144 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



Following the road, I found that we were getting on to a 

 shoulder of bare rock, and here the path branched, one 

 portion still rising, while the second or lower track passed 

 through a slight gap and entered upon a ledge, below which 

 the rock was, roughly speaking, vertical for approximately 

 800 feet. The ledge at this point is on one's left-hand side, and 

 it quickly opened into a magnificent cave measuring 118 ft. by 

 25 ft., capable of easily accommodating at least 100 people. 

 The mouth of the cave has a full and elaborately cut drip 

 ledge, and also an inscription.* 



The drip ledge in this case has, to me, the peculiarity of 

 having a bending the purpose of which I presume is ornamental 

 only. Several sockets are cut in the rock that forms the roof 

 of the cave, and probably were for the purpose of forming a 

 wall on one side to shut out the wind as well as rain and to 

 form partitions. From the mouth of the cave one has a 

 magnificent view of the mountain known as Kokka-gala, 

 overlooking the little village of Kallodai, where the present 

 cart road to Badulla crosses the old military (?) road that 

 traversed the base of the Uva country, which reached Tissa- 

 maharama on the south and the Madura-oya on the east. 



The object and purpose of this road is not, as far as I am 

 aware, made known in any of our historical records, but it is 

 impossible to avoid the conclusion, both from its general trend 

 of direction and its size and stability of construction , that this 

 was the highway from Tissamaharama to Polonnaruwa, or, in 

 other words, to connect Ruhunu-rata with Pihiti or Raja-rata. 



Such a road could be of commercial value, while equally it 

 could be of strategic importance, and I am inclined to believe 

 that perhaps the latter object was more in view while it 

 was in course of construction, than the former. This road, it 

 will be observed, followed the base of the Uva hills, and after 



* [The defective copy sent with the Paper appears to read : Deva- 

 napiya Maha Raiaha Gamini Tisahaputa Maha Tisa ayaha lene 

 saga(sa). — B., Honorary Secretary.] 



