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



number of horowwas to the tank, the number of temples 

 and amount of land dedicated to them, and many other 

 details peculiar to each village ; and other contemporane- 

 ous records, such as Tudapat, Patunu, A ma, Wansa^ 

 Lekam-miti, &c, all which doubtless throw a flood of light 

 on the history of the Island. The Vistaraya, however, gives 

 in addition to these details the derivation of the names, not 

 to be obtained elsewhere, of a large number of villages, 

 Korales, and Hatpattus in the Seven Korales. 



Maha Mudaliyar L. de Zoyza, in referring to the 

 Vistaraya, remarks that — 



It is by an anonymous author. It gives an interesting account of 

 the topography of the city in ancient times, and is probably as old as 

 the period when Kurunegala was the seat of kings in the thirteenth 

 and fourteenth centuries. The work is quite unknown in the low 

 country, and I believe even in Kandy.* 



As already observed, one manuscript contains matter not 

 found in the other, and perhaps the edition which L. de Zoyza 

 had access to did not disclose the name of the author : but 

 one that I had the good fortune to read ascribes the author- 

 ship to Pusbadewa Terunnanse, and gives the following 

 particulars as to its alleged authenticity : — 



It was preserved by Hetti Basnayaka Mudiyanse when Kurunegala 

 was a royal city ; when Dambadeniya was the seat of Government, by 

 Hanluwa Mudiyanse, the village being so called owing to tiles having 

 been made there ; when Sitawaka was the seat of Government, by 

 Seneviratna Mudiyanse ; and at the time of Raja Sinha, who defeated 

 the Portuguese at Colombo, by Disanayaka Mudiyanse. 



Translation^ 

 Shortly after KuveniJ was discarded by King Vijaya it is 

 .said that the royal city of Kurunegala was founded,^ the 



* Report on the Inspection of Temple Libraries. (Sessional Paper XI^ 

 1875, p. 10.) 



f To Mr. H. M. Bkanayaka, Principal of the Buddhist School, Kurtinc*- 

 gala, I acknowledge my indebtedness for willing- assistance rendered to 

 me in the preparation of this translation. 



J A full account of the desertion of Kuveni by King Vijaya is given im 

 the Kuveni Asna. For particulars as to her invoking the gods on the 

 heights of YaJidessa-gala (abbreviated from Yaliseni-des-lti-gala,*, so called 

 .after the circumstance) to punish King Vijaya for his faithlessness, and as 

 to her prayer being answered by King Vijaya's nephew, Panduwasa, being 

 afflicted with divers diseases, see " The Animal-shaped Racks of Ku nine- 

 gala." (C. A. S. Journal, Vol. XI., No. 40, 1890.) 



§ The Vistaraya does not state, and we cannot gather from the context., 

 who the founder was, but there is reason to believe that it was Vijaya. 



