No. 58.— 1907.] 



ANNUAL REPOBT. 



131 



Below, and on three sides at least of, the raised terrace holding 

 the shrine are about a dozen or more buildings, facing inwards, 

 evidently the piriven of the resident priests, the whole enclosed by 

 a wall. 



Between this and the outermost wall* (sima pahura) of the 

 entire monastery lies a low bank of debris. This has still to be laid 

 bare. 



The whole area embraced by this monastery covered about 

 three acres. 



(c) " Siva Devdle. ,, 'f — This beautiful little stone shrine, in 

 Dravidian style of architecture, stands at the north-east corner 

 of the old city. It is far better preserved than the other, and 

 larger, Siva Devale (strangely termed by guide books " Dalada 

 Maligawa ") near the main group of Buddhist ruins (" Thuparama," 

 " Wata-da-ge,"&c). 



The roof of its vestibule has partially fallen in, and the side walls 

 are bulging in places. But the main part of the structure (except 

 to a small degree in the north wall, and a few pieces of the coping 

 and dome) remains nearly as perfect a when erected. 



The shrine itself is 26 ft. in height and square (20 ft. 6 in.) in 

 shape (lengthened by its vestibule to 29 ft. 3 in. in front) with an 

 irregular octagonal, dome-like, roof of limestone which, now 

 blackened by age, must once have contrasted strikingly with the 

 dark granite of the walls. 



The sanctum is windowless, and entered by a single door 

 from the vestibule o,n the east. Inside it tapers up in angular, 

 chimney -form, wherein colonies of bats have revelled undisturbed 

 for centuries. 



The lingam and argha, discovered outside the "Siva Devale," 

 have been replaced in the centre of the shrine. 



Some rough digging appears to have been done here in 1885- 

 86 ; but no attempt was made to drain off the rain water, which 

 during the north-east monsoon collects round the base of the 

 shrine, and must tend to loosen its foundations. The Devale 

 stands 3 ft. or more below the present ground level ; and it was 

 highly important for its protection, (after digging out the whole 

 of the earth which has in course of years silted up and filled the 

 roughly walled premises surrounding the building), to carry a 

 drain thence through the neighbouring city rampart into the 

 low ground outside. This drain was cut at the end of the past 

 season. 



Two smaller subsidiary shrines were built towards the back 

 of the premises. That to the south-west is sacred to Ganesha, 

 whose image was unearthed in situ. 



(3) Restorations. 



No restoration work was done at Polonnaruwa in 1905, owing 

 to the same reason as affected excavations. 



* This exterior wall measures nearly 360 ft. each way. 

 t Hitherto misnamed " Vishnu Devale ." 



