NO. 40.— 1890.] KURUNEGALA ROCKS. (393 



the use of the vihare, and marked out by a stone wall, 

 remains of which still exist. From that time the vihare was 

 maintained during the reigns of Wanni Bhuwaneka Bahu 

 III. and his successors, and endowed with magnificent dona- 

 tions by these royal personages. 



In 1815, and during the rebellion of 1817, the edifice, it is 

 said, was pillaged by the soldiery, and valuable property, 

 including old documents, stolen and lost. 



The incumbents of the temple in modern times were 

 Maha Madugala, Kuda Madugala, Katupatvewa Unnanse, 

 who successively resided on the vihare premises, and 

 Doratiyawa Attadassi Maha Terunnanse, — who placed the 

 temple in charge of his pupil Saranankara, from the low- 

 country. — Pallegama Nayaka Unnanse, and Millewana Sobita 

 Unnanse, the last of whom died about five years ago, and 

 was cremated in Kurunegala. 



The temple is situated deep under a ledge of rock, which 

 overhangs the facade. It contains at present nine images, 

 five of which are in a sitting posture and four in a standing 

 attitude, the former being -4 feet in height and the latter 

 about 6 feet. The rock roof of the interior is painted most 

 elaborately with the fantastic designs common to the general 

 run of temples. 



Campbell, who visited the temple on May 9, 1875, 

 thus describes the interior and the roof-painting. His 

 description needs no alteration, while the painting stands 

 as fresh and unchanged as it did fifteen years ago : — 



Inside sits a Buddha with, two standing Buddhas. one on each side. 

 A pair of tom-tom beaters and a couple of conch blowers are painted 

 on the doorposts. On the roof Buddha is painted with a glory round 

 his head, an umbrella over it. and the bo-tree, with its rat-tailed 

 leaves, over all. Allalia, sacred flowers, are painted on the roof 

 and strewed on the altar. To the right of the central figure on the 

 roof is a Naga Raja, with two snakes looking over his shoulder ; he 

 has a grinning case of formidable teeth, and a pair of buck teeth, 

 which Darwin attributes to primaeval man. To the right is a black- 

 bodied elephant-headed person, supposed by me to be Gunputty, 



* G-anapati. [Ganeska, or Gana Deviyo. — B.. Han. Sec] 



