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



A carved elephant's head with trunk twisted to one side^ 

 like those at the Miriswetiya dagaba at Anuradhapura, now 

 serves as a Pijlaiyar on the bund of the tank at Kontakkaran- 

 kulam, and a sripdda stone at Panrikkayakulam serves the 

 same purpose.* 



Omantai, 8 miles north of Yavuniya on the Jaffna road, "is 

 said to have been one of the places where the tooth rested on 

 its way from India, but as there are no ruins of a Buddhist 

 monastery at the place the tradition may be doubted." It 

 possesses a stone Saivite temple of the usual type, which may 

 have been built out of the ruins of a Buddhist monastery. 



There is "a ruined Saivite temple of the Wanniyan times " 

 at Mara-iluppai. 



Proceeding northwards we find that Udaiyaur possessed 

 a Buddhist monastery attached to the large tank of Kana- 

 karayankulam. It was established behind the southern part 

 of the bund. The remains may be seen in the jungle. 

 " The pilima-ge of the monastery has been converted into a 

 Hindu temple dedicated to Andiya. It appears to date 

 from the third or fourth century A.D."f Judging from the 

 name of the tank and the local tradition, a petty Wanni king 

 appears to have had his headquarters here. 



Built into the bund of the tank were to be seen before its 

 restoration the remains of a bathing-place, which was said to 

 have been the bathing-place of the king who formerly lived 

 here. A semicircular mound projected into the tank, and 

 evidently a flight of steps led from the top of it down into 

 the tank. Only two of the stones of the side walls were in 

 position. The steps are lying about, some broken, in the 

 bed of the tank. The stones of the side wall are backed 

 with brickwork, the bricks having curious marks (five wavy 



* Diary of February 8, 1890. 



f Sessional Papers, 1886, p. 439. One relic of this monastery is to be 

 seen at the resthouse. It is sripdda stone of the size of the larger one 

 at Mahakachchatkodi, about 2 ft. square. It is built in as a step to one 

 of the side verandahs. It was brought from the Hindii temple. (Diary 

 of November 22, 1889.) 



