No. 47.— 1896.] 



RIDI VIHARE. 



119 



where the cave stands, and saw there the branch of a jak tree 

 on the ground with a large ripe fruit. Finding it to be a 

 sweet jak fruit of an extraordinary size, and unwilling to 

 partake of it without giving a portion to the priesthood, he 

 sounded the kdlaghosa (the call of refection), when three 

 Rahats (Buddhist saints) instantly arrived on the spot through 

 the air. After having served out portions of the fruit to 

 the Rahats, he partook of the rest. One of the Rahats sud- 

 denly disappearing, he went in search of him and found him 

 seated in the adjoining cave, engaged in abstract meditation. 

 He discovered near the spot where the Rahat sat a column of 

 silver springing up from the ground, and reported the 

 circumstance to the king, who repaired thither and removed 

 the silver column, and built a vihare on the spot where the 

 Rahats partook of the jak fruit, which received the name of 

 Warakd-velandu-vihdre, "the vihare in which jak fruit was 

 partaken of."* 



A small building of stone, but of no architectural pre- 

 tensions, is still pointed out as the identical temple above 

 alluded to. 



Another legend is to the effect that when Dutugemunu 

 was building the Maha Thupa at Anuradhapura, he was short 

 of funds to pay his hired labourers, and the workmen cla- 

 mouring for payment, he fled into the jungle, and wandering 

 about reached the cave, where he saw*a column of silver mira- 

 culously springing up from under the ground. He chopped 

 off pieces of silver with his sword, until he got enough to 

 pay the labourers, when the silver column disappeared.* 



According to the Mahdwansa^ the vihare seems to have long 

 been in a state of decay, and King Kirti Sri (1747 A.D.), in 

 order that it might be repaired, furnished the necessary 

 materials, artificers, painters, and much refined gold for gild- 

 ing the statue of Buddha, and gave over charge of the temple 

 to the novice Sicldhattha, who accordingly commenced the 



* Reports on the Inspection of Temple Libraries, by Louis de Zoyza, 

 Maha Mudaliyar (Sessional Paper XL of 1875). 

 f Mahdwansa, C, 239, ff. 



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