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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X. 



a street with houses and other buildings on either side. It 

 is situated close to the ancient crossing of the Guru-oya, on 

 the right bank of the stream, immediately below the modern 

 cart-road and within a short distance of the bridge. It is 

 said to date from the reign of Yimala Dharmma, who ruled 

 from A.D. 1592 to 1627, and though now upwards of two 

 and a half centuries have passed away since its foundation, 

 it still retains the distinctive characteristics of its name, and 

 continues to be the residence of a few families. It was here 

 that Vimala Dharmma established a lock-up, which gained an 

 evil notoriety, as a means of extortion in the hands of the 

 subordinate officers of the Government. Here also stood the 

 Kongaha-yata Mdligdiva, the residence to which I have 

 previously referred as being antecedent to the more recent 

 building described in my first Paper. The gaol was standing 

 at the beginning of this century, but now no trace remains 

 of its existence except on the opposite side of the street some 

 parts of the foundation of the house, where dwelt the Reka- 

 vallu or Prison-guards. The present inhabitants of the 

 Vidiya are known by the designation of Katupullo or 

 Constables, a name which indicates their descent from 

 persons who held offices in connection with the gaol. There 

 is nothing worthy of detailed description in the modern 

 Vidiya. The most conspicuous building is the Dewale of 

 Kataragama, built after the collapse of the temple on the 

 adjacent Madamewatta ; and next in importance to it is the 

 " ambalam," whose pillars of milila wood, carved with figures 

 of the lotus and conventional trees and flowers, are said to 

 have been removed by the villagers from the room of 

 the queen at the Maligawa. There used to be an annual 

 peraliera at the Vidiya, on which occasions an image of 

 Kataragama was paraded with an accompaniment of tom-toms 

 and torches, but this too, with the other religious institutions 

 of the place, has fallen into disuse and discontinuance. 



The peak of Medamahanuwara guards, as it were, the defile 

 through Miriyahena, or the Nugetenna gap, between the* 

 Kandy country and Bintenna. It rises to an elevation of 



