No. 40.— 1890.] 



KURUNEGALA ROCKS. 



forsaken by King Vijaya, is said to have taken refuge, in 

 maddening desperation, and implored the gods to witness 

 and avenge the injustice done her by her faithless and heart- 

 less husband. The rock thence received its name Yakdessd- 

 gala, that is, Yakseni-des-ki-gala* 



The Kuveni Asna, which gives the details of all the incidents connected 

 with Vijaya's nuptials, &c., goes on to say that on the day following that 

 on which Vijaya took the " marriage vow," Kuveni assumed the form of 

 a mare, astride whom Vijaya entered the stronghold of the Yakkho, and 

 routed them by the aid of the Yakkini. A beautiful city was thereafter 

 founded near Tammana forest, said to be about six miles from Puttalam, 

 and Kuveni was raised to the dignity of queen. She gave birth to two 

 children, a girl and a boy. It being necessary to formally instal Vijaya 

 in sovereignty, and one of the chief requirements being that he should 

 have a consort of equal rank, arrangements were made by his ministers for 

 his marriage with the daughter of the King of Pandiya. On receiving the 

 news of her arrival at Mahatota, Vijaya drove away the Yakkha princess 

 whom he had espoused, on the plea that her unequal rank rendered her 

 unfit to remain the consort of a king, and that his Indian bride-elect 

 would be too timid to bear the presence of a being so inferior. After 

 this cruel treatment Kuveni's sorrow knew no bounds. In agonising 

 shrieks she wailed : " When shipwrecked and forlorn I found thee and thy 

 followers food and accommodation. I aided thee in defeating the Yakkho 

 and in rising to be king. Swearing fidelity, thou took me as thy spouse. 

 Did'st thou not then know that I was a Yakkini ? Loving you with an 

 unquenchable love, and living in such love, I bore thee children. How 

 can you separate from me to-day and transfer your affections to another 't 

 The mild rays of the rising full moon are now to me like the blaze of a heated 

 iron ; the once cool and spicy breeze from the sandal forest is hot and un- 

 welcome to me ; the bed once spread with fragrant flowers is covered with 

 briars and thorns ; even the sweet song of the KoMla pierces my ear as 

 with a spear. Alas ! how can I be consoled when Anangaya wages such- 

 war against me? How can I soothe my troubled breast 1 " Crying "0 I 

 God ! ! God ! " and with much lamentation she entered the forest. 



Tradition points to Tonigala (an abbreviation of Le-toni-gala, 

 " rock of lamentations"), 15 miles from Puttalam, andWilakahipota, " vale 

 of tears," 15 miles from Kurunegala, as the spots which Kuveni has immor- 

 talised on her way to the " Rock of Curses." The Mahawansa records that 

 Kuveni was killed by a Yakkha. It is said that her children fled towards 

 Sabaragamuwa, and lived under the shadow of Adam's Peak, and that they 

 are the progenitors of theVeddas. According to the Kurunegala Vistaraga. 

 Vijaya is said to have bestowed the village Vilbawa, or Virabahugama, on 

 his son, and Talkotta on his daughter. The former was afterwards a city 

 known as Vilbd-nuivara. 



* Pridham interprets YaMessa-gala as " the devil-dancer's rock," owing to 

 its supposed resemblance to that character. This rendering is without foun- 

 dation. The rock bears no resemblance in form to a devil-dancer, and the 

 mistake is, no doubt, attributable to the Sinhalese word for " devil- 

 dancer," Yak-adessd, contracted into Yahdessd. Nevertheless, many writers 

 after Pridham have blindly followed him, and repeated the error. 



