NO. 45.— 1894] ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE WANNl. 169 



At the foot there was another stone just appearing above 

 the surface of the ground, and digging in front of this I 

 found that it had on it the usual figure of a guardian goddess 

 very deeply carved into the stone. The top of the stone, 

 including the head of the figure, was broken off, but I found 

 it close by, though mutilated. I found the other balustrade 

 and stone in their proper position (the latter also broken), 

 and, between the two balustrades, the steps. There are also 

 the ruins of a dagaba close by. 



In front of another temple there are three stone steps, 

 diminishing in size from the topmost one. This was probably 

 the main entrance to the whole set of buildings. There are 

 many bricks and tiles scattered all about the place. One tile 

 was found indented at one end with the marks of the five 

 fingers pulled along it when it was wet, like those found 

 lately at Irasentirankulam and Nochchikulam. Not far 

 from these ruins there is a large square pokuna, all four sides 

 built up with cabook-like stone. On measurement it was 

 found to be 90 yards square, but originally I think it may 

 have been 100, as the sides have fallen in. Near it was a 

 rectangular stone, 3 ft. by 2 ft., with raised borders, such as 

 are used to place flowers on before an image of Buddha or 

 a bo-tree. 



The people call these ruins Kannya-kovil, because there 

 are seven temples, and they say there were seven Wanniyan 

 virgin chieftainesses.* 



In the same division, Melpattu North, there are rock 

 temples at Vavaddaimalai, about two miles south of Oddu- 

 chuddan. On one rock there are several pillars of the usual 

 rough kind marking the site of a temple. A flight of steps 

 from this leads down to a pokuna at the foot. The other 

 rock, about 100 yards south of this one, has caves, which were 

 evidently temples,t 



* Diary of June 26, 1890. These were probably the seven daughters of 

 Nanti, who are referred to in the Kalveddu. 

 f Diary of June 4, 1886. 



