No. 34. — 1887.] jottings feom a jungle diary. 7 



arranged in tiers, and a long stone water-pipe projects into 

 it, supported on a very grotesque and obese figure. Near it 

 a very curious inscription was found, in a character 

 unknown to me. A careful copy has been taken of it, 

 and forwarded to the Colonial Secretary. Two other exca- 

 vations are also being carried on. Out of the five so-called 

 " Pavilions" on the Outer Circular road, two are being carefully 

 cleared. It is hoped that when all the scattered stones are 

 fairly exposed to view, a good many of the staircases, door- 

 ways, bathing-chambers, &c, may be replaced and revealed, 

 and a better idea be gained of the details of these ancient 

 palaces ; but of course no restoration will be undertaken 

 which is in any way doubtful or " original." Also the 

 debris which entirely covers the eastern chapel of the 

 Abhayagiri Ddgaba is being removed, and a trench is being 

 cut inwards towards the bell of the Ddgaba. No doubt the 

 chapel will prove to be in ruins, but the prospect of recover- 

 ing some remnants similar to the magnificent fragments 

 that mark the sites of the other three chapels makes it well 

 worth while to prosecute the search. 



At the risk of being wearisome, I must briefly describe 

 two other "finds" of some interest. In the jungle 

 not far from the Thupdrdma, I came across a curious 

 stone, which has been identified as a pandu-oruwa, or dye- 

 ing vessel. It is an oblong stone, about 5 ft. in length 

 and 1^ ft. thick. At one end there is a deep circular hollow, 

 narrowing towards the bottom ; the outer rim of the upper 

 lip being decorated with the lotus-leaf pattern. At the 

 opposite end of the stone an oblong raised platform is cut, 

 and its edges moulded. The stone was apparently used 

 exclusively for the dyeing of priests' robes. The pandu, 

 or " dye," was poured into the hollow, and the robes, after 

 being thoroughly soaked in it, were laid out upon the little 

 platform, and the dye worked into them with wooden 

 pounders and rollers. The pandu appears to have been 

 made by boiling the following ingredients : — either (L), the 

 heart of the kos-gaha (Artocarpus integrifolia) with the 



