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



" rock " or " hill ", and that Mahanamo translated it by the 

 Pali word Arittha, meaning "dreadful" joined to pabbata, 

 the Pali word for " rock," arittha being the word in the Pali 

 most nearly approaching the original in sound and possibly 

 in meaning. 



All this tends to show that Ritigala is one of the oldest 

 historical words in the Sinhalese language, and hence of 

 great importance from a philological point of view. 



I do not know enough of the Dravidian languages to enable 

 me to say whether or not the word riti is derived from a 

 Dravidian source. But in the absence of proof of such a 

 derivation I would adhere to the opinion that the word Riti- 

 gala has an Aryan origin. And, if so, as the word seems to 

 be of pre-Wijayan date, it follows that the so-called YaJckn 

 of Lanka had an Aryan element in their language. 



In describing the position of places in Ceylon, a " Kadaim- 

 pota " and a newly-discovered " Rajawaliya " (lately added 

 to the Colombo Museum Library) call this place Ritigal- 

 danawuwa, and class it as an ancient and important town 

 in the Ruhuna (?) division of the Island. 



That the ancients knew of the botanical and mineral wealth 

 of the place may be inferred from the superstitious account 

 given of it in the above-mentioned " Kadaimpota," as quoted 

 below : — 



Ritigal nam parwatayeka. Kalukohowila pokunak eta. Ehi pura 

 tana pudawek ratran vamaranneya. Ema Ritigala sat ruwan 

 unapandurak eta. Tudus maha rata kada imata lakshayak akshara 

 ketu silastambhayan siwdiga pihituwanaladdeya. 



[There is] a rock by name Ritigal. wherein is a pond containing 

 halu-hohowila [a species of araccee ?]. 



A leech in it formerly disgorged gold. In the same Ritigala there is 

 a bush of golden bamboo. At the four quarters are planted monoliths, 

 which are inscribed with a lac of characters, for the purpose of marking 

 the boundaries of the fourteen great territories. 



