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



which projects below, it is at the same time protected by 

 the part which overhangs it. The outer side of this gallery 

 was formed by a brick wall tapering to the top. Ledges 

 sunk in the Rock received the wall, and at a certain height 

 transverse blocks of a quartzose stone were laid across from 

 the wall to the Rock so as to form a pavement. The wall 

 had a coating of hard white plaster, much of which retains 

 a high polish to the present time. 



About a hundred yards of this gallery still stand almost 

 perfect ; but from the present iron ladders on the north side 

 of the Rock to the point where the gallery once reached its 

 summit on the north-east, the structure has completely 

 vanished. Grooves and oblong " catches " cut in the Rock 

 show where it was formerly sustained. 



Until the fixing of the iron ladders and railing in 1895 

 the ascent to the summit of Slgiri-gala was attended with 

 extreme risk ; and had been accomplished by less than a 

 dozen Europeans. 



Some of the natural concavities of the Rock scarp have 

 been further scooped — on its west cliff above the gallery — 

 into caves or " pockets " ; and in two or three of these 

 remains of painting may yet be seen. The " pockets " are 

 now inaccessible without elaborate preparations. 



The south-west foot of the Rock is washed by a pic- 

 turesque tank — at the present day of limited area, but 

 anciently very extensive, with a substantial "bund" that 

 joined the neighbouring rock, Mdpd-gala, and extended 

 southwards for several miles. 



To east and west of the Rock are rectangular areas — 

 terraces of earthwork held up by massive stone revetments — 

 which, together with the Rock itself, cover nearly 300 acres 

 and constitute the site of " Sigiri-nuwara" The outer 

 line of defence was formed by an immense embankment 

 surrounded for much of its circuit by a diydgalak, or moat. 



Inside the western area of the ancient city are the 

 remains of three or four lesser moated enclosures, and of 



