowed the 

 monastery, and established a plan of alms-giving, and made 

 regulations for the careful observance of a system of daily 

 offerings to the relics. 



The " JRajaratnakara" has the same account, but makes no 

 mention of taking the relic to Dambadeniya. 



From the existing remains I have no doubt that this de- 

 scription is substantially correct. 



I take the height of the rock to be about 800 or 1,000 

 feet. It is situated about two miles north of the 42od 

 mile on the Kandy-road. Inacessible on all sides, except 

 on the north-east, where the path is steep and narrow, it 

 may have been fairly considered impregnable. 



The name would appear to have arisen from a fancied 

 resemblance in the shape of the rock to a belt* fruit. The 



* JEgle marmelos, or wood-apple. 



