NO. 36. 1888.] MEDAMAHANUWARA. 



321 



4,372 feet, is precipitous on the north and west, but easy 

 of ascent from the south. On its summit king Senarat 

 built Gale-nuwara, a rock-fortress intended to serve 

 as a place of refuge for the kings of Kandy when hard 

 pressed by the invasions of the Portuguese. The fort was 

 on an extended scale, and though now its remains have 

 been defaced by the hand of time, and overgrown with 

 jungle^ alone they are still worth the labour of the climb, 

 and combined with the lovely view over the sleeping vale 

 of Dumbara and its guardian hills they afford a picnicing 

 ground than which there is none better in the Island. It 

 was on such an occasion that I, in company with two friends 

 from neighbouring estates, the Ratemahatmaya of the 

 district and Mr. Jayawardana, was so fortunate as to make 

 acquaintance with Senarat's airy citadel. 



Starting from the magistrate's house at Urugala, we passed 

 round the southern base of the mountain through several 

 abandoned estates, and commenced the ascent at the old 

 Dodangala estate. After climbing for about half an hour 

 over loose gravelly soil almost bare of vegetation, we 

 arrived at the edge of the jungle which envelops the moun- 

 tain's crest. Here we saw the remains of what had once 

 been a substantial stone building near a running stream 

 of water, called by our guides the Halu-pe, or Dhoby's 

 house. Its walls and dimensions, however, were of such 

 a pretentious character that it is not at all likely the 

 building was ever a dhoby's residence, and I think that it 

 was intended for a halting-place, where the king might rest 

 on his fatiguing journeys up and down the hill, the dhoby 

 having his establishment close by, and providing a custom- 

 ary change of raiment for his majesty. The journey onwards 

 and upwards was through the forest up a steep path cleared 

 for our party under the directions of a headman. As we 

 approached the summit we came across two cuttings on the 

 hill-side, which, though they contained no water, had 

 originally been fosses. At one of them was a stone wall 

 supporting the opposite bank, and in the wall was an 



