No. 36. —1888. J MEDAMAHANUWAKA. 



311 



It is upon this route, as might be anticipated, that the most 

 interesting remains of ancient times in Dumbara are to be 

 found. Such are the palace of Kundasale, the Galvihara of 

 Bambaragala, and, most important of all, the traces of the 

 old town of Medamahanuwara, which in the past gave its 

 name to the neighbouring hill, and in more modern days to 

 a once nourishing coffee district. 



Medamahanuwara was situated on both sides of the Guru- 

 oya, within a mile of Urugala. The Guru-oya divides 

 Medasiya-pattuwa from Udasiya-pattuwa South — a division 

 established some forty years ago by the English Government. 

 Formerly, however, Medasiya-pattuwa included a portion of 

 what is now Udasiya-pattuwa South, and hence, though some 

 of the remains are comprised within the latter division, the 

 whole of them lie within the ancient limits of Medasiya- 

 pattuwa. The name of Medamah anu wara is probably derived 

 from Medasiyapattuwa, the city having taken the distinguish- 

 ing name of the political division within which it stood — 

 still another explanation of the name is also possible. " The 

 middle great city " may have been so called from its position 

 on the route midway and almost equidistant from Mahanu- 

 wara on the one hand and Alutnuwara on the other. 



Though Medamahanuwara can lay claim to no such hoary 

 antiquity or colossal structures as those "happy hunting 

 grounds " of the archaeologist in the North-Central Province 

 and the Magam-pattuwa, there still linger in it some interesting 

 remains of the regime which preceded British rule in the 

 Kandyan districts. Of these remains, I ascribe the foremost 

 place to the ruins of the Mdligdiva, not that they appear to 

 be first in point of time, or exhibit any special architectural 

 features, but because, firstly, they were the royal residence, 

 and secondly, the materials available for a description of the 

 Maligawa are more exact than for any other building. 



The site of the Maligawa is well defined by certain con- 

 taining walls, which will be hereafter described, though the 

 superstructure, with the exception of a few fragments of 

 tiles, three large blocks of stone at the north-west corner, 



