NO. 47.-1896.] ANCIENT CITIES AND TEMPLES. 



147 



On January 24, 1877, Mr. Saunders wrote to the Governor 

 annexing extracts from his diary, showing what progress 

 had been made in excavating the dagoba referred to. The 

 relics that were discovered were, he believed, of a most 

 interesting description. There could be no doubt of their 

 very great antiquity, even should they not have been buried 

 so far back as 500 B.C. 



Mr. J. G. Smither, the Government Architect, had promised 

 to furnish drawings of the chamber and a description of the 

 gold figures, and Mr. Saunders proposed at an early date to 

 bring them to Colombo and lodge the images in the Museum. 



Copy of Diary Notes. 

 Sunday, January 14, 1877. — Mr. Penny, Office Assistant, having 

 arrived from Colombo to-day by morning train, I made arrangements 

 to leave Kurunegala to inspect the dagoba at Panduwas Nuwara, 

 which has been robbed by thieves. Left Kurunegala, with Mr. 

 Smither, Government Architect, at 6 P.M., and slept at Wariyapola, 13 

 miles. 



Monday, January 15. — Drove to Hettipola, 12 miles ; inspected the 

 dagoba, but not having taken a perpendicular shaft, we entered the 

 first chamber at the north-east end. It is difficult to say whether this 

 chamber was an empty vault, or was filled in with brickwork. I think 

 it was filled in. The thieves hit off the second or lower chamber 

 close to the east wall. This chamber was covered with stone slabs, 

 and to avoid these the thieves had dug under the top stone, and 

 entered by a hole just big enough to admit a man, and, it was presumed, 

 taken all they could find in the chamber. It was unsafe to dig any 

 further at the side lest the mass of brickwork above should fall, so 

 it was determined to dig a proper pit and remove the upper stones of 

 the lower chamber. 



I had brought with me an overseer and ten men, and having collected 

 a number of villagers under the Ratemahatamaya to clear the jungle 

 around, we set to work. The men worked very well, and at about 3 p.m. 

 the stones were removed, and the chamber exposed to view. Though 

 the floor of the chamber was paved, and was some 25 ft. from the 

 supposed top of dagoba, it was about 6 ft. square and 6 ft. high. 

 (Correct measurements were taken and plans made, which will be 

 furnished hereafter.) At first sight it appeared as if the chamber had 

 been gutted by the thieves. The walls, which were lined with brick on 

 edge, were covered with earth deposited by white ants or worms that 

 had entered the crevices between the bricks. There was an inch or so 

 of this earth adhering to the faces of the wall and in the angles of 

 the wall. In the centre of chamber were two bricks evidently forming 



