44 



JOURNAL R. A. S. CEYLON. 



[extra m. 



to serve as a guide for those who go to see the Foot. When he 

 had his hand and foot cut off, his sons and slaves became guides 

 in his stead. The cause of his being so mutilated was that he 

 killed a cow. Now the law of the Hindus ordains that one who 

 has killed a cow should be massacred in like wise, or enclosed in 

 its skin and burnt. The Shaikh 'Othmdn being respected by 

 those people, they contented themselves with cutting off his hand 

 and foot, and granted to him, as a present, the dues levied at a 

 certain market. 



Of the Sultan of Conacar. 

 He is called by the name Condr,* and possesses the white 

 elephant. I have never seen in the world another white elephant^ 

 The King rides him on solemn occasions, and attaches to the 

 forehead of this animal large jewels. It happened to this 

 Monarch that the nobles of his empire rebelled against him, 

 blinded him, and made his son King. As for him, he still lives 

 in this town, deprived of his sight. 



* Concur — According to Tumour's list of Sinhalese monarchs, the King at 

 this time, 1344-45, would be Wijaya Balm the Vth. Col. Yule (Cathay, p. 423 

 Note) thinks Concur or Kundr is the Sanskrit Kunwar, ' prince.' 



[ " Col. Yule's guess" adds Mr. Nell " at the name of the Sovereign 

 1 Conor J as identical with ' Kunwar,' the Sanskrit for ' Prince', comes near 

 what I conceive to be the fact. It will be seen that the Arab traveller describe 8 

 a Mahommedan Mosque, outside the town of this Prince. Now, a Mahommedan 

 Prince, Vasthimi Kumdrayd, did reign with great popularity in Kurunegala. 

 His romantic story is a local tradition in that town. He is said to have been 

 treacherously murdered by the Buddhist priests of a temple on Etdgala. They 

 invited him to be present at a religious ceremony and suddenly pushed him 

 over the precipice [Pridham, Vol. II., p. 649]. Offerings are made upon a mound 

 on the road to the Maligawa, which probably marks the spot where the Prince 

 was interred, or the Shaikh referred to hereafter. No native will venture to pass 

 the spot after dark without company, for the spirit of Gala-Banddra, on horse- 

 back, is supposed to ride about the neighbourhood. The Court is said to have been 

 immediately removed to Dambadeniya after this assassination, on the ground 

 that the sanctity of the city had been polluted by a Mahommedan usurper. 



