No. 58.— 1907.] 



NUWARA-GALA. 



151 



natural forts for the protection of Ruhuna, or for the 

 subjugation of the Yakkus, whose stronghold lay between the 

 chain of hills that include "Westminster Abbey" and 

 "Friar's Hood" and the base of the Uva mountains — a 

 country that to-day is said to be the haunt of the real Vedda. 



It remains only for me to say that in submitting this Paper 

 to the Society I do so with considerable hesitation, as I cannot 

 cite any historical grounds for pitching upon Nuwara-gala as 

 an outpost, and I must leave my conjectures to sink or swim 

 upon the facts as already outlined and the proofs which 

 further and expert investigation will undoubtedly evolve. 



NOTE. 



Mudaliyar Simon de Silva writes as follows : — 

 " Mahatisa, the son of Dewana-piya Maharaja Gamini. 

 is Devanpiya means ' beloved of gods,' and may be applied 

 to any king. In this place the name of the king is Gamini 

 (Gemunu), known also as a Dutu Gemunu. Descendants are 

 sometimes called sons, but I would rather think Maha Tissa in 

 this inscription is a relative of Dutugemunu." [161 B.C.] 



Note by Mr. H. Storey. 



Referring to Mr. Lewis's excellent paper on Nuwara-gala, I see 

 he does not refer to the fact that this curious hill was reported 

 on by Mr. Halliley of the Survey Department in the Surveyor- 

 General's Administration Report of 1900. 



As regards the stone " conduit " near the ruined tank near 

 Pallebedda , I think it will be found to be merely an unfinished 

 " sluice culvert," and that the tank in question was never com- 

 pleted, hence the non-finding of any sluice. This is not the only 

 case of the kind : I have myself seen unfinished tanks, half -built 

 temples, and such-like. There is certainly in existence in the 

 Eastern Province a perfect specimen of a similar case in which 

 a tank bund is complete but for the sluice ; and this sluice chamber, 

 culverts, &c, complete, lies " set up " some little distance away 

 from its intended position in the bund ; thus showing that the 

 ancient builders undoubtedly "fitted " their work complete before 



e 36-07 



