NO. 40.-— 1890.] KURUNEGALA ROCKS. 



391 



the MahaDurayaof Ranawatta, who had refused an application 

 of the royal cultivator for the loan of some cattle to plough 

 his field, with the jeering remark : " You can impale me for 

 the refusal when you become king." 



A Moorish usurper having polluted the throne, the king 

 removed his court to Dambadeniya,* and the seat of Govern- 

 ment was thereafter transferred to Gampola, Kurunegala 

 being altogether abandoned. In consequence of this, the 

 nobles and the chiefs gradually deserted the place, seeking 

 the new capital, and from this time Kurunegala dwindled 

 down into a small and insignificant village of Durawas.f 



Although Yastuhimi was nominally crowned king, he is 

 traditionally known as Vasiuhimi or Vatima Kumar ay d 

 ("Prince Yastuhimi"), the reason being perhaps that the 

 people did not recognise him as their lawful sovereign ; while 

 the rightful heir, on his being raised to the throne, was 

 called Dambadeniya Bajjuruwo, " King of Dambadeniya." 



Pridham considers the legend about Yastuhami " either an anachro- 

 nism, or to have reference to the local sovereignty of an independent 

 prince, as it by no means agrees with the more authentic annals." | 



Two pairs of stirrups and some cooking utensils were 

 found near the Galebandara shrine some years ago, and sent 

 to the Colombo Museum, where they are at present exhibited. 

 The place where they were discovered was probably the 

 site of the royal stables (mounted orderlies) or cavalry 

 guardroom. 



Referring to Eta-gala, Casie Chitty says : " At the west end 

 of this hill the kings of Kurunegala had a palace,"§ on the site 

 of which now stands the residence of the Government Agent 



* The Ifahaivansa, chap. LXXXV., gives a most elaborate and gorgeous 

 description of the city of Siriwaddhanapura, the birthplace of this king, 

 and which has not yet been identified, and of the festival held there 

 when the king conveyed the tooth -relic from Dambadeniya thither. [The 

 capital was transferred from Dambadeniya to Kurunegala, and thence to 

 Gampola. — B., Hon. Sec.~\ 



f "Ceylon Gazetteer," p. 148. 



% Pridham's " Ceylon," 1849, pp. 648-9. 



§ "Ceylon Gazetteer," pp. 145-6. 



