No. 23. — 1881.] VALENTYN ON ADAM ? S PEAK. 51 



from the rock into the sea and were drowned, firmly believing that 

 this was the straigh'est and shortest way to come at heaven, and that 

 the waters wherein they found their end had little less sanctity than 

 those of the Ganges. 



There is a tradition, which the writer will endeavour to 

 obtain in its correct form, still extant in Trincomalee, that an 

 European soldier entered and defiled by his presence the old 

 temple on the rock, and that this soldier may now be seen by 

 the faithful, down under the sea in the ruins of the old temple, 

 when the priest after sacrificing holds his torch over the edge 

 of the precipice when it is dusk or nearly dark. 



Of Adam's Peak, Valentyn goes on to give the following 

 remarkable description, figuring Arangala or ISTalanda Peak by 

 way of illustration. From enquiries of the old priest at Aluwi- 

 hare, the writer has not been able to find any tradition of 

 sanctity attaching to Arangala, so that Yalentyn's mistake is 

 the more remarkable : — 



This mountain was esteemed most sacred not only by the Sinhalese* 

 but also by all the Gentiles and heathen of India, and even by many 

 Mahometans as their chief sanctuary. On the top of this mountain 

 stands a beautiful Pagoda, concerning which the Sinhalese have 

 many traditions, and where they say Buddha [whom he calls through- 

 out " Budhum"], a disciple of the Apostle Thomas, dwelt. They say 

 that he stood with one foot on this, and the other foot on a moun" 

 tain near Tuticorin, and that he made so much water that thereby 

 the Island of Ceylon was divided from the coast. 



From the same tradition they proceed to say of him that he was 

 26 cubits in stature 



Of the same kind and size footprints of Buddha are found here and 

 there upon the rocks in Ceylon, and also whole figures hewn out, from 

 which many of them hold that Adam lived there ; but most of them 

 hold firmly to this, that Buddha went up to heaven from this hill 

 (Adam's Peak), taking this account from the ascension of Christ, 

 whereof they have obtained the tradition either through the Sf. 

 Thomas' Christians or through the Portuguese. 



