NO. 45.— 1894.] ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE WANNI. 



155 



There is a ruined temple with a large stone Buddha some 8 ft. high 

 still standing erect, but headless, and buried in tiles, bricks, &c, to his 

 shoulder. Near him is Vishnu, broken off at his waist and still erect ; 

 two flagstaff sockets or oil mortars over a small ruined dagaba ; a 

 temple or two of no consequence, — mere scraps, — and a larger temple 

 with its posts all upset, and its Saivite lingam (sic) broken. There 

 stands an inscribed stone, and after some search I discovered its 

 missing top, broken off for a Pillaiyar.* 



Another tank of Sinhalese construction, which probably 

 dates from pre-Christian times, is Pavatkulam, which was the 

 most important reservoir in the Wanni : — 



The bricks employed at two of the sluices are of a much older type 

 than those of the Padawiya sluice, which was built at the end of the 

 third century a.d. Unfortunately there are no inscriptions in the 

 immediate neighbourhood, nor is there any local tradition regarding 

 the originator of the work ; this is doubtless due to the occupancy of 

 the place by the Tamils after they seized upon the district. If Sin- 

 halese had always lived at it, the ancient Sinhalese name of the tank 

 might have been preserved. This reservoir is such an important one 

 that it is almost certain to be mentioned in the old historical works, 

 if we only knew what name it bore.f 



The only vestiges of the former inhabitants of the place, 

 besides the tank itself, are the ruins of a small dagaba which 

 once existed on a high rock, included in the line of the bund, 

 a large slab for flower offerings which is now placed on an 

 adjoining rock, and a large stone with a roughly carved 

 figure of a five-headed cobra on it. 



The stone slab is now known as " The King's Seat," and 

 Mr. Parker's surmise as to how it acquired this name is 

 probably correct. He says : — 



From it a good view is obtainable of the tank and part of the water- 

 shed, as well as in the opposite direction, and it may perhaps have 

 been placed in its present position by order of some Tamil ruler. 



Mahakachchatkodi in Kilakkumulai South, which is one of 



* Diary of June 8, 1889. 



f Sessional Papers, 1886, pp. 113-114. 



