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



In the city there are 300 wells (urd-tin)* 500 houses of 

 valiant and powerful ministers, 500 houses of the dancing 

 women, 500 houses of the Brahmins, 800 houses of the 

 dhobies, 800 houses of the potters, 700 carpenters' sheds, 

 4 stables for horses,t 3 stables for elephants, 2 herds of 

 hunting buffaloes (dada migon),^ an aviary, a kennel, and 

 700 powerful skilled and trained soldiers. 



The formation of the city is as a full-blown lotus placed 

 on the palm of the hand. 



site of which now stands the residence of the Government Agent of the 

 Province, known as the Maligawa. Tennent refers to the grounds being 

 strewn with "fragments of columns and carved stones, the remnants of the 

 royal buildings." {Ceylon, II., 345.) The disappearance of these relics of a 

 bygone age may easily be accounted for. Bennett (p. 393) says : " Many huge 

 slabs of granite having various animals, both known and fabulous, sculp- 

 tured on them lie scattered about; of these the British lion, the Caledonian 

 unicorn (extraordinary though it be), and the Ceylon elephant appeared to 

 have formed part of the zoological medley of the ancient ornaments of a 

 Sinhalease Maligawa. Mr. Penne] (the then Government Agent) offered 

 me my choice of these ponderous masses, but as it may well be supposed 

 there were weighty reasons for my not removing them." Some of these 

 are yet to be seen built up at the back of the Maligawa stables by the late 

 Mr. O'G-rady, G-overnment Agent ; but the most valuable ones, and particu- 

 larly a stone window of the palace at Yapahu, rescued and removed thither 

 by Mr. O'Crady, and described most graphically by the late Mr. John 

 Bailey, C.C.S., in Once a Week (1864, pp. 225-281, where a well executed 

 sketch of it appears), were transported to Colombo, and now occupy a 

 prominent place among the archgeological exhibits of the Museum. 



* These wells are very common in the Kandyan district. They are circular 

 in shape, about three feet in diameter, and instead of being built up with 

 stone, earthen rings made by the village potter, and each about a foot and a 

 half broad, are inserted and fitted in from the bottom of the well, 

 increasing from two feet in diameter as they come up to the top to three 

 feet. The earthen rings are called urdkotta, and the wells are known as 

 urdketa Un, abbreviated into urd Un. The urdkotta help to keep the water 

 cool, and if they could be made of larger dimensions so as to fit into wells 

 of all sizes, they would certainly be a useful and a cheap substitue for stone. 

 Each of the rings used at present can be made at a cost of about 37 \ 

 •cents, and the cost of a well thus built would not exceed a couple of rupees. 



f Two pairs of stirrups and some cooking utensils were found near the 

 Galebandara shrine some years ago, and were sent to the Colombo Museum 

 by the Hon. F. R. Saunders, then G-overnment Agent. The place where 

 they were discovered was probably the site of the royal stables, mounted 

 orderly or cavalry guardroom. 



\ These animals were used in the manner of decoys, trained so as to allow 

 the sportsman to take cover behind them and to shoot at the game. 



