So. 34.— 1887.] 



POLONNAMJWA. 



63 



to his predecessor, Parakrama Bahu the Great, who, we are 

 told in the " Mahawanso " (ch. LXXII.), built a palace seven 

 stories high, containing four thousand rooms, with hundreds 

 of stone columns. 



Porabalana paridden aet porabald. No trace of 



this building has been found yet ; but it is the only mention, 

 so far as I know, of this un-Buddhistical custom, and is 

 therefore extremely interesting. 



Tarada kdhdra sdldwa. I have translated this as 

 " banqueting hall" with some hesitation. 



Kdlinga, Wega, Karnatta, Gujara, ddiivu. I cannot guess 

 where " Wega " is, and know of no other reference to it : but 

 I have little doubt that " Karnatta " and " Gujara " are the 

 Karnatic and Guzerat. The latter was probably then devoted 

 partly to Buddhism and partly to Jainaism, but it must have 

 been very shortly after this date that its inhabitants adopted 

 the worship of Vishnu, which in its turn very quickly gave 

 place to the Sivite cult. 



Ban walan ridi ivalandin. The word ivalan is 

 strangely translated in several places by Drs. Muller and 

 Goldschmidt as " bracelets," as though it were the plural of 

 walalla. In the first place, this is grammatically impro- 

 bable : nor would a gold bracelet be a peculiarly appropriate 

 gift for a beggar. I think this passage settles the matter. 

 It is hardly probable that the king gave food to beggars in 

 bracelets of gold : but if we give to walan-walandin the 

 natural meaning of "vessels," "bowls," the sense is clear and 

 the grammar correct. It was quite in keeping with Oriental 

 ideas of magnificence for the king to feed his almsmen out of 

 vessels of gold and silver. 



Gauda nidta kota ... kotawd. This is an interesting 

 fact, and surely says a good deal in favour of NissaAka 

 Malla's domestic policy. 



Kdlinga Suhhadra Msowun wahanse. This queen is 

 mentioned in the " Galpota" inscription, but is there called 

 Mahd Detain wahanse. 



I have not translated the last three lines of the inscription. 



