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



god of wisdom. I find that I was right. He is an Indian god, con- 

 verted to Buddhism, one of that more ancient pantheon. To his right 

 is an alligator-headed brown monster. Next a man with long teeth, 

 and two fish-like snakes looking over his shoulders. Then two more 

 men in the dark. Six in all. To the left is (i.) a toothy figure with 

 a sword in one hand and a snake in the other, (ii.) one with a star- 

 spangled tambourine over his head, (iii.) figure holding a cobra in both 

 hands, (iv.) a black figure. All this painting is fresh. 



There is a vault on the vihare premises which contains a 

 copy of the footprint on Adam's Peak, hollowed in the solid 

 granite. The footprint measures about 4 feet 6 inches long 

 and 2 feet broad and an inch deep. 



Tradition reports that the impression of the foot had been 

 modelled at the time when Kurunegala was a royal city,f 

 to gratify the pious desires of a daughter of one of the kings, 

 who was unable to perform the pilgrimage to Adam's Peak 

 and personally make her offerings on the holy footprint. 



Lamenting her inability, the priests had compassion upon her and 

 resolved that a copy of the footprint should be cut on the summit of 

 Eta-gala. | This was done ; the distress of the princess was removed, 

 and the place soon became recognised as a legitimate place of pilgri- 

 mage.'^ 



"The supposed footprint," says Campbell, "was 6 feet 

 long — I lay down in it to measure." It is the right leg, and 

 goes N.E. The length and breadth, as given by me above, 

 would bring it closer to the original, for Skeen gives its 

 dimensions as 5 feet 7 inches long and 2 feet 7 inches broad 

 at the point where the heel begins to carve. He further says 

 that the interstices between the toes are formed of cement, 

 and the outlines of the foot, which consist of a thick raised 

 edging, every now and again need repair. || This, no doubt, 

 gave occasion to Lawrence Oliphant to write of the Sripada 

 as " so misshapen : that it required some stretch of imagination 

 to detect in it a resemblance to a human impression on a 



* "My Circular Notes," pp. 182-3. 

 f Forbes, p. 195. Pridham, pp. 648-9. 

 % Not Eta-gala, but Ibba-gala. 

 § Skeen, "Adam's Peak." 1870, p. 268. 

 || Ibid. p. 203. 



