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



WHICH GAJA BAHU VISITED INDIA? 



By W. P. Ranasinha. 



In the interesting Paper on Chilappatikdram, read by the 

 Hon. P. Coomaraswamy on 'October 28, 1893, before this 

 Society, he inferred that the Gaja Bahu mentioned in that 

 poem was King Gaja Bahu I., who reigned in Ceylon about 

 113 A.D. In the discussion that followed, our President (the 

 Bishop of Colombo) was rather inclined to question the 

 soundness of the conclusion. Since then I have turned over 

 a few pages of Sinhalese literature and archaeology, and I 

 am glad to find that the following references taken therefrom 

 corroborate the testimony furnished by Tamil literature, that 

 Gaja Bahu I. did indeed visit the Chola country in South India, 

 and did in fact introduce into Ceylon the worship of Pattini. 



The Mahdwansa speaks of Gaja Bahu I. as the son of 

 Vankanasika Tissa, but makes no mention of his having 

 gone to India. He began his reign in 113 A.D. : Gaja Bahu II. 

 began his reign in 1143 A.D. 



In the Raja Ratndkaraya, a history of Ceylon of some 

 authority, written in 1542 A.D. by Walagampaya Terunnanse, 

 it is recorded : — 



" The brother of Mahalude was Vaknetis ( Vankanasika Tissa). His 

 son was Gaja Bahu. Having heard that in those days the inhabitants 

 of Lanka were in servitude at Kaveri he was vexed, and taking the 

 iron club made by his father, which was wont to be carried by fifty 

 warriors, he struck the sea with it, and by the power of his merits 

 caused the sea to be divided, went over the Chola kingdom without so 

 much as wetting his feet, and having exhibited his prowess brought 

 back the prisoners of war and the tooth-relic and the alms-bowl which 

 the Tamils had taken away, and went to heaven after performing 

 many meritorious acts, both secular and religious." 



The whole of this passage, except as regards the statement 

 that the tooth-relic was brought back to Lanka by Gaja Bahu 



