NO. 40.— 1890.] KURUNEGALA ROCKS. 



377 



THE ANIMAL-SHAPED ROCKS OF KURUNEGALA.* 

 By F. H. Modder. 



(Read August 30, 1890.) 



" Among- these rocks and stones, methinks I see 

 More than the heedless impress that belongs 

 To lonely Nature's casual work : they bear 

 A semblance strange of power intelligent, 

 And of design not wholly worn away." 



Excursion. 



HE town of Kurunegala, the capital of the North- 

 western Province and the seat of the Govern- 

 ment Agency, is situated at the base of a con- 

 tiguous chain of rocks, which, from the fantastic- 

 shapes into which their gigantic outlines have 

 been wrought by the action of the weather, and their fancied 

 resemblance to the animals which they are supposed to 

 represent, bear distinctive names. They are called Etd-gala, 

 " Elephant rock ";Ibbd-gala, " Tortoise rock "; Kuruminiyd- 

 gala, "Beetle rock"; Andd-gala, "Eel rock"; Eluwd-gala, 

 " Goat rock "; Kimbuld-gala, " Crocodile rock "; and Ettini- 

 gala, "She-Elephant rock." Goni-gala, "Sack rock," and 

 Yakdessd-gala, " She-Demon's Curse," complete the chain. 



There is an isolated boulder standing opposite to the head 

 of the imaginary stone elephant which the villagers designate 

 Lunu-keta, or " lump of salt," and towards the Wenoruwewa 

 tank there is another rock called Kola-pelella, or "tat of 

 leaves." 



* I cannot adequately express my thanks to Mr. H. M. Ekanayaka, of 

 Galweheragama, Kurunegala District, for information on different points 

 dwelt on in this Paper, and his willingness to afford me every assistance 

 to make it complete ; to Mr. George de Silva, of the Public Works 

 Department, Kurunegala, for aiding me in the transcription of the pictorial 

 representations made by me on the spot ; to Dr. Modder, of Kegalla, for 

 some of the legends embodied in this Paper ; and to Messrs. F. H. M. Corbet 

 and D. M. de Zilva Wickremesinghe, of the Colombo Museum, for their help 

 in obtaining valuable details from the Sinhalese and other works I have 

 quoted. I beg to offer these gen tlemen my grateful acknowledgements. 



