No. 24,— -1881.] ANCIENT KALAH, ETC. 65 



we are told that one of their towns was called Lankapura, and 

 was the capital of the kingdom ; hence they had a King and 

 Chiefs under him, they had gathered into towns and were not 

 mere savages or (as one popular idea supposes) the same as 

 the present Rock Veddas ;•* also they understood jewellers' 

 craft, since a "throne of gems" was an object of strife. 



Where Wijaya first landed, the Princess whom he married 

 was met near the tank, though this tank was doubtless used 

 merely as a reservoir of water and not for irrigation ; while 

 — most important— here the Princess or Chieftain's daughter 

 distributed rice to his followers, which was obtained from the 

 shipwrecked boats of mariners. Now, had there not been 

 considerable commerce on the shore of the lagoon, it is clear 

 rice would not have so occurred, not from one special wreck, 

 but from the wrecked boats, as if such were of frequent occur- 

 rence. This, too, is supported by the tradition extant (Pien-i- 

 tten, Book LXVI.) when the Chinese travellers Hiouen-Thsang 

 and Fa-Hian heard that Wijaya had come as a merchant to the 

 district, and theTe, by his tact gradually acquired royal power. 

 I think we must deduce that the emporium of Ceylon existed 

 as a trading station long prior to his advent. 



It may be well at some length to notice the tradition as 

 recorded by these ancient Chinese authors. Hiouen-Thsang, who 

 — unlike the simple matter-of-fact Fa-Hian — has always a ready 

 ear for, and pen to record, the romantic, says the tradition was 

 that a South Indian Princess on her way to be married, with 

 her retinue, was waylaid by a King of the lions, and carried 

 off captive to his mountain home, where she bore him a son and 

 daughter. When the son attained puberty, he consulted with 

 his mother and arranged to escape with her and his sister to 

 her people. With this object he carefully explored the moun- 

 tain paths, and at last succeeded in his plan and escaped with 



* S. Sid^^-T, veddd. 



