86 journal r. a. s. (ceylon). [Vol. VIL, Pt. II. 



palmistry, according to which the fortune of a male is told 

 from the lines on his rigid hand, of a female from those on the 

 left hand, 



I found subsequently that Tables of the kaldwa had been 

 published in a Sheet Almanac, printed in a native vernacular 

 press in Galle, — in a Sinhalese Ephemeris for the year, printed 

 in a pamphlet of 54 pages,— and in a Sheet Almanac published 

 by the press of the Lakrlmklrana newspaper. Though this 

 led to the idea that the subject was well known, I was surprised 

 to find discrepancies when the Tables were translated. This 

 led me to make personal enquiries during a short visit to the 

 Bentota District, where I questioned the learned priest, Koho- 

 mala Indusara, and a native Vedardla or medical practitioner. 

 I was surprised to find that the latter had little or no know- 

 ledge of a subject so important, apparently, in native medical 

 science. 



In the discussion with the priest, a difficulty arose from 

 his division of the lunar month into sixteen kald ; namely, 

 (1) Amdwaka, ep^b£)s^, the day on which the moon does not 

 appear ; (2) Pelaviya, Oy^^cq, the day on which the moon 

 first appears ; (3) Blyawaka, <^gs©2>), the second day ; (4) 

 Tiyawaka, -^c3©255, the third day ; (5) Jalawaka, £5(3^25), 

 fourth ; (6) Wiseniya, S^ed^oS, fifth ; (7) Satawaka, eoOe)2S) ; 

 (8) Satawaka, 03$)E)25) ; (9) Atawaka, ep©e)«) ; (10) Namawaka, 

 #3®e)25) ; (11) Dasawaka, qzc&tsi ; (12) Ekaloswaka, eto- 

 ®(g.ods)S3 ; (13) Doloswaka, <g>£^<gaede);ea;(14) Teleswaka,<5fS) 

 <5&t6£)2S); (15) Tuduswaka, q}go59^; and (16) Pasaloswaka, 



This, of course, omitting the day on which the moon does 

 not appear, is the lunar calendar— the full moon with the 

 common people being known as the pahaloswaka-poya (e3Ga<^<g,3 

 ede)253 ©oJca) or ' poya . of the 15th lunar day.' The counting 

 of the kald on which the moon does not appear introduces a 



